Certificates and awards for schools, clubs and workplaces

Design a certificate of achievement, an award sheet, or a thank-you page in your browser, then merge a list of names onto it from a spreadsheet. BrochureBoss gives you the layout tools and a PDF. You supply the wording and the printer.

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Same design, a different name on every copy

A certificate is fixed wording around a few changing details: the name, often an award, and a date. That makes it a layout job plus a merge job, and BrochureBoss does both. Build the page once with text frames, shapes, and pictures, then print one copy for every row of a spreadsheet.

It suits people who hand these out in bulk: a teacher with a class list, a coach at the season-end banquet, a club secretary, or a manager recognizing a team. The file downloads as a .bboss project you keep and reuse next term.

What to start from

There is no dedicated certificate template yet. You build the page from the Blank template, and these other templates are useful starting points.

  • Blank

    An empty page. Set it to Letter landscape, A4, or your own size, and build from scratch.

  • Bi-fold program

    A quiet serif layout, handy for an awards-night program and a reference for a formal look.

  • Event poster

    Tabloid, one loud message. Announce the ceremony or the banquet.

  • Event flyer

    Big type and a gradient banner for an awards-night invitation.

  • Postcard

    6 x 4 inches with merge fields, for a thank-you note.

  • Mailing labels

    Thirty per sheet with merge fields, for addressing envelopes.

Build a certificate that looks formal

Draw a rectangle with a colored outline for the border, and add a thinner one inside it for a double rule. Shapes take a stroke, corner radius, and gradient fills, and you can group the border so it moves as one piece. Use align to center the title and the name exactly.

For type, the web serif faces suit this job: Playfair Display, Libre Baskerville, Lora, Merriweather, and Source Serif 4. They embed in the PDF, so a print shop sees the fonts you chose. There is no script or calligraphy font. For a signature, place a picture of one (JPG, PNG, GIF, or WebP), or leave a line and sign by hand. A logo or seal goes in as a picture too.

One certificate per name

Make a CSV with a column for each changing detail, such as Name, Award, and Date. In the certificate, click into a text frame and insert a field, and it appears as a placeholder like «Name». Step through the records on screen to see that your longest name still fits, then choose Merge and print. You get one copy per record, up to 500 per print run, and the app warns you first about any field with no matching column.

Merging fills in text only, so a picture such as a signature is the same on every certificate.

A certificate in three steps

  1. Set up the page

    Start from Blank, choose Letter landscape or another size, and add the border, title, wording, and any logo or seal.

  2. Add the fields

    Load your CSV, insert Name and any other fields into the text, and step through the records to check the fit.

  3. Check and print

    Run Check for spelling and low-resolution pictures, then choose Merge and print, or Print / PDF and Save as PDF for a print shop.

Straight talk: BrochureBoss makes printed and PDF pages. It does not issue digital credentials, number or verify certificates, or email them, and it does not print or ship anything for you. There is no ready-made certificate template or border art yet. Colors are RGB, so a shop that needs CMYK converts them.

Questions

  • Can I make certificates in BrochureBoss?

    Yes. There is no dedicated certificate template yet, so start from the Blank template, set the page to Letter landscape, A4, or a custom size, and build it with text frames, shapes, and pictures.

  • Can I put a different name on every certificate?

    Yes. Load a CSV, insert fields such as Name, Award, and Date into the text, preview the records on screen, and merge. You get one copy of the page per record, up to 500 per print run.

  • How do I make a decorative border?

    Draw a rectangle with a colored outline, then add a thinner one inside it. Shapes support a stroke, rotation, opacity, corner radius, and gradient fills, and you can group them so the border moves as one piece.

  • Which fonts suit a certificate?

    The serif web fonts Playfair Display, Libre Baskerville, Lora, Merriweather, and Source Serif 4 look formal, and they embed in the PDF. The app has no script or calligraphy font.

  • Can I add a logo, seal, or signature?

    Yes, as a picture: JPG, PNG, GIF, or WebP. Check warns you when a picture is under 150 DPI at its printed size. The picture is the same on every merged copy.

  • Does BrochureBoss print or email the certificates?

    No. It is software you use yourself. You print the merged pages on your own printer or take the PDF to a print shop. It does not email certificates or issue digital credentials.

  • Is it free?

    Yes, during the browser beta. A downloadable desktop app is planned for early 2027 and its pricing is not set yet. See pricing.

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Try it on your next certificate

Open BrochureBoss, create a free account, and start from a template or import an old Publisher file. It is free during the browser beta; see pricing. Questions go to a real person at info@brochureboss.com.

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