# Copybook Generator: a macOS app for printing Chinese handwriting practice sheets > Copybook Generator is a closed-source macOS app, distributed on the App Store, that produces printable writing practice sheets for Chinese characters, stroke order, pinyin, English letters, arithmetic and clocks. Its GitHub repository holds the website, issue templates and policies, not the source code. **jaywcjlove/copybook-generator** — "Copybook Generator" is a powerful copybook generation tool designed to meet the writing practice needs of different users. - Repository: https://github.com/jaywcjlove/copybook-generator - Website: https://wangchujiang.com/copybook-generator/ - Stars: 1,051 · Forks: 76 - Language: Swift - License: not declared - Published: 2026-10-19 · Updated: 2026-10-19 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/jaywcjlove-copybook-generator ## A repository that is a website, not a codebase The first thing to understand about this project is that there is no project in the usual sense. The README carries a declaration at the top: this is not an open-source project, and the repository serves as the official website, used to collect issues and user demands. The stated reason is cost, because without an official website the application cannot pass review. So the repository tree is what you would expect from that arrangement. There is a `README.md` and a `README.zh.md`, a `CHANGELOG.md` with a Chinese counterpart, a `data/` directory, an `assets/` directory holding the logo and the eight screenshots, and a set of policy and feedback documents in both languages: `privacy-policy.md`, `terms-of-service.md` and `feedback.md`, each with a `.zh.md` version. The application itself is a Swift and SwiftUI macOS app, and the topic list on the repository reflects the App Store distribution: swift, swiftui, macos, macos-app, desktop-app, swift-application. It is sold through the Mac App Store, and the download link in the README points at an App Store listing. The minimum operating system requirement is stated plainly: macOS 14.0. If you are evaluating this as an open-source project, then there is nothing to evaluate in the source sense. If you are evaluating it as a piece of software for a classroom or a kitchen table, the repository still tells you a lot about what you would be buying, because the feature list is unusually specific. ## Sixteen copybook types, from characters to clocks The copybook catalogue is the substance of the product, and it splits into three groups. The Chinese material is the deepest part. There is a Chinese Character Copybook with built-in default practice content so a user can start immediately, a Chinese Character Stroke Order Copybook that provides detailed stroke orders so the writer understands the correct sequence of each character, a Pinyin Letter Copybook for children, and a Chinese Name Copybook so a child can practise their own name. There is also a standalone Stroke Order Query feature for looking up the order of a character without generating a sheet. The English material covers an English Alphabet Copybook, an English Word Copybook with customisable word lists, and an English Paragraph Copybook for fluency and layout. The arithmetic and motor-skill material is where the app stops being a handwriting trainer and becomes a worksheet generator: Number Copybook, Number Comparison, Add/Sub Operations, Mixed Add/Sub, Multiplication, Division, Vertical Calculation, and a Learn Clocks Copybook. There is also a Pen Control Practice Copybook for beginners, aimed at pen holding posture and writing pressure rather than at characters. A note on provenance, since the README is candid about it: the app continuously adds content based on the author's own baby's growth. That explains the mixture of pre-school material like clocks and pen control with school-age material like vertical calculation, and it explains the default practice content. ## Grids, fonts, sizes and colours as the controls Customisation is what turns a fixed worksheet into a generator, and the README lists the options directly. Fonts and grids are the first pair: you choose different fonts and grid styles to meet various writing practice needs. Size comes next, adjusting the font size of the copybook to suit users of different age groups and learning stages. Stroke order is a setting as well as a copybook type, and colour lets you change the copybook font colour to add visual variety. Exercise count is the arithmetic-side control, customising the number of questions for the maths and clock copybooks. That is the option that turns the app from a fixed generator into a worksheet factory, since a teacher can produce exactly the number of problems a lesson needs. The workflow the README describes is four steps: choose the type of copybook, customise the settings, review the multi-page preview, then export as a multi-page PDF and print. The preview step matters more than it sounds, because it means you can check the layout across pages before committing paper to it, and the multi-page PDF export is the deliverable rather than a screenshot. Localisation is listed among the customisation options, described as expanded multi-language support for a wider range of users, which matches the bilingual documentation in the repository. ## Fonts are a separate job, and the list of sources is long The font section is the part of the README