Colophon for Mac & WindowsBeautiful books, made simple.
Write or import your manuscript, pick a style, and Colophon makes polished ebooks for every store and a print-ready paperback. On a Mac or a Windows PC.
- Kindle, Apple, Kobo, Nook, Google
- Print-ready PDF for paperbacks
- Opens Vellum & Word files
- Word Finds & workbooks
Write on the left. See the real printed page on the right: title, ornament, drop cap and all.
From manuscript to finished book in three steps
No templates to fight and no page layout to learn. Colophon does the typesetting for you.
Bring in your book
Import a Word document or an existing Vellum book. Chapters, quotes, italics, notes and images come with it.
Pick a style
Choose a book style and every chapter updates at once: headings, drop caps, ornaments, scene breaks and quotes.
Generate
One click makes an EPUB for each store and a print-ready PDF for your paperback, ready to upload.
Book styles that look professionally typeset
Start from a finished style, then make it yours. Every change shows up instantly in the preview.
- Chapter headings with spaced capitals, numbers, ornaments and heading images
- Script and serif drop caps that wrap the text perfectly, letter by letter
- Hanging quote marks, small-caps subheads and elegant scene breaks
- Bring your own fonts and ornaments
Word Finds, built for you
Type your words. Colophon builds a clean, modern puzzle page and adds the answer key at the back.
- Across, down, diagonal and backwards, with any grid size
- Modern, classic or minimal looks, with a word list and tick boxes
- Answers shaded, outlined or highlighted, on the page or in the answer key
- Perfect for devotionals, children’s books, classrooms and activity books
Workbooks and study guides
Turn any book into something readers can write in.
- Writing lines for journaling and reflection
- Numbered questions with answer lines
- Fill-in-the-blanks inside your sentences
- An Answers page you can place anywhere in the book
Ebooks for every store
Preview your book on a Kindle, iPad, iPhone or Android phone before you publish.
- Separate files for Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, Nook and Google Play
- Store links that send each reader to the right store
- Linked table of contents, footnotes and endnotes
- Fonts embedded so your book looks the way you designed it
Everything you need to publish
The tools independent authors, pastors and small publishers reach for, in one app.
Every part of a book
Title page, copyright, dedication, contents, chapters, parts, volumes, notes, about the author, also by and more.
Print-ready paperbacks
Ten trim sizes, margins sized to your page count, running heads, page numbers and large print.
Rich text features
Block quotes, verse, alignment blocks, subheads, scene breaks, lists, images, text conversations and handwritten notes.
Footnotes and endnotes
Footnotes at the bottom of the page, endnotes grouped by chapter, linked both ways in ebooks.
Vellum and Word import
Open your .vellum books and .docx manuscripts and keep working on any computer.
Wide live preview
Turn the pages of your printed book, or switch to Kindle, iPad or phone, as you type.
Word Find pages
Puzzles built from your word list, with answer keys in the style you choose.
Workbook tools
Writing lines, questions and fill-in-the-blanks, with an Answers page.
Your fonts, your ornaments
Add fonts and ornaments you own and use them anywhere in your book.
Colophon vs Vellum
Vellum is excellent software, and it’s Mac only. Here’s an honest look at how Colophon compares.
| Colophon | Vellum | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $129 onceEbooks and print | $249.99 Vellum Press$199.99 for ebooks only |
| Runs on Windows | ✓ | —Mac only |
| Runs on Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ebooks for Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo and more | ✓ | ✓ |
| Print-ready paperback PDF | ✓ | ✓ |
| Opens your Vellum books | ✓ | ✓ |
| Word Find puzzle pages with answer keys | ✓ | — |
| Workbook lines, questions and fill-in-the-blanks | ✓ | — |
| Trim sizes | 10Including large print | 24Including large print |
| Hardcover files and PDF/X-1a output | — | ✓ |
Vellum details are from vellum.pub, November 2026. Vellum is a trademark of its owner. Colophon is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Vellum.
Get Colophon
$129 USD, one time
- The Mac and Windows versions in one purchase
- Ebooks for every store and print-ready paperbacks
- Opens your Vellum books and Word manuscripts
- Instant download, with your link emailed to you
Questions
What is Colophon?
Colophon is book formatting software for Mac and Windows. You write or import your manuscript, pick a book style, and Colophon makes professional ebooks for every store and a print-ready PDF for your paperback.
Is Colophon a Vellum alternative for Windows?
Yes. Vellum only runs on a Mac. Colophon runs on both Mac and Windows, opens your existing Vellum book files, and costs $129 USD once.
Can I open my Vellum books in Colophon?
Yes. Choose File → Import and pick your .vellum file. Colophon brings in your chapters, front and back matter, block quotes, subheads, notes, images, trim size and drop caps, so you can keep working on Windows or on a Mac.
Can I import a Word document?
Yes. Import a .docx file and Colophon splits it into chapters at your headings and keeps your italics, bold, block quotes and images. Plain text and Markdown work too.
Which ebook stores does it make files for?
Colophon makes a separate EPUB for Kindle (Amazon KDP), Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble Nook and Google Play, plus a generic EPUB for your own website or Draft2Digital. Each one links your other books to the right store.
Does it make print books?
Yes. Colophon makes a print-ready PDF for paperbacks at ten common trim sizes, including 5 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5 and 6 × 9. It sets the margins and gutter for your page count, adds running heads and page numbers, starts chapters where you want them, and has a large-print setting. It works with Amazon KDP Print and other print-on-demand services that accept a PDF.
Can I make workbooks, study guides and puzzle books?
Yes. Add writing lines, numbered questions with answer lines, and fill-in-the-blanks anywhere in your text. Add Word Find pages that build themselves from your word list. Answers to all of them can go on an Answers page wherever you place it.
How much does Colophon cost? Is there a subscription?
Colophon is $129 USD, once. No subscription. One purchase includes the Mac and Windows versions.
Is Colophon safe to install?
Yes. The Mac version is signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens like any other app. On Windows, because Colophon isn’t sold through the Microsoft Store, Windows may ask you to confirm the first time: click “More info” then “Run anyway”. You only do this once.
What do I need to run it?
A Mac with macOS 12 or later (Apple chip or Intel), or a PC with 64-bit Windows 10 or 11.
Lost your download link?
Enter the email you bought with and we’ll send it again.