Can I create an online magazine?

Q

I help produce a village magazine, but as we’re struggling with enormous increases in paper and print costs, we’re considering publishing it online instead. Is there a PDF editor that lets you create an online publication with pages you can turn like a printed mag, rather than scrolling endlessly?

David Lee A

Flip HTML5 is an online service that turns documents and PDFS into digital magazines. Although supported by ads, the free version lets you create and share publications of up to 500 pages. You’ll need to pay for a subscription to remove the ads and unlock extra features, including the ability to add videos to your publications. Prices start at £122 per year.

To use it, first create the content for your magazine using Microsoft Word, Libreoffice Writer (download free from www.libreoffice.org) or similar. Although FLIPHTML lets you upload DOCX files, this can cause formatting errors. Instead, save your document as a PDF (in Word, click File, Save As, then select PDF in the ‘Save as type’ box; in Writer, click File, ‘Export as’, then ‘Export as PDF’). It’s worth saving it as a DOCX file, too, in case you want to edit it later.

Next, go to the Flip HMTL5 site (https:// fliphtml5.com), click Try Now (top-right), then create a free account. Once you’ve signed in, click Quick Upload (in orange at the top), Browse, then select your document.

After a few seconds, you’ll see your document as a magazine with flippable pages. To share it, click the copy icon (see screenshot) and send the link to your subscribers.

Publications created using a free account are available to anyone who has the link and may appear in Google searches. To limit access, you’ll need to buy a subscription.

If you want to unpublish your magazine, click your profile image (top-right), then select Publications. Click the three vertical dots next to your magazine, then Unpublish (or Delete if you want to remove it permanently).