that most directly affects whether you can use the app on day one, and the reason is that fonts are not bundled. The instruction is: download the required fonts from the websites below, then restart Copybook Generator and select the desired font. The restart step is the detail that trips people up, since a newly installed font does not appear in the picker until the app is relaunched. The sources listed span a range of licensing situations, and the first one is the author's own: the free-font repository, which includes Chinese and English fonts. The others are general font sites, including Ziti Tianxia and ChinaZ Fonts for Chinese and English, Google Fonts, Font Share for English, Font Squirrel, Font Meme for Chinese fonts, and Fontesk. For Chinese character practice this is not a cosmetic decision. A copybook grid with a character rendered in a font whose proportions do not match the grid produces a sheet that teaches the wrong shape, and a Latin-only font simply cannot render most of the characters involved. Choosing a font designed for handwriting is what makes the stroke order material useful. The build also ships a `data/` directory at the top of the repository, and the release cadence is fast, with v1.12.0 tagged on 2026-07-19, v1.11.0 the day before on 2026-07-18, and v1.10.0 on 2025-06-29. The last push was on 2026-07-19, and the repository is not archived. ## Who the app is for, and the legal framing The README names four audiences, and they have different needs. School-aged children are the primary case, helped to practise writing and improve their ability to write Chinese characters and English letters. Calligraphy enthusiasts get professional copybook templates to practise and trace. Educators get a teaching tool for facilitating students' writing practice. Writing beginners use the pen control copybooks to master grip posture and writing pressure. That last audience is the one most likely to be underserved elsewhere, since grip and pressure practice is not something a generic worksheet template gives you. It is also the clearest indication that the app is aimed at children rather than at adult learners of Chinese, which is a market that exists and which this product does not appear to target. The legal framing is worth reading before you use the output. The repository carries a terms of service document and a privacy policy, each in English and Chinese, and a separate feedback document. The App Store distribution and the closed licence mean the terms of service, not the GitHub terms, govern the use of the app. If you intend to run the app in a school, read those documents rather than assuming a personal-use assumption applies. The `renovate.json` in the tree and the `.github/` directory with issue templates, including a bug report template and a contact and support link, show that the issue tracker is the real development feedback channel for this product. ## Conclusion Copybook Generator suits a parent or teacher on macOS who wants printable Chinese character, stroke order or pinyin practice sheets without designing them in a word processor, and who is willing to buy the app and install fonts separately. It does not suit a team that needs source code, because the project is explicitly not open source and the repository contains no implementation, and it does not suit a Linux or Windows user, since the minimum requirement is macOS 14.0. Before you buy, check the FAQ and issue tracker for the feature list you need, and note that fonts are not bundled, so you will have to download a Chinese font and restart the app before a custom font appears in the list. ## FAQ ### Is Copybook Generator open source? No. The README states plainly that this is not an open-source project, and the repository serves as the official website, used to collect issues and user demands, because without an official website the application cannot pass App Store review. ### What copybook types does Copybook Generator produce? Chinese characters, Chinese stroke order, pinyin letters, Chinese names, the English alphabet, English words and paragraphs, pen control, numbers, number comparison, add and subtract, mixed add and subtract, multiplication, division, vertical calculation, and learning clocks. ### How do I add a custom font to Copybook Generator? Download the font from one of the listed sites, including the author's free-font repository, Ziti Tianxia, ChinaZ Fonts or Google Fonts, then restart the app and select the desired font. Fonts are not bundled with the application. ### What are the system requirements for Copybook Generator? The app is a macOS application and the README states the minimum OS requirement is macOS 14.0. It is distributed through the Mac App Store. ### How do I export the practice sheets? The workflow is to choose a copybook type, customise the settings, review the multi-page preview, and then export as a multi-page PDF file for printing. ## Sources - [Issues](https://github.com/jaywcjlove/copybook-generator/issues) - [jaywcjlove/copybook-generator on GitHub](https://github.com/jaywcjlove/copybook-generator) - [Project website](https://wangchujiang.com/copybook-generator/) - [README](https://github.com/jaywcjlove/copybook-generator/blob/main/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/jaywcjlove/copybook-generator/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/jaywcjlove-copybook-generator