STONEROLLER COOPERATIVE 

Stoneroller’s Guerrilla Guide to Digital Bulletin Viewers


Getting church bulletins online shouldn’t be a nightmare—or cost you a subscription fee. Here’s what actually works in the real world.


What Are Your Options?

There are a few main ways to display bulletins or newsletters online, and not all are created equal:
  • Built-in widgets (Wix, Squarespace, Weebly): Quick, but basic. You get a simple PDF display, no frills, no control.
  • Subscription flipbooks (Issuu, FlippingBook): Slick animations, recurring payments, locked-down branding, and overkill for most congregations.
  • Open-source viewers (like this one): Free, flexible, customizable. You upload your files, control your displayand never owe anyone a monthly fee.
Flipbooks look flashy but rarely justify the price or the technical headaches. Most congregations and small nonprofits need simple, practical, and reliable.

Platform-by-Platform Reality Check


Wix, Squarespace, WeeblyUse their built-in PDF tools. They’re simple and safe, but don’t expect magic.


 WordPress.comAllows PDFs as files, but not interactive viewing—unless you upgrade to self-hosted WordPress.
 Self-hosted WordPress or classic web hostingA viewer like ours is a great choice! You control everything, including the look and feel.

Why the Stoneroller Bulletin Viewer?

This is a free, open-source kit built for regular people who dp. No logins, no ads, no risk of your bulletin archive disappearing because someone missed a payment. No cute “page-flip” effect—just an accessible, side-by-side PDF display that anyone can use, even on a phone.



How It Works

  1. Download the Stoneroller Bulletin Viewer kit.
  2. Upload it to your web server (or subfolder). See the full setup guide for more details!
  3. Add your PDFs into the pdfs folder and update the dropdown in index.html to list your bulletins.
  4. Refresh your browser—your latest bulletin is now online.
No subscriptions. No third-party branding. Just your bulletins, your way.

Download the Bulletin Viewer →

Security and Privacy

  • Only upload PDFs you trust; don’t accept files from just anyone.
  • No public upload or user input—this kit is admin-only.
  • For privacy, add a blank index.html file to your /pdfs/ folder, or turn off directory browsing.

Browser Quirks

If you’re testing this kit locally (just opening files on your desktop), Chrome and Firefox won’t display the viewer because of security restrictions. Always test on your live website.

Also, some browsers—especially Chrome and Edge—may download a PDF instead of previewing it when you click “View PDF.” That’s a browser (or server) thing, not a problem with your kit. Open the PDF from your downloads, or ask your host to use “Content-Disposition: inline” for PDFs.

Installing on WordPress (Self-Hosted)

  • Use FTP or your hosting file manager to upload the kit into a new folder (like /bulletin-viewer/).
  • Add your bulletins to the pdfs folder and update the dropdown.
  • Link to the viewer from your WordPress menu, or embed it with an iframe.

Troubleshooting

  • Nothing loads locally: Always test on your live website.
  • PDF not showing: Check spelling and file/folder names.
  • PDF downloads instead of preview: Ask your host to set “Content-Disposition: inline,” or try a different browser.

Not on Regular Hosting? Alternatives

How to Set Up and Incorporate the Viewer on Your Website


The Stoneroller Bulletin Viewer works as a standalone page, or you can embed it into an existing site page—your choice.

To create a new, standalone page:
  1. Upload the entire viewer folder (HTML, CSS, JS, the pdfjs folder, and the pdfs folder) to your web host using FTP or your file manager. You can name this folder something like bulletin-viewer or bulletins.
  2. Add your bulletin PDFs to the pdfs folder inside that directory.
  3. Edit the dropdown in index.html so each bulletin appears in the menu.
  4. Link to this new viewer page from your website’s main menu, homepage, or weekly newsletter (for example, yourchurch.org/bulletin-viewer/).
To embed the viewer within another page:
  • Follow steps 1–3 above so the viewer works in its own folder.
  • On the page where you want the viewer to appear, add this code:
<iframe src="/bulletin-viewer/index.html" width="100%" height="900" style="border:0;"></iframe>
  • Adjust the width and height to fit your site.
For self-hosted WordPress:Upload the viewer to a subfolder as above, then use a Custom HTML block or an iframe plugin to display it wherever you want.
For WordPress.com or page builder sites (Wix, Squarespace, etc.), you’ll be limited to their own file and PDF widgets.

No subscriptions, no third-party branding, just your bulletins, your way!

Want It Customized?


The default kit is simple, clean, and functional. But if you want branded features, password protection, or a real creative team to handle updates, that’s what we do at Stoneroller Cooperative.

Email studio@stonerollercoop.com or visit stonerollercoop.com.

We are here to help!

Stoneroller Cooperative
Based in Maplewood, NJ. 
Serving clients nationwide and beyond.

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