If you’re building a Word to EPUB conversion checklist for tables, images, and footnotes, you’re probably dealing with the parts of a manuscript that cause the most damage in export. Chapter headings usually survive. Paragraph styles usually survive. But tables split awkwardly, images wander off, and footnotes turn into unreadable clutter if the DOCX is not prepared carefully.
This is the practical side of ebook production that many authors only notice after the file hits Kindle, Apple Books, or another retailer. A manuscript can look fine in Word and still produce a messy ebook because EPUB is not a page-layout format. It reflows. That means content has to be built for flexibility, not for fixed pages.
In this guide, I’ll walk through the Word to EPUB conversion checklist for tables, images, and footnotes with examples and a simple workflow you can use before export. If you want to test a manuscript after cleanup, a tool like ebookconvert.pro can help convert the DOCX into EPUB 3 while preserving structure as cleanly as possible.
Why tables, images, and footnotes cause so many EPUB problems
EPUB readers display content differently depending on the device, app, font size, and screen width. That flexibility is great for text, but it creates problems for anything that depends on precise placement.
Three common trouble spots:
- Tables may be too wide for small screens, causing sideways scrolling or cut-off content.
- Images can appear blurry, oversized, or disconnected from their captions.
- Footnotes can break reading flow if they are built as manual text blocks instead of true linked notes.
The goal is not to make EPUB behave like a print page. The goal is to make the content readable and stable across devices.
Word to EPUB conversion checklist for tables, images, and footnotes
1. Check every table for reflow risk
Tables are often the first thing to inspect because they can make an EPUB look broken even when the rest of the book is solid. In Word, a table can stretch across the page. In EPUB, that same table has to adapt to a narrow phone screen.
Use this table checklist:
- Keep tables as simple as possible.
- Remove merged cells unless they are absolutely necessary.
- Avoid nested tables.
- Shorten column headers where you can.
- Test whether the table still makes sense if it is narrowed.
If the table has many columns, ask whether it really belongs in the ebook. In some books, a dense data table is better handled as a figure, a bulleted list, or a linked appendix in PDF form.
Example: A comparison table with eight columns may work in print but becomes unreadable on a phone. Rebuilding it as a stacked list or splitting it into two smaller tables usually produces a better EPUB reading experience.
2. Decide whether the table should remain a table
Not every table deserves to survive as a table. That may sound harsh, but it’s the fastest way to improve readability.
Ask three questions:
- Does the reader need to scan rows and columns?
- Will the data still make sense if it wraps on a small screen?
- Would a list or short subsections communicate the same information more clearly?
If the answer to the first question is no, convert the table into text before EPUB export. This often makes the final ebook easier to navigate and less likely to break on smaller devices.
3. Keep images anchored to the right location
Images should not float unpredictably through the manuscript. In Word, set them up so they stay with the surrounding paragraph or section. If the image is placed as a floating object, export issues are more likely.
Image checklist:
- Use high-resolution source files.
- Place images inline when possible.
- Add alt text or a meaningful description where appropriate.
- Keep image captions consistent.
- Avoid relying on text boxes to hold important image content.
For ebooks, inline placement is usually safer than fancy wrapping styles. Readers want the image to appear where it belongs in the sequence, not drift above or below the paragraph it supports.
4. Resize images with the reading device in mind
Images in EPUB do not have a single fixed size. They expand and contract with the screen. That means an image that looks fine at 100% in Word may feel too large on a phone or too small on a tablet if it was inserted incorrectly.
Practical rules:
- Do not use tiny screenshots with unreadable text.
- Avoid images that depend on fine detail unless they are essential.
- Crop out unnecessary whitespace before inserting the image.
- Use a consistent width for repeated illustrations when possible.
Example: If you include a process diagram, make sure labels remain legible at smaller sizes. If the diagram depends on tiny arrows or footnotes inside the image, consider rebuilding it as a text-based step list instead.
5. Add captions in plain text, not inside the image
Captions are often overlooked. Some manuscripts place the caption directly into the image file or use a text box layered over the graphic. That may look neat in Word, but it is fragile in conversion.
A better approach is to write the caption as normal paragraph text below the image. That way, the caption remains searchable, accessible, and more likely to stay connected to the right figure in EPUB.
Good pattern:
- Figure 1. Sample workflow for manuscript review.
- [Image inserted inline]
- Caption below as styled text.
If the book contains many images, keep caption style consistent throughout. Readers notice inconsistency faster than you think.
6. Avoid text-heavy graphics when real text will do
One of the most common mistakes is turning content into images just because it looks clean in Word. Charts, callouts, and comparison blocks are often easier to build visually that way, but they become less usable in EPUB.
