How to Use Page Preview, Formats and Templates

See your book exactly as it will print, choose a page size and interior design, and check every page in Full Screen before you export.

Quick Start

Page Preview shows your chapter as the literal print-ready PDF page. You write in one view and check the layout in the other.

1. 1Click Page Preview at the top of the editor (next to Visual Editor).
2. 2Pick your page size in the Format dropdown.
3. 3Pick an interior design in the Template dropdown, and Block (spaced) or Indent (traditional) in Paragraphs.
4. 4Optional: click ❝ Pull Quote to feature a standout sentence from the chapter.
5. 5Click ⛶ Full Screen to see a two-page spread like an open book.

Full Guide

Step 1: Switch between the Visual Editor and Page Preview

At the top of the editor you will see two views, Visual Editor and Page Preview.

• ✦Visual Editor is where you write and format your text: bold, italic, underline, alignment, lists and indent.
• ✦Page Preview shows exactly how the finished page will look in the printed book.

Write and format in the Visual Editor. Check the layout in Page Preview. The Format, Template and Paragraphs dropdowns only appear in Page Preview, because they control print and PDF layout, so they are hidden in the Visual Editor, where they have no effect.

Step 2: Understand what Page Preview really shows

Page Preview is not an approximation. It is built by the same print engine, and from the same request, as your real PDF export. The whole book is laid out and the preview opens at the chapter you are editing, so every chapter page looks exactly like the exported PDF. Margins, running headers, fonts and page breaks are exactly what will print.

Two differences to know:

• ✦While you are still writing, the preview leaves out the front matter (title page, copyright, table of contents). So its page numbers are lower than the PDF's by the number of front pages. The front matter appears in the real exported PDF.
• ✦For speed, the preview uses lighter copies of your pictures, in the same size and position. Export PDF always uses the full-quality pictures.

Step 3: Choose a Format

The Format dropdown (for example, "Paperback 6×9") sets the page size for Page Preview and for PDF export. ePub is the default for new manuscripts.

Export offers ePub, plus PDF in six sizes:

• ✦Paperback 6×9, 5.5×8.5 and 5.25×8.
• ✦Workbook 8.5×11.
• ✦Hardcover 5.5×8.5 and 6×9.

Hardcover is a PDF size choice, not a separate file type.

Step 4: Choose a Template

The Template dropdown sets the interior design style: fonts, spacing and heading styles. The default is Classic Authority.

Step 5: Choose Paragraphs

The Paragraphs dropdown offers Block (spaced), which is the default, and Indent (traditional).

Step 6: Add a pull quote

Switch to Page Preview for that chapter, then click ❝ Pull Quote in the toolbar. It auto-picks a standout sentence from the chapter's first section to feature as a styled callout in the printed book. The text box that appears lets you edit it to any sentence you prefer. Click the button again to remove it. This is a per-chapter toggle, not a section you add to the chapter list.

The Writing Studio also has Action Boxes, for exercises and prompts. For more about both, see How do I add a pull quote or an action box?

Step 7: Open Full Screen

Click ⛶ Full Screen. It opens a larger two-page spread view, like an open book, with page navigation. Click ✕, or click outside the window, to close it.

On a phone held upright, the preview shows one page at a time. Tap ⚙ to open the format, template, pull-quote and action-box options, and tap it again to put them away. Close is always at the top right. Held sideways, Full Screen can show two pages side by side when the chapter has more than one page and there is room.

Step 8: Understand blank pages

Every chapter, and the intro sections before Chapter 1, always starts on a right-hand page, per standard publishing convention. If a chapter would otherwise land on a left-hand page, a blank page is automatically inserted before it. An extra blank page before a chapter is working correctly. See Why is there a blank page before my chapter?

Step 9: Understand headers

The book title and author name print automatically at the top of body pages once both are filled in on the Front End tab. The title shows on left-hand pages and the author name on right-hand pages. The header is automatically left off chapter-opening pages and front-matter pages. See How do running headers and page numbers work?

Step 10: Know why the first preview takes longer

A Page Preview is a real PDF built on our server, then drawn on screen. The first preview of a chapter, format or template takes longer, most of all right after the app has been updated or has not been used for a while. After you stop typing, it refreshes a moment later. Previews you already saw in this visit come back instantly for the same chapter, format and template. This memory lasts only until you reload the page.

Step 11: The ePub preview is a simulation

The ePub preview is a simulation. Real e-readers such as Kindle and Apple Books choose their own page size and text size, so the page numbers in the ePub preview are not real page numbers. On a narrow screen it shows one page at a time. Tap the left or right edge to turn the page.

Troubleshooting

I cannot see Template or Paragraphs. Make sure you are in Page Preview, not the Visual Editor. They are hidden in the Visual Editor.

There is an extra blank page before a chapter. That is correct. Chapters start on right-hand pages.

My pictures look lighter in the preview. Page Preview uses lighter copies for speed. The PDF export uses the full-quality pictures.

The preview takes a long time. The first one takes longer. If it keeps generating, see My preview keeps generating.

The page numbers do not match my PDF. The preview leaves out the front pages while you write, so its numbers are lower.

Where to Go Next

When your pages look right, read How to Export Your Book as an ePub or a Print PDF. For the front pages, see How to Set Up Your Front Matter on the Front End Tab. Not sure where to start? The Course Coach inside the app guides you through each step, so you are never stuck on a button.

Last checked in the app: October 14, 2026.