FAQ
Questions, answered.
Short answers. If yours is missing, send a message.
Getting started
What does StackPress do?
It turns a newsletter or blog archive into a book. It is built first for writers making a book of their own work. Readers who want an archive offline can use it too.
Which platforms work?
Substack, including custom domains. Ghost. Beehiiv. Medium, though its feed only exposes roughly the 10 most recent posts. Any site with an RSS or Atom feed. A single article URL also works. LinkedIn newsletters do not work because they have no public feed.
Can I combine several publications in one book?
Yes. Add more than one source and pick chapters from all of them.
How does the editor work?
It is five steps at /app: Articles, Chapters, Cover, Pages, Export. Paste a URL and pick posts from the archive, with search and year and tag filters. Drag chapters into order and edit them. Design the cover, then the pages, beside a live preview of real pages. Then export. Back and Next move you along, and you can jump to any step. A short walkthrough runs the first time.
Do I need an account?
No. Everything works without one, export included. An account is optional. Signed in, your books save to a library you can open from any device.
Is my draft saved?
Yes. The draft autosaves in your browser as you work. If you are signed in, it also saves to your library.
Design
What can I change on the cover?
Eight templates: Classic, Minimal, Editorial, Literary, Manuscript, Bold, Zine, Mosaic. Use an image from the archive or upload your own. Pick a palette or set custom colors, change the typefaces, add a symbol or pattern, and drag any element on the cover to move it.
What can I change on the pages?
Margins, line spacing, left or justified text, spaced or indented paragraphs, drop caps, mirrored margins. Page numbers in three positions, or off. Running headers. Three chapter openers (simple, centered, banner), three numbering styles (01, roman, "Chapter 1"), and 12 optional chapter icons. Two-column layout per chapter. Optional full-page chapter images. A table of contents with page numbers. A title page, copyright page, dedication, and about the author.
Which fonts are available?
Ten for the text: Times, Helvetica, and Courier, plus Garamond, Baskerville, Lora, Source Serif, Crimson, Merriweather, and Lato. Covers have their own set of fifteen display and text faces.
Which page sizes are supported?
US Trade, A5, US Letter, A4. US Trade is 6 x 9 in.
Does it remove subscribe buttons and repeated footers?
Yes. Boilerplate that recurs across articles, like subscribe pitches and footers, is stripped automatically. A toggle turns that off. You can also edit any chapter by hand: rename it, add a note before it, and cut individual paragraphs or images.
Exports and print
What formats can I export?
PDF. EPUB. A print package for print on demand. All three are free. After any export you can also download a picture of the book to share.
What is in the print package?
An interior PDF, a one-piece wraparound cover PDF, and a spec sheet. They follow Lulu’s print-on-demand specifications: a 0.5 in safety margin, a binding gutter sized to the page count, an even page count, 0.125 in bleed on the cover, and a spine width calculated from the page count. Paperback or hardcover. A preflight checklist flags problems before you export.
Can I order a printed copy through StackPress?
No. StackPress builds the files to Lulu specifications. You upload them to Lulu yourself and order there. StackPress is not affiliated with Lulu.
Cost and code
Is StackPress free?
Yes. All of it. Every cover, every layout control, PDF, EPUB, and the print package. No plans, no watermark, no limit on books. A book holds up to 100 chapters, which is a memory limit and not a paywall.
Is it open source?
Yes, under the MIT license. You can read the code, run your own copy, or change it.
How can I support it?
If it saved you time, you can buy me a coffee. The Venmo and PayPal links are at the bottom of every page. It is never required.
Privacy and rights
Where does my content go?
The book file is generated in your browser and is never uploaded. Our server does fetch the feeds, article pages, and images on your behalf, because a browser cannot. It does not store article content.
What do you record about my exports?
Nothing. Exports happen in your browser and are not logged. If you sign in, the book you are working on is saved to your library so you can open it later. You can delete it there.
Can I make a book from a newsletter I did not write?
For personal reading only. Print and distribute only what you own or have permission for.
What about paywalled posts?
If they are yours, import your Substack export. In Substack, go to Settings, then Exports, and download the zip. StackPress reads it in your browser, paid posts included, and the file is not uploaded. A paywalled post that is fetched from the web by URL cannot be read and gets a placeholder page.