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Book formatting software options

Book formatting software is one way to produce the ebook and print files a retailer asks for. Checked on 14 October 2026, KDP and IngramSpark publish the file rules, and Atticus, Vellum, Kindle Create, and Reedsy Studio each publish what they export and what they charge. This page does not rank those tools, and it does not name a preferred product.

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The short answer

  1. The approaches are vendor Word templates, a dedicated desktop app, a browser tool, hiring a person, or exporting the print PDF yourself. A price is stated only when the cited page states it.[300][330]
  2. Atticus states 147 USD once, for Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, and a browser, exporting ePub and PDF. Vellum states 199.99 USD for ebooks and 249.99 USD for ebooks and paperbacks, on Mac only.[15][340]
  3. Kindle Create's Amazon page says it is a free desktop app for Windows and Mac, exporting KPF and EPUB. KDP's getting started chart lists publishing outside Kindle as unsupported.[48][341]
  4. Reedsy Studio says writing and formatting are free and that exports are EPUB 3 and PDF/X-1a:2001. Its pages do not use one set of names or one dollar amount for paid plans.[331][332][333]
  5. KDP accepts Word, KPF, and EPUB for ebooks, and a PDF for a bleeding paperback interior. IngramSpark wants EPUB 3.0 plus a JPG for an ebook, and PDF/X files with embedded fonts for print.[300][301][302]

01

What kinds of formatting approaches are there?

The approaches differ by who makes the file. KDP publishes Microsoft Word templates for paperback and hardcover. Checked 14 October 2026, that page states no charge for the templates and no price for Word itself. A desktop app exports an ebook, a print PDF, or both. A browser tool runs on the web. Hiring a formatter is a separate purchase, and no tool page checked here states that fee. IngramSpark's File Creation Guide includes InDesign export steps for a PDF/X file and states no InDesign price.[330][302]

  • KDP's Word templates: no charge is stated for the templates. Word's own price is not on that page.
  • A hired formatter's fee is not stated on the tool pages checked here.
  • InDesign appears in IngramSpark's export steps. Its price is not stated in that guide.

02

What do Atticus and Vellum state about output, platform, and price?

The order is not a ranking. Atticus, checked 14 October 2026, states 147 USD, once, with later updates included and a 30-day money-back guarantee. It lists Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook, and says it runs in a browser. It says you can export ePub and PDF from the same file or from duplicates, for digital and print-ready books, with no limit on the number of books. It does not state a subscription price. Vellum, checked the same day, states 199.99 USD for Vellum Ebooks, described as unlimited ebooks, and 249.99 USD for Vellum Press, described as unlimited ebooks and paperbacks. The price does not include tax. It requires macOS 13 or newer and says it is only available for Mac. You can download it to build and preview, and you purchase when you are ready to publish. Ebook output is validated EPUB 3 and EPUB 2. Print is paperback or hardcover as PDF/X-1a, with 24 trim sizes plus large print.[15][340]

  • Atticus: 147 USD once. ePub and PDF. Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, and a browser. No subscription price is stated.
  • Vellum: 199.99 USD for ebooks, or 249.99 USD for ebooks and paperbacks. Mac only, macOS 13 or newer. Tax is not included.
  • Neither page states a hire fee or a retailer acceptance guarantee.

03

What do Kindle Create and Reedsy Studio state?

Kindle Create's Amazon page, checked 14 October 2026, says it is a free desktop app for Windows 10 or later or macOS 10.15 or later. It can prepare an ebook and a paperback or hardcover from one text-heavy manuscript. Print image support is limited, and tables, footnotes, and endnotes are not supported for print yet. It does not design covers. It prepares books for Kindle and can export an EPUB for viewing on non-Kindle devices. KDP's getting started page lists Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.15 or later, and Apple M1 on macOS 11 or later, with 8 GB of RAM recommended and 4 GB minimum. Exports are KPF and EPUB, and EPUB export is only for reflowable books. Its chart lists publishing outside Kindle as unsupported. This answer does not merge that row with the Amazon EPUB sentence. The getting started page does not say the app is free. Reedsy Studio is a browser tool. Its format page says the functions needed to write and format a book are free, and exports are EPUB 3 and PDF/X-1a:2001. It names Craft and Outline with no dollar amount. The homepage names Studio Essential at 4.99 USD per month and Outlining at 7.99 USD per month, with a 30-day trial and no credit card, and says core writing and formatting are free. The pricing page names Craft and Outline, says PDF and EPUB export stay free, and prints no dollar amount. These plan names are not one plan.[48][341][331][332][333]

  • Kindle Create: free, on the Amazon page. Windows and Mac. KPF and EPUB. It does not design the cover.
  • KDP's chart lists publishing outside Kindle as unsupported. The Amazon page also describes an EPUB for viewing off Kindle.
  • Reedsy Studio: EPUB 3 and print PDF, with write-and-format functions described as free. Paid-plan names and dollar amounts differ by page.

04

What ebook and print files do KDP and IngramSpark require?

KDP's ebook manuscript page, checked 14 October 2026, lists Microsoft Word (DOC/DOCX), Kindle Package Format (KPF) from Kindle Create, and EPUB. It also lists HTML (ZIP, HTM, or HTML), RTF, TXT, and Adobe PDF. PDF ebook files are supported only in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Galician, and Basque. The MOBI row says that, effective March 2025, KDP will no longer accept MOBI files for fixed-layout ebooks. The paperback page says a bleeding interior must be a PDF. Without bleed, PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML, or TXT is accepted and converted to PDF. The cover is separate: Cover Creator, which accepts JPG, PNG, and GIF, or a PDF. Files must not be more than 650 MB. Cover and interior images should be at least 300 DPI. The minimum page count is 24. Spine text is printed only on books with more than 79 pages. IngramSpark's File Creation Guide, whose file name begins 8.24.26 and which was checked 14 October 2026, says an ebook is an interior EPUB 3.0 plus a front-cover JPEG or JPG. No image inside the EPUB can be greater than 3.2 million pixels. The cover JPG is the front only, 100 MB or less, at least 1873 pixels on the longest side and 1600 on the shortest, at 350 dpi, in RGB. Print files must be PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-3:2002, with all fonts embedded or the file is rejected. Interior and cover are separate uploads. The guide's export steps name InDesign as one way to make that PDF. A software export still has to be a file type on the retailer's list.[300][301][302]

  • KDP ebook: DOC/DOCX, KPF, EPUB, and the other formats named on that page. MOBI for fixed-layout ebooks is not accepted, effective March 2025.
  • KDP paperback: PDF if the interior bleeds. Cover is a separate file. Minimum 24 pages.
  • IngramSpark: EPUB 3.0 plus a front-cover JPG for an ebook. PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-3:2002 for print, with fonts embedded.

05

What is not stated, and what should you match before you export?

Match the export to the retailer's file list and to the computer you have. Vellum is Mac only. Atticus lists Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, and a browser. Kindle Create lists Windows and Mac. Reedsy Studio runs in a browser. A free export still has to be a file KDP or IngramSpark accepts. Word's price, InDesign's price, and a formatter's fee are not on the pages checked here. Reedsy's format and pricing pages name Craft and Outline with no dollar amount, while the homepage names Studio Essential at 4.99 USD per month and Outlining at 7.99 USD per month. This answer does not collapse those names. No page states that one export is accepted more often than another.[15][340][48][331][332][333][300][302]

  • Use the retailer file list as the requirement, and the vendor page as the claim about that tool.
  • Unknown prices stay unknown: Word, InDesign, a hired formatter, and a single Reedsy paid-plan price.
  • A directory listing is not a preference.

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