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Print vs ebook formatting

7 min read·Updated 4 months ago

Bellwether generates both print and ebook layouts from the same source manuscript. You write once; the Format module handles the rest. This article covers what each format does differently, what's shared, and the pre-flight checks that catch problems before retailers see them.

Fixed vs reflowing

Print layouts are fixed. Pages are a specific size, type lives at a specific position, and a line break in the final PDF is a real physical line break.

Ebook layouts reflow. The reader's device decides where each line breaks based on font, size, and screen width. You can't control where a line breaks or where a page turns. What you control is structure: chapters, headings, paragraphs, emphasis, and the order of things.

Most formatting mistakes come from mixing these mental models:

  • Line breaks "for visual effect" vanish on ebook. The reader's device rewraps everything.
  • Double-spaces between sentences look wrong in print. Proportional fonts already adjust.
  • Tables and images behave completely differently between print and ebook.
  • Fancy drop caps that look great in print look broken on many reader apps.

The Format module enforces the right rules for each mode and warns when you've done something that will break in the format you haven't switched to yet.

Switching between the two

  • Ebook view. ⌘E
  • Print view. ⌘⇧E
  • Toggle preview (either). ⌘P

The preview on the right of the Format module updates live. Changes you make in one format mostly don't affect the other; the exceptions are noted below.

Both views are available in parallel. You can have the editor open on the left, print preview in the middle, and ebook preview on the right if your screen's big enough.

What's shared

Some settings apply to both formats:

  • Chapter structure and order
  • Heading hierarchy
  • Italic, bold, block quotes, and emphasis
  • Character and place name styling
  • Language and hyphenation
  • Part dividers and scene breaks
  • Endnotes and footnotes (formatted differently per format, but the content is the same)

Editing the manuscript in the editor updates both formats. You never have to "sync" anything.

What's print-only

Print-only settings live under Format → Print settings:

  • Trim size. See the trim sizes article.
  • Paper weight. Affects spine width for cover export.
  • Margins. Inside, outside, top, bottom. Bellwether sets sensible defaults per trim.
  • Running headers and footers. Left and right page, verso and recto.
  • Page numbers. Position, style (arabic, roman for front matter), and whether to hide them on chapter opening pages.
  • First-line indent. Size of paragraph indent, and whether to suppress it on the first paragraph after a heading.
  • Drop caps. Per chapter opener. Off by default.
  • Widow and orphan control. Bellwether defaults to pushing the last line of a paragraph to avoid single-line orphans.
  • Chapter opening page. Which side of the spread a new chapter starts on (recto, verso, or next available).
  • Scene break markers. Plain line break, centred asterisks, fleuron ornament, or custom character.

What's ebook-only

Ebook-only settings live under Format → Ebook settings:

  • Cover inclusion. Whether to include the cover as the first page.
  • Table of contents style. Simple, detailed, or by part.
  • Embedded fonts. Include your fonts in the EPUB, or let the reader device substitute. Including fonts adds file size but guarantees the look.
  • Drop caps. Off by default on ebook; reading apps render them inconsistently.
  • Link colour. Affects how in-text links render in reading apps.
  • Navigation page. An optional nav page at the start (chapter list with links).
  • Reader-side controls. Which of your CSS styles can the reader override. More lenient here means a more accessible ebook.

Typography

Bellwether ships with a curated list of fonts tuned for long-form reading. In both formats:

  • Body. Serif. Default: Crimson Pro.
  • Headings. Optional contrast. Default: same as body.
  • Chapter titles. Bigger, often with extra letter spacing.
  • Display. Used for the title page and part openers.

You can change any of these under Format → Typography. The preview updates live.

Font licensing

Bellwether's bundled fonts are licensed for inclusion in books you produce via Bellwether. If you upload your own fonts, you need to confirm you have a license that covers embedding. Most commercial fonts don't allow embedding by default; check the license.

Font substitution on ebook

One difference between formats: ebook apps often override your font choice. Some readers force-set their preferred font on every ebook they open. This is not something you can fix, and isn't a bug. Embedded fonts mean most apps honour your choice; the few that don't are beyond your control.

