The Flow feature within 3D Issue Flipbooks Online allows you to create engaging digital publications which are optimized for smaller screens, while seamlessly adapting to different viewing experiences. This presents readers with the option to choose whether they prefer to flip through your publication, or to use a more fluid scrolling layout on mobile devices.
Why Flow?
PDFs are generally designed for print, rather than digital consumption. On smaller screens, this may result in:
- Excessive zooming and panning
- Poor readability
- Reduced engagement and completion rates
Converting PDFs into responsive publications provides the following advantages:
- Content adapts to screen size
- Improved semantic structure
- Faster loading
- Enhanced engagement
How Flow Works
Flow creates a responsive version of your publication by analyzing the source PDF to identify how its content its structured, before reconstructing the layout in a flexible, single-column structure.
During processing, Flow:
- Extracts text, headings, images, and layout groupings
- Reflows content into a linear, scrollable structure
- Preserves logical reading order
Once the Flow project has been loaded into the canvas, it will become editable using the tools to the right-hand side of the screen. After making any necessary edits, publishing your Flipbook will also publish the Flow version of your publication.
End-users can toggle between Flipbook and Flow using the button at the bottom-left of their screen.
Creating a Flow Publication
Flow functionality is activated by selecting the Article View tab above the Flipbooks Online Canvas.
Once Article View has been enabled, Flow will begin to process your document. Until the first three pages of your PDF have been processed, the canvas will be locked. Once three pages have been processed, they will become editable while the rest of the pages are being processed. As each subsequent page is processed, it is enabled for editing, allowing you to begin refinement without waiting for the entire document to load.
Editing Your Flow Document
Once processed, each page will initially contain the same core content as the Flipbook version, organized into a responsive single-column layout.
From this point, each page can be edited independently of the original Flipbook format, enabling each experience to be tailored to your needs and those of your readers.
Within the Flow editor, you can:
- Modify text content – update, rewrite, or restructure for improved readability
- Adjust content hierarchy – refine headings and section breaks to improve navigation
- Remove or reposition elements – eliminate non-essential content or reorder blocks
- Optimize media usage – resize or remove large images that negatively impact scroll depth
- Insert new components – enhance pages with additional content blocks where required
The Flow Editor is a simplified version of our Experios editor, and contains the same core set of editing tools. These tools are as follows:
Publishing
Publishing your Flipbook will automatically include the Flow version – no separate publishing workflow is required.
The final output on publishing provides:
- A Flipbook view for page-turning interaction
- A Flow view for mobile-optimized, scroll-based reading
Both formats are delivered within the same publication, allowing users to switch between them based on preference and device.