## Problem
Many e-ink readers have limited image decoder support natively.
EPUBs with images in other formats than **baseline JPEG** frequently
cause:
- **Broken images**: pages render as blank, corrupted noise, or never
load
- **Slow rendering**: unoptimized images cause severe delays on e-ink
hardware, up to 7 seconds per page turn, with cover images taking up to
59 seconds to render
- **Broken covers**: the book thumbnail never generates
Fixing this today requires external tools before uploading.
---
## What this PR does
Adds an **optional, on-demand EPUB optimizer** to the file upload flow.
When enabled,
it converts all images to baseline JPEG directly in the browser — no
server, no internet,
no external tools needed.
**Conversion is opt-in. The standard upload flow is unchanged.**
---
## Real-world impact
The optimizer was applied in batch to **61 EPUBs**:
- 60 standard EPUBs: 198 MB → 55 MB (**−72.2%**, 143 MB saved)
- Text-dominant books: 8–46% smaller (covers and inline images
converted)
- Image-heavy / illustrated books: 65–93% smaller
- 1 Large manga volume (594 MB): 594 MB → 72 MB (**−87.8%**, 522 MB
saved)
- EPUB structural integrity fully maintained — zero new validation
issues introduced across all 61 books
*Size and integrity analysis:
[epub-comparator](https://github.com/pablohc/epub-comparator)*
From that set, **17 books were selected** as a representative sample
covering different content
types: image-heavy novels, pure manga, light novels with broken images,
and text-dominant books.
Each was benchmarked on two devices running in parallel, one on `master`
and one
on `PR#1224` — measuring render time across ~30 pages per book on
average.
### Rendering bugs fixed
| Book | Problem (original) | After optimization |
|------|--------------------|--------------------|
| Fairy Tale — Stephen King | Cover took **59.7 s** to render | 2.1 s
(−96%) |
| Cycle of the Werewolf — Stephen King | Cover took **23.3 s** to render
| 1.7 s (−93%) |
| Tomie: Complete Deluxe Ed. — Junji Ito | Cover took **18.3 s** to
render | 2.0 s (−89%) |
| Joel Dicker — El tigre (Ed. Ilustrada) | Cover took **14.5 s** to
render | 1.4 s (−90%) |
| Jackson, Holly — Asesinato para principiantes | Cover failed
completely (blank) | 2.0 s ✓ |
| Sentenced to Be a Hero — Yen Press | Cover failed, **8 images failed
to load** | All fixed ✓ |
| Flynn, Gillian — Perdida | Cover failed completely (blank) | 1.6 s ✓ |
| Chandler, Raymond — Asesino en la lluvia | Cover failed completely
(blank) | 2.0 s ✓ |
### Page render times — image-heavy EPUBs (avg per page)
| Book | Pages | Avg original | Avg optimized | Improvement | File size
|
|------|-------|-------------|---------------|-------------|-----------|
| Fairy Tale — Stephen King | 30 | 3,028 ms | 1,066 ms | **−64.8%** |
32.4 MB → 9.1 MB (−72%) |
| Cycle of the Werewolf — Stephen King | 33 | 3,026 ms | 1,558 ms |
**−48.5%** | 35.1 MB → 2.9 MB (−92%) |
| Joel Dicker — El tigre (Ed. Ilustrada) | 16 | 1,846 ms | 1,051 ms |
**−43.1%** | 5.3 MB → 0.4 MB (−93%) |
| Tomie: Complete Deluxe Ed. — Junji Ito | 30 | 4,817 ms | 2,802 ms |
**−41.8%** | 593.8 MB → 72.2 MB (−87.8%) |
| Sentenced to Be a Hero — Yen Press | 30 | 1,719 ms | 1,388 ms |
**−19.2%** | 15.2 MB → 1.6 MB (−90%) |
### Text-heavy EPUBs — no regression
| Book | Pages | Avg original | Avg optimized | Delta |
|------|-------|-------------|---------------|-------|
| Christie — Asesinato en el Orient Express | 30 | 1,672 ms | 1,646 ms |
−1.6% |
| Flynn — Perdida | 30 | 1,327 ms | 1,291 ms | −2.7% |
| Dicker — La verdad sobre el caso Harry Quebert | 30 | 1,132 ms | 1,084
ms | −4.2% |
| Hammett — El halcón maltés | 30 | 1,009 ms | 966 ms | −4.3% |
| Chandler — Asesino en la lluvia | 30 | 989 ms | 1,007 ms | +1.8% |
*Differences within ±5% — consistent with device measurement noise.*
*Render time benchmark:
[epub-optimization-benchmark](https://github.com/pablohc/epub-optimization-benchmark)*
---
## How to use it
**Single file:**
1. Click **Upload** (top of the page) — a modal opens. Use **Choose
files** to select one EPUB from your device.
