Vanta+ Documentation

A complete guide to configuring and publishing with Vanta+, the risograph-zine theme for Ghost.

1. Installation

Vanta+ requires Ghost 6.0.0 or newer. It is fully compatible with Ghost(Pro) and all self-hosted setups.

  1. Log in to your Ghost Admin dashboard.
  2. Go to Settings → Design (or Settings → Theme).
  3. Click Change theme at the top right, then Upload theme.
  4. Select vanta-plus.zip from your download.
  5. Click Activate.

2. Two-ink system

Vanta+ uses a strict two-ink printing philosophy: --ink-a acts as the first drum (key text, links, rules) and --ink-b acts as the second drum (accent stamps, offsets, highlights).

You can switch the active ink pair in Ghost Admin with a single click:

  • Fluorescent Pink & Blue: The classic indie riso look (Default).
  • Bright Red & Teal: Warm, high-contrast editorial.
  • Federal Orange & Violet: Cultural journal and arts publication palette.
  • Pine Green & Black: Minimalist underground press aesthetic.

3. Riso photos & paper grain

Vanta+ transforms featured photos into real duotone riso prints on load using a non-destructive canvas script. Your original image files are never altered.

Pro Tip: In Ghost Admin → Settings → Design → Customize, you can turn off the riso photo effect if you prefer to display full-color photography. You can also toggle the paper texture grain on or off.

4. Misregistered type

The theme features a unique print-press simulation: display titles and section headings have a subtle physical ink offset (misregistration) rendered in pure CSS.

Readers will experience a tactile, printed-paper feel right in their browser. If needed, this effect can be toggled off in Ghost Admin.

5. Demo content ("Offset")

Your download includes two ready-to-import demo files: vanta-plus-demo-en.json and vanta-plus-demo-es.json.

  1. In Ghost Admin, navigate to Settings → Advanced → Import/Export.
  2. Click Import content and select the JSON file.
  3. All sample zine articles, issues, and tags will be populated automatically.

6. Admin settings summary

SettingOptionsDescription
Ink pairPink/Blue, Red/Teal, Orange/Violet, Green/BlackSelects the two active printing inks
Paper modeSystem, Light, DarkPaper stock color preference
Riso photosToggle (on/off)Converts featured photos into duotone halftones
Paper grainToggle (on/off)Subtle organic paper noise texture
Misregistered typeToggle (on/off)CSS print press offset on display titles
Issue numberText (e.g. "Vol. 04")Displays the active issue badge on the masthead

7. Internal tags

Ghost internal tags (tags starting with #) are never shown to visitors and allow special formatting:

  • #no-toc: Hides the table of contents on this specific article (ideal for brief notes or photo galleries).

8. Languages

Vanta+ includes translations for 14 languages: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese (BR), Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Turkish.

Ghost will automatically serve the matching language based on your site's Publication Language in Settings → General.

9. Support

Every purchase includes 6 months of email support and free updates for the entire 1.x series.

Need help? Contact us anytime through our Support Form or email us at [email protected].