Create vertical-layout eBooks in traditional Chinese woodblock print style
vRain is a Perl-based tool for creating vertical-layout eBooks that replicate the aesthetic of traditional Chinese woodblock-printed books.
The tool generates book page backgrounds, calculates character positions (right-to-left, top-to-bottom), and places text character by character onto the pages — just like traditional woodblock printing.
- 📚 Authentic ancient Chinese book aesthetics
- ✨ Annotations support (dual-column small text)
- 🎨 Fully customizable: fonts, colors, layouts, page styles
- 📜 Multiple background styles: aged paper (宣紙), bamboo scroll (竹簡), fish tail (魚尾)
- 🔤 Multi-font fallback for rare characters
- 📖 PDF output suitable for e-readers
- ⚡ Generate million-character books in minutes
# Install Perl modules
CPAN - Image::Magick, PDF::Builder, etc# Generate a book (specify book ID from books/ directory)
perl vRain.pl -b 01 -f 1 -t 10 -c
# Test mode - generate first 10 pages only
perl vRain.pl -b 01 -f 1 -t 10 -z 10 -c
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-h |
Show help |
-v |
Verbose output |
-b |
Book ID (required) |
-f |
Start text index |
-t |
End text index |
-z |
Test mode (limited pages) |
-c |
Compress PDF |
More examples: vBooks Gallery
- vYinn - Ancient Chinese seal generator
- vQi - Go SGF to ancient style images
- vModou - Ancient book scan correction
- vRain-Python - GUI version (Python)
MIT License
