OpenPaper is a platform for transforming static content into reader-friendly, interactive digital publications – without requiring any technical expertise. It bridges the gap between traditional publishing formats and the possibilities of the modern web, making knowledge more accessible, engaging, and understandable for a broad audience.

What sets OpenPaper apart is its focus on interactive reading. Readers can explore content at their own pace through features like excursions for deeper dives into topics, inline glossaries that explain terminology on hover, and a reading companion that supports non-linear navigation. The platform is built on open-source and open-access principles, supports multilingual content and accessibility, and offers custom design and hosting options – including your own domain. Scientific features such as citation management, version history, and automatic PDF generation make it particularly well-suited for research institutions, think tanks, and knowledge-driven organizations.

This user guide covers everything you need to work with the OpenPaper Editor: from logging in and navigating the dashboard, through building pages with the component-based editor, to managing supplementary content like excursions, glossary items, citations, and media. Whether you're setting up your first publication or looking up a specific feature, this guide will walk you through every step.

Open editor.openpaper.de/login in your browser. Enter the email address that was used to register you as a user by your organization.

Instead of a password, OpenPaper uses a one-time login link: you'll receive an email containing a unique link that is valid for a single use only. Click the link in the email and you'll be logged in automatically and redirected to the dashboard.

After logging in, you'll land on the Dashboard. Here you'll see an overview of all organizations you're assigned to. Select an organization to access its content. In the top-right corner you'll find a link to the user guide as well as your user initials – clicking on them opens a menu with the options Settings and Logout.

Navigation & Structure

OpenPaper is organized hierarchically. You navigate through the different levels via tiles – from your organization all the way down to individual pages. The breadcrumb navigation at the top always shows your current position and allows you to quickly jump between levels.

The 5 levels are: Organization → Project → Language → Topic → Page

Organization

The organization level is the highest level in the OpenPaper hierarchy. All projects belong to an organization.

Project

After selecting an organization on the Dashboard, you'll see the Projects overview. All projects within this organization are displayed as tiles. The gear icon on each project tile opens a context menu with the options Edit and Delete. Edit opens the Project Settings.

Language

Within a project, content is organized by language. Existing languages are displayed as tiles. Click Add a new language… to add a new one – select the desired language from the dropdown and confirm with Save.

The gear icon in the breadcrumb bar opens the Language Settings.

Topic

Within a language, you'll find the Topics overview. Topics serve as thematic groupings for your content. Click Add a new topic… to create a new topic. In the dialog, enter a Name and a Slug. The slug is generated automatically from the name and determines the URL path segment for this topic (e.g. /your-topic/). You can adjust it manually if needed.

Page

The lowest level consists of individual pages. Each page is displayed as a tile with a preview image and title. A status badge (e.g. "Staged for Publish") indicates the current publication status. The three-dot menu on each tile provides the options Edit and Delete. Click Add a new page… to create a new page – similar to topics, you'll provide a Name and an auto-generated Slug that forms the final part of the URL (e.g. /your-topic/your-page).

Clicking on a page tile opens the Editor.

Account Settings

Via the user menu in the top-right corner you can access the Account Settings page. Here you can configure the following:

The Editor is where you build and edit your page content. It consists of three main areas: a component panel on the left, the canvas in the center, and a settings panel on the right.

Header Bar

Below the breadcrumb navigation (which still allows you to jump back to any overview level), you'll find a row of editor functions:

Page Settings

Accessible via the gear icon in the header bar, the Page Settings page contains the following sections:

Components (left)

The left panel lists all available components, organized into four categories:

Each component has a drag handle (six dots icon) on the right side. To add a component, hover over it – the cursor changes to a grab hand – then drag it from the panel into the canvas and drop it at the desired position. A blue highlighted drop zone indicates where the component will be placed.

Each category can be collapsed or expanded using the arrow icon next to the category name.

Below the component list you'll find the Outline, which automatically builds a structural overview of your page based on the components you've added to the canvas.

Below is a description of each component, its purpose, and the settings available in the right panel.

Layout

Typography

Cards

Media

Canvas (center)

The center area is your working canvas where you assemble the page by adding and arranging components.

Top Bar

At the top of the canvas you'll find device preview toggles for mobile, tablet, and desktop view. The canvas adjusts to show how your content will look on each screen size. Next to the device toggles are zoom in / zoom out buttons, plus a percentage dropdown (25%, 50%, 75%, 80%, Auto) to control how much of the page is visible within the editor window.

