Twain
From Markdown to something you can send
Clean PDF and print output, styled HTML, a self-contained single file with local images embedded, and a presentation mode for walkthroughs.
Not shipped yet. The signed, notarised build is in progress; the download and checkout open together when it's ready.
The short version
Reading is free; getting a polished document out is Pro. Twain exports the rendered document, the same output as the window, to PDF or the printer with a stylesheet that keeps code, tables and colours intact, to styled HTML, or to a single self-contained HTML file with local images embedded as data, so it renders offline anywhere with nothing else attached.
Four ways out
Every export renders through the same pipeline as the window, so what you send is what you reviewed.
PDF and print Pro
Produce a clean PDF or send the rendered document straight to print, with code, tables and colours intact.
Styled HTML export Pro
Export a styled, portable HTML version of any document.
Self-contained export Pro
A single HTML file with local images embedded as data, so it renders offline anywhere, with nothing else attached.
Presentation mode Pro
Split on --- and present full screen with arrow-key navigation, for a walkthrough without leaving the app.
What you previewed is what exports Pro
Export is the app's renderer pointed at a file, not a parallel implementation, so the PDF is the document you reviewed rather than a second opinion.
Export from the CLI
The twain-md CLI renders and exports through the same pipeline, ready for scripts. It ships inside the app and is not yet separately published.
Fidelity first
An export pipeline that differs from the preview is a slow-motion bug. Twain has one renderer; export points it at your file and captures the result, so maths, tables, callouts and highlighted code arrive in the PDF exactly as they stood in the window.
What export does not do yet
DOCX and EPUB output are not there yet, and there is no in-app system of saved export profiles. This page will say so the day they ship; until then, the comparison tables give publishing workstations like Marked and iA Writer their due on those fronts.
Questions
Can Twain export Markdown to PDF?
Yes. Export produces a clean PDF, or prints directly, with code blocks, tables and colours intact. It is part of Pro, with a 7-day trial in the free app.
Does exported HTML need the internet?
The self-contained export embeds your local images as data inside the single HTML file, so it renders offline wherever it lands. Images a document references by remote URL remain remote.
Can Twain export DOCX or EPUB?
Not today, and this site will not pretend otherwise. If a Pandoc-grade publishing pipeline is what you need now, the comparison pages point honestly at the tools that have one.
Does presentation mode need separate slides?
No. It splits the document you already have on --- separators and presents it full screen with arrow-key navigation.
This page describes what the app does today; when a capability is partial or pending, it says so. See how Twain compares to other Mac Markdown apps.
More capabilities
Try Twain
The free viewer, with a 7-day Pro trial built in.
Not shipped yet. The signed, notarised build is in progress; the download and checkout open together when it's ready.