Design exactly how each chapter opens (title images, numbering style, ornaments, and the spacing above your title), applied consistently across every chapter in your book, as part of Deckle's Styles panel.
What You Can Do
- Add a title image per chapter, positioned above the title, below it, side-by-side, or as a full background cover behind the chapter title.
- Choose how chapter numbers are written: hidden, Arabic (1, 2, 3…), Roman (i, ii, iii…), spelled out (One, Two…), or uppercase (ONE, TWO…).
- Add an ornamental element above the title (a chapter label, an ornamental rule, or a decorative numeral) with your own custom glyph if you want one.
- Fine-tune header spacing and sizing independently for PDF and EPUB, since the two formats render headers differently.
How to Change Chapter Header Settings
- Open Styles and select the Chapter category.
- Under Images, set title image width, captions, and position if you're using chapter images.
- Under Header layout, choose your number format, title alignment, chapter sink (how far down the page the title sits), and what appears above the title.
- Under Header typography, fine-tune label/number size, tracking, ornament size, and spacing, with separate controls for PDF and EPUB where the two need to differ.
Choosing a Number Format
- Hidden: no chapter number shown at all, just the title.
- Arabic: the default, most common choice (1, 2, 3…).
- Roman: a more traditional/literary feel (i, ii, iii…).
- Spelled out: formal, classic manuscript style (One, Two…).
- Uppercase: bold, modern display style (ONE, TWO…).
A Couple of Things Worth Knowing
💡 Background Cover image position unlocks two extra controls (title padding and content gap) that don't apply to any other image position. They only matter once your chapter image is being used as a full background.
💡 PDF and EPUB have separate size/spacing controls for chapter numbers and post-header spacing, because print and reflowable text need different values to look right. This isn't a limitation, it's why both formats look correct instead of one being tuned at the expense of the other.
FAQ
Can I use a different chapter image position for different chapters?
No, chapter header layout settings (including image position) apply consistently across your whole book, not per chapter.
What's the difference between "Chapter label" and "Chapter number" above the title?
The chapter label is text like "Chapter" itself; the number (in whichever format you've chosen) can be shown above the title independently, and both are optional.