Making CBR or CBZ files

In this tutorial we will cover how to create a CBR or CBZ file in 3 easy steps.

Step 0: The basics

If you don't know what is a CBR or CBZ file, or how to view them, please check the following posts first:

• What is a CBR or CBZ files?
• Comic book viewers
  

Step 1: Prepare and rename the images

Put the images (preferably JPEG) in the same folder. Comic book viewers display the images sequentially based on their alphabetical order, so you should rename them accordingly.

Naming criteria

A common criteria is to use the same prefix for all images, and a numeric suffix corresponding to the page number, using enough zeroes on the left to ensure correct ordering. Here is an example:

1. na01.jpg
2. na02.jpg
3. na03.jpg
4. na04.jpg
5. na05.jpg
6. na06.jpg
7. na07.jpg
8. na08.jpg
9. na09.jpg
10. na10.jpg
11. na11.jpg

Zeroes are necessary the preserve the correct page order when ordering alphabetically. If we didn't use zeroes in the above example, the images would be shown like this:

1. na1.jpg
2. na10.jpg
3. na11.jpg
4. na2.jpg
5. na3.jpg
6. na4.jpg
7. na5.jpg
8. na6.jpg
9. na7.jpg
10. na8.jpg
11. na9.jpg

Renaming tools

There are many file renaming tools that can rename countless files in a flash. While you can rename the image files manually, we recommend using one of the following:

• Windows: A.F.5 (official site)
• Mac: Automator
• *nix: GPRename (official site)
  

Optional step A: Using image filenames to give more information

Most comic book viewers don't display the image filename by default, so users tend to keep the prefix simple. You can give more information in the prefix (newavengers_v1_no1 instead of na in the above example), but try to use only alphanumeric characters and few special characters like underscore to avoid potential problems.

Why it isn't necessary, some like to give more information about the pages, such as specifying if it's a cover, an ad or a double page spread. Below is a way to do it without affecting the ordering:

1. na00_cover.jpg
2. na01.jpg
   
3. na02-03.jpg
4. na04_ad.jpg
5. na05.jpg

Optional step B: Include a signature graphic or text file

Signature graphic

A signature graphic is an image people tend to add to identify themselves as the authors of the Comic Book Archive file. If you want to include a signature graphic, make sure it's the last image that will be shown by the comic book viewer by changing its filename. For example:

z_signature.jpg

Text file

Some comic book viewers show the content of the first text file they find in the archive. This is useful if you have an important message for the viewers, although some of them might find it intrusive.

To add a message, simply put it in an ASCII text file in the same folder than the images and make sure you include it in the archive file.

Step 2: Archive the files

Archivers

For this step you will need an archiver such as WinRAR (official site) if you want to create a CBR file, or WinZip (official site) or 7-Zip (official site) if you want to create a CBZ file.

If for some reason you want to use another archive format, you can create CB7 files with 7-Zip, CBT with 7-Zip as well, and CBA with WinAce (official site). However, remember that CBR and CBZ are the most common Comic Book Archive formats.

Archiving

Pack all the images with the archiver in a single file, without deleting the original files.

If possible, avoid using heavy compression as images don't compress significantly and it will probably increase the loading time of the comic book viewer when opening your file.

Step 3: Rename the archived file

Extension

Rename the resulting file according to the archive format that you used. If you created a RAR file, change the extension to CBR. If you created a ZIP file, rename it to CBZ. Other formats:

• 7-Zip: CB7
• TAR: CBT
• ACE: CBA
  

Refrain from deleting your original image files until you are sure that the resulting file works properly.

Filename

There is no official standard for naming Comic Book Archive files. The following format is used, with some sligth variations, by most release groups:

@title #@number (@year) (@author).@extension

An example:

New Avengers #1 (2007) (Marvel Online).cbr

If you're creating a file that's not in English language, it doesn't hurt to add the language between brackets like this:

New Avengers #1 (2007) (Marvel Online) {Spanish}.cbr

Recommend step C: Test your file

Archivers are far from perfect and sometimes the resulting file can become corrupted. Before releasing your Comic Book Archive to the world, test your file in your favorite comic book viewer, verifying that all pages are viewed correctly.