Resources Formatting Guides
How to Add Images to a Book (Ebook and Print)
How to add images to a book so they look sharp in print and reflow correctly in ebooks, including resolution, placement, and alt text.
Some books need images: a map at the front of a fantasy novel, diagrams in a how-to guide, photographs in a memoir. Adding them well is more involved than dropping a picture into a document, because print and ebook handle images very differently. This guide covers how to add images to a book so they stay sharp in print, reflow correctly in ebooks, and remain accessible to every reader.
Inline images and full-page images
Most book images fall into two types. An inline image sits within the flow of the text, like a small diagram beside a paragraph. A full-page image takes a page of its own, like a map or a chapter illustration. The two need slightly different handling, especially in ebooks, where a full-page image has to cope with screens of every shape and size.
Resolution and file size
Print is unforgiving about resolution. For a printed book, images should be around 300 DPI at the size they will appear, or they will look soft or pixelated on the page. Always work from the highest-quality original you have, because you can scale an image down cleanly but not up. Ebooks are more relaxed about resolution but care about file size: a book stuffed with huge images becomes slow to download and can hit store size limits, so images should be crisp but sensibly compressed.
Alt text and accessibility
Every meaningful image should have alt text, a short written description of what the image shows. Alt text lets readers using screen readers understand the image, and it is part of what makes an ebook accessible. It is increasingly expected, too, as stores and standards pay more attention to accessibility. Writing a clear sentence for each image is a small task that makes your book usable by far more people.
Adding images in Koberger
Koberger lets you insert images into your book and add alt text to each one, and it handles them appropriately for each format so they stay sharp in the print PDF and reflow correctly in the ebook. You can preview how every image sits on the page before you export, in both ebook and print. Accessible, validated output is part of the point: for more on that, see our guide to creating an EPUB file, and you can try it with your own book for free.
Frequently asked questions
How do you add an image to a book?
Insert the image into your book at the point it belongs, then let the formatter place and size it for the format. Use a high-resolution file, add descriptive alt text, and preview it in both ebook and print, since the two handle images differently.
What resolution should book images be?
For print, aim for around 300 DPI at the size the image will appear, so it stays sharp when printed. Ebook images can be lower resolution but should still be crisp on high-density screens. Always start from the highest-quality original you have.
Do images work in ebooks?
Yes, but they behave differently from print. Ebook images sit within reflowing text and adjust to the screen, so very wide or full-page images need care. Keep file sizes reasonable so the ebook does not become huge, and check how each image looks on a small screen.
Should you add alt text to book images?
Yes. Alt text describes the image for readers using screen readers and is part of making an ebook accessible. It also helps your book meet the accessibility standards that some stores now look for. A good formatter lets you add alt text to every image.