Questions & Answers

What file should I use with Send to Kindle?
If you use Send to Kindle by Email, you can now attach your Kindle.epub file instead of a converted MOBI file. (Amazon’s Send to Kindle app still requires a MOBI file.)

Can I attach Vellum’s Generic EPUB file?
We don’t recommend it. For best results, you’ll need to provide the same Kindle.epub file that you use when uploading to KDP.

Can Kindles now read EPUB files then?
No. Send to Kindle will convert your EPUB file to a proprietary format (AZW3) that can be read on Kindles.

Does this mean Send to Kindle now matches what readers see?
Unfortunately, no. Send to Kindle converts to an older format that doesn’t support Amazon’s Enhanced Typesetting. To see your book with Enhanced Typesetting, you’ll still need to use Kindle Previewer.

What if I load files via USB instead of using Send to Kindle?
Since Kindles can’t read EPUB files, you’ll need to use a MOBI file when you sideload via USB. Vellum can generate MOBI files for Kindle by adjusting Generation Preferences.

Will Vellum continue support for MOBI files?
Vellum relies on tools supplied by Amazon to convert your Kindle.epub file to a Kindle.mobi file. As long as Amazon maintains these tools, we’ll continue to offer this option in Vellum.

New File Format

Vellum 3.2 saves documents in an all-new format. Vellum documents are now just a single file (and no longer use the Mac’s package format).

With this simpler format, it’s easier to share your work with colleagues — via email or using cloud services like iCloud, Dropbox, and OneDrive.

Converting to the new format is automatic, and will happen the next time you save your work in Vellum. And when you save your file, your Mac will now show the cover as its icon!

Questions & Answers

How do I save documents in the new format?
Any document you save with Vellum 3.2 will use this new format.

Will I be able to open my existing documents?
Yes! Vellum 3.2 can still open older files, and will convert to the new format when you save.

Can older versions of Vellum open files saved in the new format?
No. If you send someone a file saved with this version, they’ll need Vellum 3.2 to open it.

Will files in the new format have a different name?
No. File names will stay the same, and continue to end with the .vellum extension.

Multiple Heading Backgrounds

Authors have used Heading Backgrounds to create some amazing paperbacks and hardcovers. With Vellum 3.1, you have new options for using Heading Backgrounds in your books.

You can now apply Heading Backgrounds to elements like Parts, Volumes, or even a Title Page. Or create alternate backgrounds for Chapters, and change the background to match each Chapter’s point-of-view.

Accessible Styles

Vellum 3.1 adds an Accessible section to Styles, with two new options designed for reading and visual impairments: 

• Dyslexic incorporates the OpenDyslexic font, considered easier to read by many with dyslexia.
• Legible uses Atkinson Hyperlegible, a sans serif font designed with readability in mind.

Accessible Styles adopt guidelines such as left-aligned text, space between paragraphs, and limited hyphenation and indentation. You can use them in any trim size, including Large Print.

Easier Box Set Construction

For years, Vellum has been the best way to combine books into a single release. Vellum 3.1 makes it even easier. 

With the New Box Set command you can add files, reorder, and then create your box set with one click. Make a box set that combines the books in your series, or collaborate with others to build a multiple-author bundle.

Also in Vellum 3.1

• Control sizing of images on Kindle
• Nook now uses backwards-compatible EPUB 3
• Generic can be output as EPUB 2 or EPUB 3
• Custom accessiblity descriptions for Ebook Cover and Full Page Image