# Paperbound: free WordPress theme

URL: https://symelo.com/tools/wordpress-themes/paperbound

Free WordPress theme. An editorial WooCommerce theme for independent bookshops, small presses and stationers: cream paper, ink and bottle green, staff picks on index cards and shelves of 2:3 covers.

An editorial WooCommerce theme for independent bookshops, small presses and stationers: cream paper, ink and bottle green, staff picks on index cards and shelves of 2:3 covers.

- Price: free (GPLv2 or later)
- Category: Shop
- Version 1.0.0, 2026-10-22. WordPress 7.0+, PHP 7.4+. GNU General Public License v2 or later.
- Style variations: Bluebook, Oxblood, Pamphlet, Reading lamp
- Fonts: Literata, Karla
- Requires: WooCommerce
- Works with: [Secure Custom Fields](https://wordpress.org/plugins/secure-custom-fields/), a free plugin by WordPress.org, optional

## Description

Paperbound turns a WooCommerce store into a bookshop you would want to walk into. Covers stand at 2:3 on wooden shelves and lift off them when you point at them; staff picks sit on ruled index cards with the bookseller's note in italic; the catalog reads like a catalog, with dotted leaders and double rules.

* **Built for books:** book pages with the author line, a catalog card for the edition (publisher, pages, ISBN, format), highlights, delivery, reviews and books shelved nearby; a shop with filters for category and collections such as Signed or Staff pick, four columns of covers.
* **Bookshop sections:** staff picks, new in, a shelf for each category, the stationery corner, readings and events with a map, a book club signup, gift wrapping, special orders, letters from readers, presses on the shelves, the shop in numbers.
* **Five heroes:** staff pick, shelf of new covers, reading-room video, next author event and the review of the month.
* **Journal:** reviews and reading lists in a narrow reading column with a drop cap, reading progress, sharing and a catalog of further entries.
* **Forms without plugins:** contact, newsletter, book club and order request forms; messages are kept under Messages and can be emailed to you.
* **Galleries and video:** masonry and carousel galleries with a lightbox, video embeds that load only when played, a background video hero with a pause button.
* **Light and dark:** a hand-tuned dark scheme (a reading lamp) with a toggle in the header; style variations Reading lamp (dark first), Oxblood, Bluebook and Pamphlet.
* **Light on its feet:** two bundled variable fonts, no requests to other sites, motion that respects reduced-motion settings.

Paperbound needs WooCommerce for the shop and works best with the free Secure Custom Fields plugin for the book details (the theme offers to install it). Appearance → Import demo adds a demo store.

## Frequently Asked Questions

#### Where do form messages go?

Every form message is stored under Messages in the dashboard. Forms whose "Email the submission" setting is on also send it to the address in Messages → Settings (the site's admin email by default). The newsletter and book club forms keep messages without email; turn email on in the form's settings.

#### How do I show the author under a book's title?

Fill in "Subtitle" in the book's Product extras (Secure Custom Fields). Paperbound shows it in italic above the title as the author line. Publisher, pages, ISBN and format go in Specifications.

#### How do I add a staff pick?

Mark the book as featured in WooCommerce. Its short description becomes the bookseller's note on the index card.

#### Can I use a video instead of the featured image on a journal entry?

Yes. Open the entry's Featured video panel and paste a YouTube or Vimeo link, or choose a video file. The entry page shows the video and loads YouTube or Vimeo only when a visitor presses play.

#### How do I turn off the animations?

Remove the motion classes in the block's Motion panel. Visitors who ask their device for reduced motion never see animations.

#### How does dark mode work?

The theme follows the visitor's system setting, and the moon and sun button in the header switches between light and dark. The Reading lamp style variation starts dark.

## Downloads

- [Paperbound 1.0.0](https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/paperbound/1.0.0/paperbound-1.0.0.zip) (2026-10-22, 3.1 MB, SHA-256 681d7358ab5af7e8971003578ed436db0df9a3649ec092ac565cb04a5ad95a09)

## Screenshots

- https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/paperbound/shots/home-09da028bb2.webp
- https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/paperbound/shots/product-cat-home-living-f945dcba5b.webp
- https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/paperbound/shots/product-cat-wardrobe-8420dacdf5.webp
- https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/paperbound/shots/product-linen-bound-notebook-2-bfd99023be.webp
- https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/paperbound/shots/shop-de33bc8b4d.webp
- https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/paperbound/shots/admin-fields-f5e6481399.webp

- [All WordPress themes](https://symelo.com/tools/wordpress-themes)

## Related pages

- [All tools](https://symelo.com/tools)
- [Agent documentation](https://symelo.com/llms.txt)