CF
Recommended Folder Structure
Copy this structure to organize your CertiForge project
certs-project/
├── templates/
│   ├── diploma.png
│   ├── certificate-of-completion.png
│   └── award.png
├── fonts/
│   ├── Roboto-Regular.ttf
│   ├── Roboto-Bold.ttf
│   └── OpenSans-Light.ttf
├── data/
│   ├── employees.csv
│   ├── courses.csv
│   └── archive/
│       └── 2024-q1.csv
├── output/
│   ├── certificates/
│   ├── archive/
│   └── failed/
└── README.txt
templates/
Store all PNG certificate templates here. Keep them organized by type.
fonts/
Keep all TTF and OTF font files in one place for easy reference and batch processing.
data/
Store your CSV files here. Use a separate archive subdirectory for historical data.
output/
Generated certificates go here, organized by batch. Keep a failed/ subdirectory for debugging.
Naming Conventions
Follow these patterns to avoid conflicts and stay organized

Templates

✓
diploma-2024.png

Include year or version number

✗
template1.png

Vague names make tracking difficult

CSV Files

✓
employees-2024-01-15.csv

Include date and dataset type

✗
data.csv

Too generic, hard to identify

Fonts

✓
Roboto-Regular.ttf

Include weight and style

✗
font.ttf

Difficult to distinguish font variants

CSV Formatting Best Practices
Proper CSV formatting prevents batch processing errors

Headers

  • • Always include headers in the first row
  • • Use lowercase with underscores (name, email_address, course_name)
  • • Avoid special characters and spaces
  • • Keep header names short and descriptive

Data Entries

  • • No empty rows between data entries
  • • Consistent data types per column
  • • Remove leading/trailing whitespace
  • • Use UTF-8 encoding for special characters

Delimiters

  • • Use comma (,) as the delimiter
  • • If data contains commas, wrap fields in quotes
  • • Example: "Smith, John",john@example.com
Certificate Template Best Practices
Design templates that work reliably with batch processing

Resolution

Use at least 2400 × 1600 px for high-quality printing. 300 DPI recommended.

Color Space

Use sRGB for web, CMYK for print. Always include transparency when needed.

Text Areas

Leave clear spaces (at least 10% margin) for text placement. Avoid text over complex backgrounds.

Fonts

Use standard fonts (Roboto, Arial, Open Sans). Ensure all font files are included in your fonts directory.

Common Mistakes to Avoid
Learn from others' pitfalls and prevent batch processing issues

Inconsistent Column Order

If you reorder columns in your CSV, the batch processor may map data to wrong fields. Always maintain the same column order.

Missing Font Files

If a font file is referenced but not included in the fonts/ directory, batch generation will fail or use fallback fonts.

Empty Rows in CSV

Blank rows confuse the parser. Remove all empty rows before processing. Use our Debug CSV tool to find them automatically.

Template Path Mismatches

If your template is at templates/awards/diploma.png but you reference it as templates/diploma.png, processing will fail.

Duplicate Entries

Duplicate rows in your CSV will generate duplicate certificates, wasting time and storage. Check for duplicates before processing.

Quick Links
Create Sample CSVDebug Your CSVDebug Your TemplateCheck Font Files