# Vellum

> Mac-only book formatter with polished ebook and print output, one-time pricing, and free lifetime updates. The benchmark for indie fiction formatting.

Source: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/formatting/vellum
Website: https://vellum.pub
Category: Formatting & Layout (https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/formatting)
Pricing: paid — $200–$250/one-time
AI-powered: no
Editor's pick: yes
Tags: indie-formatter, mac, mac-only, one-time-purchase, ebook-formatting, print-formatting, epub, kdp, ingramspark, fiction, no-subscription
Last verified: 2026-07-01
Best For: Mac-only: fiction authors publishing a backlist who want the most polished ebook and print output available. Not available on Windows or Linux.
Formats Supported: epub, pdf, print
Platform: mac
Tool Type: desktop-software

Vellum is the premium book formatting tool of choice for Mac-based indie authors. Built by Brad Andalman and Brad West — two former Pixar engineers — it launched in 2014 with one purpose: to make professionally formatted books accessible to every author. A decade later, it remains the benchmark for output quality, with free updates continuously delivered to every customer since launch. Version 4.0 shipped in November 2025, adding subheads and heading customization; version 4.1 (March 2026) added a Graph Word Count tool, percentage-through-book toolbar item, and improved Word import/export handling for lists, footnotes, endnotes, and image alt text.

## Pricing

| Tier | Price | What's Included |
|---|---|---|
| Vellum Ebooks | $199.99 one-time | Unlimited ebook exports, all future updates |
| Vellum Press | $249.99 one-time | Unlimited ebooks + print (paperback and hardcover), all future updates |
| Upgrade | $99.99 | Upgrade from Ebooks to Press after the 30-day window |

No subscription fees. A free download lets you use all features indefinitely — you only pay when you're ready to export publishable files. 30-day money-back guarantee. Installs on up to two Macs.

## What Vellum Produces

**Ebooks:**
- EPUB 3 (default, KDP-ready) and EPUB 2 (legacy, for older readers and stores)
- Kindle-ready EPUB that KDP accepts and converts internally — Vellum does not produce KFX directly
- MOBI export option still available, but KDP stopped accepting MOBI in August 2021 — useful today only for ARC distribution and beta readers

**Print:**
- PDF/X-1a — the professional print standard, compatible with both KDP and IngramSpark
- 24 trim sizes plus large print options
- Paperback and hardcover layouts
- Full-bleed images, page backgrounds, page borders (added Vellum 3.9, June 2025)
- Widow-handling and spread-balancing handled automatically

## Key Features

- **26 chapter themes** across 8 book style families (Decorum, Metro, Stardust, Kindred, Verdict, and others) — with drop caps, embedded fonts, ornaments, and heading backgrounds
- **Heading and subhead control:** 4 levels of subheading hierarchy, spacing, alignment, and chapter number format (3 / Chapter Three / III) — new in Vellum 4.0
- **Multi-device live preview:** See your book on Kindle, iPad, phone, and print before generating a single file
- **Box set and series support:** Linked back matter, series management
- **One-click generation:** Produce all format variants simultaneously from a single source manuscript
- **ACE-approved EPUB:** Accessible output that meets digital accessibility standards
- **Forced edge artwork workflow:** Compatible with Painted Wings and other services for printed edge designs (added 2025)
- **Import:** .DOCX (Word) only — no direct EPUB or RTF import
- **No cloud dependency:** Native Mac app, fully offline

## Who Vellum Is For

Vellum is best suited for:

- **Mac users publishing multiple fiction books** — the one-time pricing becomes economical across a backlist; the aesthetic output is particularly strong for genre fiction
- **Authors who prioritize output polish** over feature breadth — Vellum does fewer things than Atticus but does them beautifully
- **Authors already in a Mac ecosystem** — Scrivener + Vellum is one of the most common production pipelines in indie fiction

It is a poor fit for:

- Windows, Linux, or Chromebook users — there is no Windows version and the developers have stated they will not build one
- Authors on a tight budget publishing their first book — Atticus ($147, cross-platform) offers strong value for new authors
- Authors who need true footnotes (Vellum converts footnotes to endnotes), complex image placement, or nonfiction with heavy layout requirements

## Platform Requirements

- macOS Ventura (13), Sonoma, Sequoia, or Tahoe — older macOS versions not supported
- Mac only — no Windows, Linux, iOS, or web version
- 200MB free space minimum
- Windows workaround: rent a cloud Mac via MacInCloud (~$1/hour or ~$25–49/month depending on plan)

## Strengths

- Consistently produces the most polished ebook and print output available to indie authors
- Free lifetime updates — customers from 2014 have every 2026 feature at no extra cost
- Fast, intuitive workflow: import DOCX, pick a style, generate — takes minutes
- Both KDP and IngramSpark print PDF compatibility out of the box
- Native Mac app performance with no internet requirement

## Limitations

- Mac only — the single biggest barrier for most potential users
- Higher price than Atticus ($249.99 vs. $147 for the comparable ebook + print tier)
- No true footnotes in ebooks — footnotes are converted to endnotes
- Limited image placement flexibility — no full-spread custom image control
- Poor undo functionality (letter-by-letter rather than word or sentence level)
- macOS Ventura or newer required — older Macs are excluded
- Import limited to .DOCX only

## Alternatives

- **Atticus** ($147 one-time, all platforms) — cross-platform alternative with more features and a lower price, though output is marginally less polished than Vellum for fiction
- **Reedsy Studio** (free core, up to $10.99/month for premium tiers) — web-based, good for simple books, fewer design themes
- **Jutoh** ($45–$90 one-time) — cross-platform with the deepest format coverage, but a dated UI and no native print PDF
- **Kindle Create** (free) — Amazon-only ecosystem with very limited styling options