Automate Canva Certificates with Zapier

1.1 — Find a template

Let's grab a template and customize it:

1. Go to canva.com and sign up (or log in)
2. In the search bar, type "certificate"
3. Browse the templates and select one you like

1.2 — Customize the template

Click "Customize this template" to open it in the Canva editor. Add your branding — logo, colors, fonts.

1.3 — Remove dynamic text

Delete any text that will change per certificate (recipient name, date, etc.). We'll add these as dynamic fields in TemplateFox.

In my case, for simplicity, I'll just remove the student's first and last name.

1. Select the recipient name text
2. Delete it completely

Tip: Keep your design elements (borders, decorations) — just clear the text that will change per certificate.

1.4 — Export as PNG

Export your certificate as an image:

1. Click Share → Download
2. Choose PNG format
3. Click Download

Why PNG? Simpler to work with — no font embedding issues. Your design becomes a background image.

2.1 — Import the design

Create a new template and import your Canva design:

1. Go to Templates in your dashboard
2. Click Create Template
3. Choose Fixed (single-page documents)
4. Change dimension to A4 Landscape
5. Set zoom to 75% to see the full page
6. Extend the initial section to fill the entire page
7. Click New Element → Image
8. Upload your PNG and extend it to cover the whole background — it should fit perfectly

2.2 — Add dynamic fields

Add text fields that will be populated from Zapier. For this demo, we'll only add a {{name}} field:

1. Add a Text element
2. Type {{name}}
3. Position it where the recipient name should appear
4. Set the font to Great Vibes at size 90 for an elegant signature look
5. Center the text horizontally and align it to the bottom of the text box
6. Adjust line spacing so the text sits properly at the bottom (for Great Vibes, 0.8 works well)
7. Enable Autoscale Down so long names automatically shrink to fit

Common dynamic fields you can use:

• {{recipient_name}}— Student/recipient name
• {{course_title}}— Course or program name
• {{completion_date}}— Date of completion
• {{certificate_id}}— Unique certificate number

Create a Zap to connect your data source to TemplateFox:

1. Go to zapier.com and create a new Zap
2. Trigger: Choose your data source:
   • Course platform (Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi) → select "Course Completed"
   • Google Sheets → select "New Row"
   • Typeform → select "New Entry"
3. Action: Search for "TemplateFox"
4. Select "Generate PDF"
5. Connect your TemplateFox account with your API key
6. Map the fields: select your student name field and map it to name
7. Add another action: Gmail, Outlook, or SMTP
8. Use the student's email from the trigger
9. Attach the PDF URL from the TemplateFox action
10. Turn on your Zap — you're done!