Fonts included, nothing external
Anton for headlines, Barlow Condensed for the interface and Source Serif 4 for reading are bundled with the theme, so there is no request to a font service and nothing extra to cover in your privacy policy.
Collection 08 · Red-top tabloid theme
Splash
A loud, confident Ghost theme for tabloids and news publishers — a giant splash headline, a breaking ticker with a proper pause button, sections in their own colours, live blogs and a paywall, all set up from Ghost Admin without a line of code.
US$149Single site · One-time · Tax may apply
Need more than one site? Choose the five-site agency licence — US$349. Or get All Access — every theme, now and in the future, for US$549.
14-day money-back guaranteeLifetime product updatesSupport from the builder
Version 1.0.0 · released 15 October 2026 · see the changelog
Needs a Ghost plan that allows custom themes — Ghost(Pro) Starter does not. Publisher or self-hosted is the right fit. More on plans · Compare all nine themes
The theme, in full
A newspaper front page, set for every screen.
Every screen below is the real rendered theme on the live demo — no mockups. The publication, the stories and the people are fictional and illustrative. Select any one to view it full size.
The demo runs in the default red with a yellow highlight. Your brand colour comes from Ghost’s own Accent colour setting, and theme settings change the bar colour, the highlight, the headline style and the page background, including Dark.
Ghost 6Current major version
GScan verifiedChecked before release
No frameworksNo jQuery or runtime libraries
Fonts includedNo third-party font requests
Plain, fast and private
Loud on the page, light underneath.
Splash is plain Handlebars, hand-written CSS and one small deferred script. There is no build step for you, no framework and no plugin between your stories and the reader on a phone.
Works without JavaScript
JavaScript only enhances the ticker, the copy-link button, the live blog layout and a few labels. Pages, navigation and stories stay readable and usable without it.
Built to be accessible
Built to WCAG 2.2 AA: a skip link, landmarks, strong focus rings, keyboard access everywhere, a ticker that can be paused and stops moving for readers who prefer reduced motion.
Built for the newsroom
Everything a red-top front page is asked to do, in one theme.
Splash is designed around how a tabloid actually works: one big story, a ticker for what just broke, sections you can tell apart at a glance, and a way to turn readers into members.
A front page that reads like one
A splash, a three-story spread, coloured section rails, a Don’t Miss strip and a feed of everything else. It never shows the same story twice, and blocks with nothing to show simply disappear.
Four front page layouts
Put a red headline panel over the lead picture, set a full-width headline above it, add a sticky Don’t Miss sidebar, or switch to a wall of your 24 latest headlines. One setting, no code.
Sections in their own colour
Give each tag an accent colour in Ghost and it flows through cards, rail headers and the navigation underline. Up to five section rails are chosen by typing tag slugs.
A breaking ticker, done properly
Stories tagged #breaking scroll under the navigation, or show your latest headlines instead. It has a visible pause button, pauses on hover and focus, and stops moving for readers who prefer reduced motion.
Flashes that mean something
Internal tags add BREAKING, EXCLUSIVE, WORLD EXCLUSIVE and LIVE flashes, and label sponsored stories ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE with a plain-English notice, built to sit comfortably with UK advertising rules.
Story templates for every kind of piece
A Splash Story with a full-bleed picture, a Live Blog with time-stamped entries, an Opinion page with a big columnist portrait, and a No Feature Image layout for text-led stories.
Reader-supported publishing
Native Ghost signup forms, a themed paywall, padlocks on members-only and paid stories, comments and recommendations. Choose where sign-up prompts appear, or turn them off.
Your look, your voice
Set the bar and highlight colours, choose capitals, mixed case or a heavy serif for headlines, and pick a Newsprint, White, Dark or system page. Add newspaper-style ears either side of the masthead title.
Every editor card styled
Images, galleries, bookmarks, callouts, toggles, buttons, headers, products, files, audio, video, embeds, quotes, code and tables all look like they belong, with a bold “THE FACTS” callout of its own.
