Build a reading-order test for multicolumn PDFs

By EPUBTurn · Updated 6 October 2026

Distinct passages make column-order errors easy to spot. Write the expected sequence first, then check both block order and the sentences crossing each boundary.

On this page

Record the published page’s reading order
Trace the actual paper’s column transition
Test continuation words, not only block labels
Read beyond the single column boundary
Repeat the column check on an actual passage

Record the published page’s reading order

Open the actual two-column paper page.
Identify the end of the left column and beginning of the right.
Record the expected continuation from the original.
Compare the same passage in the saved EPUB.

Trace the actual paper’s column transition

Use page 2 of the published fish-reproduction paper as a real two-column source. Record the end of the left column and beginning of the right column before reading the EPUB. Follow the argument in that order, ignoring the fact that lines across the two columns may sit at similar heights. The actual comparison found column interleaving in four default converter outputs, while the reviewed EPUBTurn copy retained the inspected sequence. Those observations concern this paper; use a different source passage to check your own document rather than assuming every column layout behaves the same.

Test continuation words, not only block labels

A correct chapter sequence can still hide a dropped sentence inside a column. Record the final sentence before the actual column boundary and the first sentence after it. Compare the pair in the reading edition, then read the surrounding argument to check the continuity.

Keep nearby sidebars or captions separate from the main discussion unless the source directs the reader into them. If a published layout intentionally offers several reading paths, describe those paths rather than judging every departure from one preferred route as an error. Use the source page’s visible arrangement and the author’s references to establish the expected relationship.

Read beyond the single column boundary

After checking the recorded transition, read the rest of the page and the start of the next page. A converter can preserve one boundary while still repeating a sentence or placing a caption in the middle of the argument elsewhere. Compare the actual source’s footnote and figure references as you go. Keep each observed passage separate from uninspected pages, and distinguish retained order from a claim that the full publication is correct. Save the first and last words of each inspected passage with its source page number so another reader can repeat the same check.

Repeat the column check on an actual passage

Use the inspected column transition in the real journal-paper comparison as a model for your own reading-order check. The reviewed EPUBTurn copy keeps that passage’s order; the four default competitor outputs interleave it. The reviewed file also needed three equation-crop corrections and retains a partly clipped chart. Try your own source through EPUBTurn, record the left-column ending and right-column beginning, and judge those exact sentences rather than counting a valid EPUB download as correct order.

Open the actual source PDF · Download the reviewed EPUBTurn export.

For your own document, create an EPUBTurn sample from your PDF, then use the reading checks described here.

Sources and further reading

Calibre conversion manual