Tizra Upgrades
Content Strategy
EPUB
When your association creates content, it matters. Your publications carry authority, expertise, and valuable insights your readers rely on. The challenge? Transforming this print content for the digital era while maintaining the quality your readers expect.
The reality is that the long-predicted tipping point at which digital truly displaces print as the primary driver of content authoring and production is truly upon us. Our readers are digital natives now, and we need to be, too.So how do you meet the evolving expectations of today’s digital readers while preserving the quality that makes your high-value content recognizable?
In this article, we'll look at digital publishing formats and methods that can help you serve your readers better. We'll explore PDFs (with their fixed layouts), XML (powerful but complex), and EPUB (which delivers digital-first results with your existing workflow—no coding bootcamp required!). By understanding these options, you'll be better equipped to choose the right approach for your organization.
Understanding Your Digital Publishing Options
Each digital publishing approach offers different benefits and tradeoffs. Some prioritize simplicity over features. Others deliver powerful capabilities but demand significant resources. Finding the right balance means understanding what each option truly offers your association.
PDF: Simple But Limiting
Many associations start their digital journey with PDFs, and it's easy to see why. They're familiar, reliable, and preserve your carefully designed layouts. PDFs excel at maintaining your print publication's look and feel in digital form—every page appears exactly as designed, with fonts, images, and formatting perfectly preserved.
However, as member expectations evolve, PDF limitations become increasingly apparent. What works for print-and-save documents falls short for real digital reading. Think about a member trying to reference your professional guide during a busy workday. They need quick answers, but instead of focusing on your valuable content, they're fighting with their screen.
When your readers try to read a PDF presentation or journal on their phone, they’re encountering:
- Constant pinching and zooming just to read basic text
- Fuzzy words that cause eye strain
- Search that stops at page numbers instead of finding specific content
- Accessibility features that fall short of modern standards
- An experience that feels stuck between print and true digital reading
Sound frustrating? It is—and it impacts content accessibility. When reading becomes a struggle, engagement falters, and important information gets missed. That professional resource you worked hard to develop becomes significantly less valuable to your readership and gathers dust in your digital archive.
XML: Enterprise Power for Digital Publishing
XML powers some of the most sophisticated digital publishing operations today. By separating content from presentation, it enables infinite flexibility and automation.
Leading publishers use XML systems to:
- Flow text perfectly across any device
- Enable precise, granular search
- Create rich interactive experiences
- Deliver content in multiple formats
- Future-proof their content libraries
Organizations with robust technical infrastructure find XML invaluable for complex publishing needs like real-time content updates, automated formatting, and multi-channel distribution. It's particularly powerful for publishers managing frequent updates, multiple content formats, or intricate approval workflows.
However, XML's flexibility requires a significant re-think of your production workflows, including new tools, adjusted training, and, usually, outside support. This investment may not align with some associations' current needs, budget, or strategic plan.
EPUB: Digital-First from Day One
For associations seeking to modernize their digital reading experience without significantly changing internal processes, EPUB delivers an authentic digital reading experience without the visual limitations of PDF readers or the technical complexity of XML. EPUB is built specifically for how people read digital content today.
Think about your favorite reading apps: text adjusts perfectly to your screen, search finds exactly what you need, and everything just works. EPUB brings these same professional features to your association's content immediately. You achieve digital-first results through a digital-second workflow—maintaining your existing content processes while upgrading the reading experience.
While it may offer fewer configuration options than XML, EPUB excels at its core purpose: delivering beautiful, functional digital reading for your readers:
- Text that automatically adjusts to their device, just like their favorite reading apps
- Crystal-clear rendering that maintains your content's professional quality
- Smart search that helps them find and retain important information
- Support for annotation tools that enhance learning
- Built-in accessibility that serves all readers
- Natural scrolling that feels right across all common devices
EPUB is particularly powerful for associations because it provides a digital-native experience that integrates with your existing workflow. Your production team keeps their familiar processes, focusing on creating excellent content. And for the technical aspects of EPUB creation, you can tap into a well-developed ecosystem of vendors and tools who are ready to work with your existing outputs. . Readers get the authentic digital reading experience they expect—no squinting, pinching, or new processes required!
Transform Your Content with Digital Publishing Solutions from Tizra
Your readers trust your content's quality and authority. Now you can give them a digital reading experience that honors that trust. EPUB from Tizra enables your organization to deliver the modern features readers expect without overhauling your content team’s processes.
Moving to EPUB doesn't mean starting over. It means taking your proven content and making it work better for everyone:
- Give readers the professional reading experience they expect
- Extend your content's reach across all devices
- Maintain your editorial standards and workflows
- Add modern features without technical complexity
- Make your content work as hard as possible for your mission
Your current content investments—training materials, event assets, professional guides, journals, educational resources, etc.—represent significant expertise and effort. EPUB helps this content reach its full potential by transforming print-era materials into dynamic resources that work harder for your readers. Your valuable content becomes more accessible, useful, and engaging—available wherever and however readers need it.
Want to learn more about how you can leverage EBUB on Tizra? Schedule a consultation