CBZ to XTC, and why that pairing makes sense
Of all the conversions into XTC, CBZ is the one that fits the format best. A CBZ is a ZIP of page images and nothing else, and an XTC file is a container of page images that have already been rasterised for a specific screen. Going from one to the other is conceptually simple: take each page, render it to the panel size at one bit or two bit depth, and pack the results. That is why the only open source XTC converter that exists, an MIT licensed tool called cbz2xtc, takes CBZ as its input rather than EPUB or PDF.
We cannot do this conversion yet, and this page will not suggest otherwise. Our outputs are EPUB, MOBI, CBZ and PDF. The XTC work upstream is an open pull request against the conversion engine, not a released feature. What we can do today is the part of the job that actually takes skill: cleaning, cropping and resizing your CBZ pages for a tiny screen, and handing you a file an Xteink reader opens.
CBZ to XTC is coming soon
Not live yet. Convert the CBZ to EPUB at around 480 by 800 instead, which Xteink documents as a supported format.
Vote for this on the roadmapWhat to do with a CBZ for an Xteink today
Convert the CBZ to EPUB at panel size
Xteink own X3 guide lists EPUB as a supported book format. Upload your CBZ, choose Custom conversion, and enter a size around 480 by 800, which is what the upstream XTEINK X4 profile targets. You get a file the device reads, with pages built for its screen rather than squeezed onto it.
Let the greyscale conversion do its work
XTC is a one bit or two bit format, so the pages end up at four grey levels at best. That is worth planning for rather than discovering: turn greyscale on and use the contrast handling so line art stays crisp instead of turning into mud when the depth drops.
Split the spreads before anything else
On a 3.7 or 4.3 inch panel a double page spread is not readable at all. Spread splitting turns each one into two pages, and right to left ordering keeps manga halves in sequence.
Use cbz2xtc directly if you need XTC now
Since the tool is open source and takes CBZ, you can run the final step yourself today: convert here to get clean, correctly sized pages, then feed that through cbz2xtc. We would rather tell you that than leave you waiting on us.
Honest about the gap, useful anyway
This page carries no upload bar for XTC because we cannot produce one honestly. What it does carry is the real route: convert the CBZ here for the screen, then use the open source tool for the last step. That is a working answer today rather than a promise about later.
The depth is the thing to plan for
Most conversion advice is about dimensions. For XTC the bit depth matters just as much, because one bit and two bit output is unusually shallow by modern standards. Getting the contrast right before that reduction is what separates a readable page from a smudge.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert a CBZ to XTC on this site right now?
No. We emit EPUB, MOBI, CBZ and PDF. This page exists because the conversion is real and worth explaining, not because we can run it. If that changes, the converter appears here and this wording goes away.
Why is CBZ the best source for an XTC file?
Because both are page image containers, so nothing has to be interpreted. Converting an EPUB or a PDF to XTC means first deciding how the content lays out and then rasterising it. A CBZ already is the pages, so the only question is what size and bit depth to render them at.
What actually happens to my pages in this conversion?
Each page is resized to the device panel and then reduced to one bit, meaning pure black and white, or two bit, meaning four grey levels. After that the result is fixed: an XTC file cannot be reflowed or resized later, because the rendering decisions are baked in when it is written.
Will my CBZ look worse as an XTC?
It will look different. Greyscale manga line art survives one bit and two bit rendering well, which is what the format was designed for. Detailed colour artwork and photographic scans lose the most, so those are better read as EPUB or CBZ on a device with more depth.
Is there any way to get XTC files today?
Yes, outside this site. cbz2xtc is an MIT licensed open source converter that takes CBZ input, so the path exists if you are comfortable running a command line tool. Converting here first gives it clean, correctly sized pages to work from.
Why advertise a conversion you cannot perform?
To measure whether anyone wants it. If people search for CBZ to XTC and land here, that is a reason to build the emit stage. If nobody does, we have saved the effort. The page states exactly what works and what does not, so nobody uploads a file expecting something we cannot return.
MangaConverter runs on Kindle Comic Converter (KCC), the open source engine, which emits EPUB, MOBI, CBZ and PDF. XTC output exists upstream only as an open pull request, so CBZ to XTC is a planned addition here rather than a live conversion, and this page will host it once it genuinely works.