Reflowable vs fixed layout Defined.
Definition
Reflowable and fixed layout are the two ways an ebook can be built. A reflowable ebook lets its text rewrap to the screen and the reader's font settings, so it has no fixed pages; a fixed-layout ebook keeps every page exactly as designed. Text-led books should be reflowable; comics and picture books need fixed layout.
Sources checked 20 October 2026.
How it works
KDP treats ebooks as reflowable by default, and its test is whether the body text can be separated from the images without losing context or layout. Reflowable books get the reading features: dictionary, adjustable fonts and, where available, X-Ray, text-to-speech and Word Wise. A fixed-layout book is declared in the file's metadata (rendition:layout set to pre-paginated, or fixed-layout set to true), states its original design resolution, and must embed its fonts. The W3C's EPUB overview gives children's books, comics, manga and magazines as the content that needs page-precise layout.
An example
A cookbook with one photo per recipe can still be reflowable: each photo can sit above its recipe without losing meaning. A picture book whose words are painted into the art can't, because the text loses its place once separated from the image. That book needs fixed layout, and its type has to be large enough to read on a small tablet without zooming.
Common mistakes
Choosing fixed layout to protect the look of a text-led book: readers lose font control and the reading features, and small screens get small type. Planning to switch later: KDP says moving a book between reflowable and Print Replica means unpublishing and adding it as a new title. And setting body text too small in fixed layout, where KDP gives minimum letter heights for a 7-inch tablet.
