Laidout vs Vellum
Laidout
laidout.org
Vellum
vellum.pubSide by side
| Figure | Laidout | Vellum |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Desktop Publishing Software | 8.3 (#8) | 7.1 (#26) |
| Platform | The maker says Laidout currently works only on variations of Linux; Mac may work with hacking, while Windows via WSL is mentioned as uncertain. | Vellum runs only on Mac, requires macOS 13 or newer, and supports Apple silicon and Intel Macs. |
| Purpose | Laidout is desktop publishing software built for arranging pages into cut and folded impositions such as booklets and polyhedra. | Vellum is software for creating and formatting books. |
| Support | The maker directs users to the Codeberg issue tracker for bugs and feature requests and also offers email contact. | The maker offers help pages and a contact option for questions. |
Plans
In their own words
Laidout
Laidout is free Linux desktop publishing software for arranging pages into folded print layouts, including book signatures, accordion folds and polyhedron nets. It also supports single pages and can help arrange posters for printers limited to small sheets. Its graphics objects include paths, ellipses, rounded rectangles, gradients, point sets, color meshes, warped images and captions. Laidout imports SVG, images, Scribus files and OFF polyhedra; PDF pages can be imported as rendered images, though PDF page import for reimposition is under development. Export options include PDF, SVG, Scribus, images, HTML galleries, Podofoimpose plan files, Page Atlas images and PostScript. Command-line use supports batch import, reimposition and export without opening a window. Laidout is released under GPL 3.0. The homepage identifies version 0.097 and says the stable release is old, suggesting a development snapshot or compiling from source where possible. Proper color management has not been a development priority; the FAQ suggests exporting to Scribus for that work.