Overview

Compile a directory of markdown into a document, using a template that knows the conventions of the kind of document you're writing.

You already write in markdown, and you keep it organized: a folder of files, numbered for order, maybe a README and some assets. That's good structure. But turning it into one polished, shareable document usually means pandoc incantations, a LaTeX toolchain, or a pile of glue scripts.

unipress does it in one command.

Quick start

Point it at your folder:

cd my-docs        # a folder of .md files
unipress compile .

There's no project to set up. The first time, unipress sees there's no config, offers to create a small document.yml for you, and produces the PDF: a clean, single-column article. It is A4, with typeset prose, an inline title block and no chapters. Numbered filenames (01-intro.md, 02-overview.md) set the section order; README.md and draft files (_notes.md) are left out.

Prefer no prompts? --yes takes the defaults, the A4 article and PDF output:

unipress compile . --yes
unipress compile . --yes --format epub

The generated document.yml is yours to keep and edit. It holds the title, the reading order and the output format. Re-run compile whenever the content changes.

A4 or US Letter?

The default page size is A4. In the US and Canada you'll want Letter. Open the generated document.yml and change book.trim from a4 to letter:

book:
  kind: article
  trim: letter      # 8.5 × 11 in  (was: a4)

Then re-run unipress compile .. A couple of other one-line tweaks live in the same book: block: numbered sections (structure: { numberHeadings: true }) and a table of contents (structure: { toc: true }). See the article guide for the full list.

Install

If you have Node 22.12 or newer, install it from npm:

npm i -g @uniweb/unipress

Your first compile downloads what it needs and keeps it in a cache: the template's foundation and, for a PDF, a Typst binary. There is nothing else to set up.

Start from a template

No content yet? Scaffold a starter:

unipress create my-book --template book --title "My Book" --author "Your Name"
cd my-book && unipress compile .

create writes a content-only directory: markdown, a document.yml, and optional theme.yml and assets/. There is no package.json and no node_modules.

Pick the template that matches your document. It carries the typography and structure:

Planning to publish? The publishing guide takes a book from your folder all the way to Amazon and print.

What it makes

Equations work in the standard LaTeX style: $E = mc^2$ inline, $...$ for displayed. Tables, lists, code blocks and images behave the way you'd expect from markdown.

Two ways to use it

For authors, unipress is a tool. Pick a template, write markdown, compile. The template knows the conventions of its kind of document. You handle the content, and it handles the rest.

For developers, unipress is an engine. A foundation you write declares what section types exist, where their data comes from, and what output formats it can emit. The same foundation can also drive a Uniweb website. Read more in For developers.