TritonPanelsThe short answer
PDF comics work in most comic readers: each PDF page is a comic page, and you read them like any other comic. EPUB is trickier. A comic EPUB is fixed-layout, with each page a single image; a novel EPUB is reflowable text that rewraps to fit the screen. TritonPanels reads PDF and DRM-free, fixed-layout image EPUB. It does not read reflowable text EPUB, and it cannot open anything copy-protected.
The two kinds of EPUB
EPUB is a packaging format: underneath, it is a ZIP archive containing web pages, images and a description of the reading order. What those web pages contain decides what kind of book it is.
- Reflowable EPUB is the normal ebook. The text flows to fit the screen, and you can change the font and size. Images, if there are any, float in the text. This is the right format for a novel and the wrong one for a comic, because a comic page cannot be rewrapped.
- Fixed-layout EPUB keeps every page exactly as designed. Comic and manga EPUBs are usually built this way, with one full-page image per page. In practice it behaves like a CBZ with a different wrapper.
The file extension is the same for both, so you can’t tell them apart by name. Try importing: TritonPanels checks the book and, if it is reflowable or mixes text with images, tells you so instead of showing you a broken comic.
Which EPUBs TritonPanels reads
An EPUB imports when it is fixed-layout, DRM-free, and every page is a single image stored inside the book. It is refused, with a message saying why, when it is:
- reflowable or mixed-layout (a text ebook, or text with pictures);
- encrypted or DRM-protected;
- scripted or interactive, which TritonPanels does not run;
- built from pages that load images from the internet rather than from inside the book.
Once imported, an image EPUB is a comic like any other: it gets the same reading modes, page fit, reading progress, bookmarks and library tools as a CBZ.
PDF comics
A PDF comic is usually one comic page per PDF page, either scanned or exported from the artist’s drawing software. TritonPanels reads PDFs page by page, keeps your place and bookmarks, and shows them in the same library as your archives.
A few things work differently for PDFs because TritonPanels draws them with a PDF viewer rather than as plain images:
- Reading modes. Single Page, Continuous Scroll and Panel by Panel are available. Double Page is not available for PDFs, so a PDF shows one page at a time.
- Panel by Panel. Panels are found on PDF pages just as on archive pages, on the device, so guided reading works on a PDF. See panel by panel comic reading.
- Zoom. Pinch to zoom, or double tap. Zoom Lock is not available for PDFs, because the PDF viewer handles its own zoom.
- Colour. Colour adjustments may not be available for every PDF.
A PDF that is really a text document with a few pictures will read, but it will read like a document. Comics are best in PDFs where each page is a full-page image.
Fit modes for PDFs and EPUBs
Page fit decides how a page is sized on the screen. The choices are Automatic, Fit Width, Fit Height, Fit Screen, Fill Screen and Original Size, and you can set one per comic or rely on the app default.
| Page fit | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Fit Screen | Shows the whole page | Tablets, and a first look at any page |
| Fit Width | Fills the screen’s width; drag to see the rest | Portrait pages on a phone, where text is otherwise small |
| Fit Height | Fills the screen’s height | Wide pages and spreads held in landscape |
| Fill Screen | Fills the screen and crops the overflowing edges | Pages with generous margins |
| Automatic | Picks one of the above for each page from its shape | Mixed pages, such as a PDF with wide spreads |
For PDFs, Fit Width, Fit Height and Fit Screen use the PDF viewer, while Fill Screen, Automatic and Original Size show each page as an image. Image EPUBs behave like archives throughout. In Continuous Scroll, every format fits the page width.
What DRM means for comics
DRM (digital rights management) is copy protection that ties a purchase to one company’s app or account. Comics bought inside a subscription service or a store’s own reader are almost always protected this way, even when they are delivered as EPUB or PDF behind the scenes. No other app can open them, TritonPanels included, and you should read them in the app you bought them through.
Plenty of comics are sold without DRM: Humble Bundle comic bundles, DriveThruComics, many creators’ own shops and most crowdfunding rewards. Those downloads are yours to keep and read in any app. Public-domain and Creative Commons comics are DRM-free too; see free, legal comics to read.
Check before you buy. If you want to read a purchase in your own reader, look for “DRM-free” and a download in CBZ, PDF or fixed-layout EPUB. If the only way to read it is inside the seller’s app, that is where it will stay.
What to do with an unsupported file
- A text ebook (reflowable EPUB): read it in an ebook reader. It is not a comic, and converting it will not make it one.
- A DRM-protected EPUB or PDF: read it in the app you bought it through. Removing copy protection is not something we can help with, and in many countries it is not allowed.
- A DRM-free EPUB that is reflowable but is really pages of images: an EPUB is a ZIP underneath, so on a computer you can rename a copy to
.zip, extract it, and pack the page images into a CBZ. Check the page order carefully, because image names inside an EPUB do not always sort in reading order. How to make a CBZ file has the steps. - A damaged or partly downloaded file: download it again from the source.
Frequently asked questions
Can I read EPUB comics on my phone?
Yes, if they are fixed-layout image EPUBs without DRM. TritonPanels reads those as comics on iPhone, iPad and Android. Reflowable text EPUBs are ordinary ebooks and belong in an ebook reader.
How do I know whether an EPUB is fixed-layout?
The file name will not tell you. Comic and manga EPUBs are usually fixed-layout; novels are reflowable. The simplest test is to import it: TritonPanels tells you if a book is reflowable, mixed-layout or protected rather than importing it.
Why can’t I use Double Page with a PDF?
PDFs are drawn by a PDF viewer that shows one page at a time, so Double Page is not available for them in TritonPanels. Single Page, Continuous Scroll and Panel by Panel all work. If you want spreads, a CBZ or image EPUB of the same comic supports Double Page.
Does Panel by Panel work with PDF comics?
Yes. TritonPanels finds the panels on PDF pages on the device, the same way it does for CBZ and CBR comics, and nothing is uploaded.
Read your comics with TritonPanels
A comic and manga reader for iPhone, iPad and Android. CBZ, CBR, CB7, CBT, PDF and image-based EPUB from your device, your cloud, a network share or your own Komga, Kavita or OPDS server — single page, spreads, continuous scroll or Panel by Panel. No ads, no account. 14-day free trial, then a monthly or yearly subscription.
Your own files: TritonPanels reads comics you already have. It does not sell, host or supply comics, and it cannot open copy-protected (DRM) purchases that are locked to another store’s app. Komga, Kavita, Calibre, Dropbox and the other names on this page belong to their owners, who do not endorse TritonPanels.