2. Check **Optimize**.
- *(Optional)* Expand **Advanced Mode** — adjust quality, rotation, or
overlap; set individual images to H-Split / V-Split / Rotate.
3. Click **Optimize & Upload**.
**Batch (2+ files):**
1. Click **Upload** (top of the page) — a modal opens. Use **Choose
files** to select multiple EPUBs from your device.
2. Check **Optimize**.
- *(Optional)* Expand **Advanced Mode** — adjust quality.
3. Click **Upload** — all files are converted and uploaded sequentially.
Upload a batch of files, without optimization:
<img width="810" height="671" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d892ae13-0b87-4ea4-b6b8-340d56efc763"
/>
Batch file upload, with standard optimization:
<img width="809" height="707" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d32dbc88-1208-4555-bfcf-330ab91d2174"
/>
Optimization Phase (1/2):
<img width="807" height="1055" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fd4cd5f9-e56e-4ca1-9777-6926b9baf2bb"
/>
Upload Phase (2/2):
<img width="805" height="1065" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/483294f0-02f0-4569-ae11-c10b3581d747"
/>
Batch upload successfully confirmed:
<img width="812" height="1043" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/80c135bf-05c3-4c80-8755-2a04c68235bc"
/>
---
## Options
**Always active when the converter is enabled:**
- Converts PNG, WebP, BMP, GIF → baseline JPEG
- Smart downscaling to 480×800 px max (preserves aspect ratio)
- True grayscale for e-ink (BT.709 luminance, always on)
- SVG cover fix + OPF/NCX compliance repairs
**Advanced Mode (opt-in) — single file:**
- JPEG quality presets: 30% / 45% / 60% / 75% / **85%** (default) / 95%
- Rotation direction for split images: CW (default) / CCW
- Min overlap when splitting: 5% (default) / 10% / 15%
- Auto-download conversion log toggle (detailed stats per image)
- Per-image picker: set Normal / H-Split / V-Split / Rotate per image
individually,
with "Apply to all" for bulk assignment
**Advanced Mode (opt-in) — batch (2+ files):**
- JPEG quality presets: 30% / 45% / 60% / 75% / **85%** (default) / 95%
- Auto-download conversion log toggle (aggregated stats for all files)
---
## ⚠️ Known limitations
**KoReader hash-based sync will break** for converted files. The file
content changes,
so the hash no longer matches the original. Filename-based sync is
unaffected.
If you rely on KoReader hash sync, use the Calibre plugin or the web
tool instead.
---
## Build size impact
| Metric | master (53beeee) | PR #1224 (a2ba5db) | Delta |
|---------------|------------------|--------------------|----------------|
| Flash used | 5,557 KB | 5,616 KB | +59 KB (+1.1%) |
| Flash free | 843 KB | 784 KB | −59 KB |
| Flash usage | 86.8% | 87.7% | +0.9 pp |
| RAM used | 95,156 B | 95,156 B | no change |
> Both builds compiled with `gh_release` environment in release mode
(ESP32-C3, 6,400 KB Flash).
> The +59 KB increase is entirely due to `jszip.min.js` embedded as a
> gzipped static asset served from Flash. RAM usage is identical,
> confirming no runtime overhead — the library runs in the browser,
> not on the ESP32. ~784 KB of Flash remain available.
---
## Alternatives considered
| Approach | Friction |
|----------|---------|
| **This PR** — integrated in upload flow | Zero: convert + upload in
one step, offline, any browser |
| Calibre plugin (in parallel development) | Requires a computer with
Calibre installed, same network |
| Web converters | Requires extra upload / download / transfer steps |
---
## Credits
Based on the converter algorithm developed by @zgredex.
Co-authored-by: @zgredex
---
### AI Usage
Did you use AI tools to help write this code? **PARTIALLY**
---------
Co-authored-by: zgredex <zgredex@users.noreply.github.com>
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