Fit check
Is Splash right for you?
- Tabloids, red-top style news sites and local newspapers
- News, showbiz, sport and money publishers with a daily rhythm
- Publishers who want a front page with attitude, and a ticker for breaking stories
- Sites growing a free newsletter or a paid membership with a clear paywall
Not the right fit: Ghost(Pro) Starter sites; quiet long-form or author sites, where Blyton or Columnist fit better; or publishers who need advertising slots or a no-code section builder, where Society or Columnist do more.
Technical details
| Ghost | Designed for Ghost 6.39 and later |
|---|---|
| Hosting | Ghost(Pro) Publisher or higher, or self-hosted Ghost |
| Licence | Single site: one live Ghost site (US$149). Agency: up to five live sites using this theme (US$349). Staging and local copies included for each licensed site. |
| Updates | Included for the lifetime of the product |
| Support | Email support from the builder; target response within two business days |
| Dependencies | No jQuery, page builder or frontend framework |
| Fonts | Anton, Barlow Condensed and Source Serif 4 bundled; no third-party font requests |
| Languages | Every label is translatable from a single locale file |
| JavaScript | Pages and navigation work without it; the ticker animation, copy-link, live blog layout and Portal need it |
Ghost(Pro) Starter does not support custom themes. Read the compatibility FAQ.
Explore the working demo
Walk through it yourself.
These links open the real Ghost demo, populated for a fictional newspaper: a splash, breaking stories, a live blog, an opinion column and a paywalled story.
What you receive
A theme licence, not a mystery ZIP.
- Production-ready Splash theme download
- Perpetual usage licence for one or five live sites, according to the option purchased
- A README, changelog and setup guide, plus a public settings guide
- Story templates for Splash Story, Live Blog, Opinion and No Feature Image
- All future Splash compatibility updates
After purchase
Gumroad sends the theme straight away.
After checkout, Gumroad emails your download link. You receive the production theme ZIP, setup documentation, lifetime product updates and support from the person who built it. If Splash is not a fit, the 14-day refund policy applies.
Buyer questions
A few things worth knowing before you choose Splash.
Quick answers to the questions that usually decide whether a Ghost theme is the right fit.
Will Splash work on my Ghost plan?
Splash is designed for Ghost 6.39 and later and requires a Ghost plan that supports custom themes. Ghost(Pro) Starter does not support custom themes; Ghost(Pro) Publisher or a self-hosted Ghost install is the right fit.
Can I set it up without coding?
Yes. Twenty documented theme settings cover the masthead and its ears, the bar and highlight colours, headline style, the colour scheme, the ticker, the front page layout, section rails, sign-up placement and the details of a story, as set out in the settings guide. Flashes, live blogs and the Don’t Miss strip are controlled with ordinary tags and a template chosen in the editor.
Do I have to write headlines in capitals?
No. Write them in normal sentence case and Splash sets them in capitals. Very long headlines step down in size on their own, and one setting switches to mixed-case or a heavy serif if capitals are not your style.
Does it support paid memberships?
Yes, through Ghost’s own memberships. Signup forms, a themed paywall, padlocks on members-only and paid stories, comments and recommendations all work natively. You choose where sign-up prompts appear, or switch them off.
Is Splash right for a quiet long-form site?
Splash is loud on purpose. For essays and a calmer page, Blyton or Columnist fit better, and for advertising slots or a no-code section builder, look at Society or Columnist.
What support do I get, and what if it is not right?
You get email support from the person who built the theme for installation, documented settings and confirmed defects, with a target response within two business days. Your purchase is covered by the 14-day refund policy.
Splash · US$149
Give your front page the volume it deserves.
One-time purchase, lifetime product updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Free Ghost launch checklist
Still planning your Ghost site?
Work through the free Ghost Publication Launch Checklist before you publish. You can also get three short emails about choosing a theme and launching your site, followed by occasional theme news.