If the content is mostly text, keep it as text. EPUB readers allow users to resize fonts, switch themes, and search the text. None of that works well if the content has been flattened into an image.
Use graphics only when they add genuine value:
- Charts or diagrams that cannot be expressed clearly in text
- Cover illustrations
- Photos and art
- Simple visual aids with minimal text
7. Convert footnotes into linked notes, not manual clutter
Footnotes are another frequent failure point. In a print manuscript, Word footnotes live at the bottom of the page. In EPUB, those page boundaries disappear. If you leave notes unmanaged, you may end up with awkward blocks of tiny text or references that are hard to follow.
The cleaner approach is to use true footnote or endnote structures that convert into linked notes. That way, readers can tap or jump between the note marker and the note text.
Footnote checklist:
- Use Word’s built-in footnote or endnote tool.
- Do not type notes manually at the bottom of the page.
- Keep note text concise.
- Check whether notes should remain footnotes or be moved to endnotes for ebook readability.
Tip: In some nonfiction books, endnotes work better than footnotes because they reduce interruptions in the reading flow. If your notes are extensive, consider whether readers would prefer them at the back of the book.
8. Check reference markers for consistency
When notes are duplicated, numbered incorrectly, or styled manually, conversion tools can misread them. That often produces broken links or repeated note numbers.
Look for:
- Duplicate footnote numbers
- Manually typed superscripts
- Mixed styles for note markers
- Note text that was copied and pasted without the original reference structure
Use the built-in reference tools in Word instead of typing note markers by hand. It saves time later and reduces cleanup after export.
How to test your manuscript before conversion
Once the DOCX is cleaned up, do a quick test pass before generating the EPUB. You do not need to inspect every page like a proofreader, but you should check the highest-risk sections.
Quick test workflow
- Open the manuscript in Word and jump to every chapter with tables or images.
- Inspect each table for width, readability, and awkward column breaks.
- Confirm every image is inline or positioned intentionally.
- Review all captions for consistency and spacing.
- Check footnotes/endnotes for correct numbering and plain-text readability.
- Export or convert to EPUB and review the output in at least two readers if possible.
That last step matters. An EPUB may appear fine in one app and weird in another. Testing on a phone and a desktop reader gives you a much clearer picture of the final result.
Common mistakes that make EPUB tables, images, and footnotes worse
Here are the errors I see most often when manuscripts move from Word to ebook formats:
- Using tabs and spaces to fake layout inside tables or notes.
- Leaving screenshots as substitutes for real text.
- Embedding captions in text boxes instead of using paragraph styles.
- Creating huge tables that were designed only for print pages.
- Typing footnotes manually rather than using Word’s note tools.
- Skipping device testing after conversion.
These issues are fixable, but they are much easier to handle before the DOCX is converted. Once the EPUB is built, every correction can take longer.
When to simplify content for the ebook version
Not every manuscript should keep every design element in the ebook edition. If your book includes complex reference tables, instructional diagrams, or lengthy footnotes, simplifying them may improve the reading experience.
Good candidates for simplification include:
- Academic-style tables with many columns
- Charts with labels too small for mobile screens
- Multi-level footnotes with long explanations
- Image-heavy pages that rely on exact visual positioning
This is where a separate print PDF can be useful. The ebook can prioritize readability, while the print version preserves the full layout. That’s one reason many authors prepare both formats from the same manuscript source.
A practical pre-conversion checklist you can reuse
Before you send a DOCX into EPUB conversion, run through this quick checklist:
- Tables are as simple as possible.
- No merged or nested tables unless necessary.
- Images are inline or deliberately positioned.
- Captions are plain text below images.
- Image text is readable at small sizes.
- Footnotes/endnotes use Word’s built-in tools.
- Reference markers are consistent.
- Any content that depends on fixed layout has been simplified.
If you can check those boxes, your odds of a clean EPUB go up a lot.
Final thoughts on preparing complex content for EPUB
A strong Word to EPUB conversion checklist for tables, images, and footnotes is less about fancy formatting and more about making smart content decisions before export. The cleaner the structure in Word, the easier it is to produce an ebook that reads well on phones, tablets, and dedicated e-readers.
If you’re working through a manuscript with tricky tables, illustrations, or notes, focus on clarity first and layout second. And when you’re ready to test the cleaned file, tools like ebookconvert.pro can help turn a structured DOCX into EPUB 3 without the usual formatting surprises.
That is the real advantage of a good Word to EPUB conversion checklist for tables, images, and footnotes: fewer repairs later, a cleaner reading experience, and a file that behaves predictably across devices.