Working Area

The canvas is scrollable and starts empty when you create a new page. The typical workflow is to first drag a layout component (LayoutRow or Grid) into the canvas – this defines the structural frame for your content. You can then place content components (typography, cards, media) inside these layout containers.

When you hover over a component in the canvas, a toolbar appears showing the component name along with icons to duplicate and delete it. Components can also be repositioned within the canvas via drag and drop to adjust their order and placement.

Component Settings (right)

The right panel is context-sensitive and displays different settings depending on what is selected.

Prepare Your Content

Before working in the editor, it is recommended to first set up your supporting content: create your Excursions, Glossary Items, Citations, and upload Media. Having these ready allows you to reference and link them directly while building your page content. It is still possible to add these items later and link them afterwards, but preparing them upfront makes the editing process smoother.

Start with a LayoutRow

When starting in the editor, always begin by dragging a LayoutRow into the canvas. Every piece of content should live inside a LayoutRow – it defines the structural sections of your page. Do not place components directly on the canvas without a LayoutRow, as it provides the necessary structure.

Build Section by Section

The general workflow for each content element is: drag the desired component into a LayoutRow at the position where you want it, click on it to select it, then fill in the content and adjust settings in the right panel. Repeat this process section by section to build up your page.

Use Components by Purpose

Each component has a specific semantic purpose as described in the Component Reference above. It is best to follow these intended use cases – for example, use Headings for section titles, Paragraphs for body text, TextCards for highlighted information, and Accordions for collapsible details. While you are free to use components creatively, keeping similar content types in consistent components improves readability and gives your publication a coherent structure.

Excursions are deeper content layers that allow readers to dive into a topic without leaving the main page. An excursion opens as a pop-up overlay on top of the main content and can be closed to return to the exact position in the text where the reader left off. They are ideal for in-depth explorations of a subject or optional supplementary content alongside the main narrative.

Creating Excursions

Switch to the Excursions section via the Content dropdown in the header bar. Here you can manage all excursions for this page.

Click Add Excursion (top right) to create a new excursion. In the dialog, enter an Overline, a Title, and a Slug (auto-generated from the title). Confirm with Save.

All created excursions are listed with their overline and title. Via the three-dot menu on each entry, you can View (opens the excursion editor), Duplicate, or Delete the excursion.

Clicking View opens the familiar editor interface where you can build the excursion content using the same components and workflow as for the main page. The header bar shows "Editing Excursion" and the Page Options on the right panel offer Overline and Title fields.

Embedding Excursions in Content

There are two ways to embed an excursion in your page content:

The Glossary section lets you define terms that can be referenced throughout your page content. When a reader encounters a glossary term, they can see its definition without navigating away from the text.

Managing Glossary Items

Switch to Glossary via the Content dropdown. Click Add Glossary Item to create a new entry. In the dialog, enter the Term and its Definition, then confirm with Save. All glossary items are listed with their term and definition text. Via the three-dot menu on each entry, you can edit or delete items.

Embedding Glossary Terms in Content

Inside any text block, open the RichText Editor, select the word or phrase you want to link, and click the glossary icon (book with "A") in the toolbar. Choose the matching term from the list. The linked word will display with a dashed underline. When a reader hovers over it, a tooltip with the term's definition appears.

How Excursions Appear to Readers

Inline excursion links show a small link icon next to the linked text. ExcursionCards display as larger visual cards with overline, title, and an arrow icon. Both options open the excursion as a pop-up overlay on top of the main content, which can be closed via the × button to return to the original reading position.

The Citations section allows you to manage bibliographic references for your page. Switch to Citations via the Content dropdown.

Managing Citations

Click Add Citation to create a new entry. In the dialog, fill in the Author, Content (the full citation text), and Link or DOI, then confirm with Save. Each citation is automatically numbered and listed with its author, content excerpt, and link/DOI.

Citations can be reordered via drag and drop – changing the order updates the numbering accordingly. The three-dot menu on each entry provides Edit and Delete options.

Importing Citations via CSV

For bulk imports, click Import CSV (next to the Add Citation button). You can download a Reference File to see the required CSV structure, then upload your prepared file via drag and drop or click.