Using the Template Editor
The Template Editor is a drag-and-drop canvas where you design the visual layout of your certificates. You can build a template from scratch or start from a pre-built design in the system library.
Opening the Editor
Go to Template in the sidebar, then click New Template to open a blank canvas, or click any existing template to edit it.
The Interface
The editor has four main areas:
| Area | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Left toolbar | Far left strip | Switch between element tools and layers |
| Left panel | Left column | Contextual panel for the active tool (Templates, Text, Shapes, etc.) |
| Canvas | Centre | The certificate design surface |
| Top bar | Top | Canvas format, zoom, preview, save, and export controls |
Canvas Formats
When creating a new template, choose a canvas size:
| Format | Dimensions (px) |
|---|---|
| A4 Landscape | 1123 × 794 |
| A4 Portrait | 794 × 1123 |
| US Letter Landscape | 1056 × 816 |
| US Letter Portrait | 816 × 1056 |
| Full HD | 1920 × 1080 |
| HD | 1280 × 720 |
Adding Elements
Use the left toolbar to select a tool, then click or drag on the canvas to add an element. Each element can be repositioned, resized, and rotated freely.
Text
Static text that is the same on every certificate. Use this for headings like "Certificate of Completion" or for your organisation's tagline.
Styling options: font family, font size, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, text colour, alignment (left / centre / right), line height.
Available fonts: Arial, Georgia, Marcellus, Poppins, Montserrat, Great Vibes, Satisfy, MonteCarlo.
Dynamic Text
Text that changes per certificate. When you add a dynamic text element you choose a variable that gets substituted at issuance time.
Built-in variables:
| Variable | Filled with |
|---|---|
recipient.name |
The recipient's full name |
recipient.email |
The recipient's email address |
certificate.id |
The certificate's custom ID |
certificate.issued_on |
The date the certificate was issued |
certificate.expired_on |
The certificate's expiry date (if set) |
issuer.name |
Your issuer profile name |
Custom variables: You can define your own by naming them custom.<anything>, for example custom.course_name or custom.score. When issuing, you will see a column for each custom variable in the issue spreadsheet.
QR Code
A QR code that is automatically generated for each certificate and links to the public verification page. It is always tied to the generated.qr_code variable. You do not need to configure the URL manually.
Styling options: background colour, border radius, padding, border colour, border width.
Shape
Add geometric decorations: square, circle, oval, triangle, or line. Each shape has a fill colour, stroke width, and stroke colour.
Image
Upload a static image (PNG, JPEG, WebP) to embed in the template. Typically used for your logo or a background watermark. Images are stored as part of the template.
Signature
A dedicated element for adding a signature image to the certificate.
Working with Layers
Every element lives on a layer. Open the Layers panel in the left toolbar to see a list of all elements, rename them, reorder them, lock them, or toggle their visibility. Elements higher in the layers list appear in front of elements lower in the list.
Saving a Template
When you are ready to save, click Save in the top bar. You will be prompted to enter a template name if it has not been saved before.
If you edit a template that has already been used to issue certificates, a warning dialog will appear explaining that:
- Existing certificates are not affected. They were generated with the previous version
- New issuances will use the updated template
To keep both the old and new versions, save the edited template under a new name instead.
Using the System Library
The left panel has two tabs: My Templates (your saved templates) and Library (pre-built system templates). In the Library tab you can preview any system template and click Use Template to copy it into your account as a starting point.
Previewing and Exporting
- Preview: in the top bar, renders a full preview of the template with placeholder values
- Export HTML: generates the HTML file used internally by Credenza to produce PDFs at issuance time. This happens automatically, you rarely need to trigger it manually