Pressbooks allows you to upload and insert many different types of media and files into your book, including the following^[1]:

• Image files, including JPG, PNG, or GIF, which can be embedded into the book
• Audio and video files—note that Pressbooks discourages users from uploading video directly to their Pressbooks media library
• PDFs, Word files, or PowerPoint slides, which cannot be embedded; readers can download these file types from the book through a hyperlink

In this chapter, you will learn some tips for including images and other types of media and files in your book.

For more information on adding media to the Media Library of a webbook, see the chapter Media in the Pressbooks User Guide. For more details on including media in a webbook, see the chapters Display Embedded Media and Edit Images in the Pressbooks User Guide.

Optimizing Images for Web and Print

If your goal is to produce a book for both web and print delivery, consider the size and placement of the images you include. It is recommended that any images be centered and no larger than 500 pixels wide and 600 pixels high.

Using a larger image may push it to another page in the PDF—sometimes several pages away from its position in the corresponding webbook. One solution for this problem is to add page breaks to key spots in the book.

For guidance on adding page breaks to your book, see Create Section and Page Breaks in PDF Exports in the chapter Apply Special Formatting in the Pressbooks User Guide.

Some authors choose to create a separate version, PDF, or other file type in a different system such as InDesign for print so that they can be more creative with the text and image layout for the web version without having to take the constraints of print into account.

Image Attributions

Appropriate attribution should be given for all images that are sourced from other texts or the web. You can add attribution information to the images in your Media Library. The Pressbooks platform allows for the inclusion of a source URL, author name and URL, and licensing information to help ensure proper attribution.

For more information on adding attribution information to the images in your Media Library, see Adding details to your media in the chapter Media in the Pressbooks User Guide.

Additionally, be sure that the attribution is provided in a way that is accessible to readers, such as through a caption or a section for attributions at the bottom of the web page where the image appears.

Image Captions

Image captions should relate to the purpose of the image in the context of the overall chapter or section. The image caption may also include an attribution statement for the image.

If the image caption does not include a description of an image, be sure to include alt text of the image for screen readers.

Uploading Files to a Book

In a webbook, you can link to files hosted in the Pressbooks Media Library of the book so that people reading the book can access those files. This feature may be useful if you want to share files that will not display directly in Pressbooks, like PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, or PowerPoint slides.

To add a link to a file in a book in Pressbooks, follow the following steps:

1. Click Add Media at the top of the Visual Editor in Pressbooks.
2. Select the Upload Files tab and select the file you want to upload.
3. Click Insert into chapter.
4. The linked text can be edited, as is typical with any hyperlink.