If font choice is critical to your book's identity (a poetry collection with very specific letterforms, for example), publish the print edition carefully and consider that the ebook may not honour it. Or embed the fonts anyway and accept that some readers will still override.

Images

Bellwether handles images differently in each format.

Print

Images in print are anchored to a position and flow-around-or-fixed. Under Format → Print settings → Images, each image has:

  • Placement. Inline with text, floating, full-page, chapter-opener.
  • Scale. Percentage of text column width.
  • Caption. Styling for the caption underneath.

Print requires 300 DPI minimum at final printed size. Bellwether warns if your source is below that.

Ebook

Images in ebook are responsive. The reader app scales them to fit the screen. You don't control placement to the pixel; you control:

  • Inline, block, or full-width. Inline sits with text; block takes its own line; full-width spans the screen.
  • Scale cap. Maximum percentage of screen width (prevents a 4000px image filling a phone screen).
  • Alt text. For accessibility and for reader apps that show text descriptions.

Ebook images need at least 1500px on the long side for clarity on modern screens. Beyond 3000px is wasted file size.

Pre-flight check

Before exporting either format, run Pre-flight check from Format → Pre-flight. It scans for:

  • Chapters with no content
  • Broken links (common after renaming a chapter)
  • Images below target DPI (print) or pixel dimensions (ebook)
  • Inconsistent heading levels
  • Orphaned lines that can't be fixed by widow control (rare, but happens)
  • Characters that don't render in your chosen font (often em dashes in custom fonts)
  • Scene breaks inside dialogue (usually a mistake)
  • Missing alt text on images (ebook only, accessibility flag)
  • Tables that exceed page width (print) or screen width (ebook)

Pre-flight is free and fast. Run it before every export. If it passes, you'll get a green banner. If not, each issue is clickable and jumps you to the source.

Pre-flight flags are categorised as:

  • Error. Will be rejected by the retailer or look broken. Must fix.
  • Warning. Will look wrong in some cases. Should fix.
  • Info. Stylistic suggestion. Ignore if you disagree.

Exporting

  • Print PDF. File → Export → Print PDF. Sized for the retailer you pick.
  • EPUB. File → Export → EPUB. Standard EPUB 3.
  • MOBI. File → Export → MOBI. Amazon's older format. Most authors don't need this; KDP accepts EPUB directly.
  • Generic print PDF. File → Export → Generic print PDF. For printers that don't match any retailer preset.

Exports respect your current Format settings. If the preview looks right, the export will look right.

Common edge cases

My print preview has huge gaps between paragraphs. You have paragraph spacing turned on and first-line indent off. Print convention is indent, no gap. Turn indent on and paragraph spacing off under Format → Print settings → Body.

Ebook readers are ignoring my font. Many reader apps override fonts by default. Check Format → Ebook settings → Embed fonts is on. If it is, it's the reader, not you.

Drop caps look weird on ebook. Turn them off for ebook. Reader apps handle them inconsistently. Drop caps are a print convention; embrace the difference.

My chapter opens on the wrong side of the spread. Under Format → Print settings → Chapters, set Start on recto (right-hand page) if you want every chapter to open on the right. Bellwether will insert a blank verso where needed.

Pre-flight flags "image below 300 DPI". Your source image isn't high enough resolution for print. Replace the image with a higher-res source, or accept the softness. For print, 300 DPI at the printed size is the minimum; 600 DPI is better for photos.

Scene break looks broken on ebook. If you're using three asterisks separated by spaces (* * *), some reader apps render them with too much or too little space. Switch to Fleuron ornament under Format → Typography → Scene breaks for more consistent rendering.

Table of contents links break in ebook. Usually happens when you've renamed chapters after generating the TOC. Rebuild the TOC under Format → Ebook settings → Table of contents → Rebuild.

My print PDF is larger than 400 MB. Images at too high resolution. Pre-flight will flag images above 600 DPI at printed size; compress them under Format → Print settings → Images → Resample at export.

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