Create HTML Certificates with PDF Download - Easy Beginner Tutorial

Reading time 35 minutes

HTML Certificates: Have you ever wanted to create a personalized certificate for an award, course completion, or just to appreciate someone’s effort? While graphic design software is an option, did you know you can build beautiful, dynamic certificates right in your web browser using technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript?

Even better? You can add a button to instantly download that certificate as a PDF file, ready to be shared or printed!

This tutorial is designed specifically for beginners. We’ll break down the code provided and walk you through exactly how it works, step by step. By the end, you’ll have a working certificate template and the knowledge to create your own custom designs and add PDF download capabilities.

Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!

Why Create Certificates with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript?

You might be thinking, “Why bother with code when I can just use a template in a word processor or graphic design tool?” That’s a great question! Here are a few reasons why the HTML/CSS/JS approach is awesome, especially for web projects or generating HTML certificates programmatically:

Mastering Certificate Generation with Web Development Skills

Flexibility and Customization: HTML and CSS give you granular control over every element’s position, style, and appearance. You can easily change colors, fonts, layout, and add dynamic content (like recipient names or dates) using JavaScript.
Web Integration: If you’re building a web application (like an online course platform or an event registration site), generating certificates directly within your application is seamless.
Programmatic Generation: With JavaScript, you can automatically generate multiple certificates based on data (like a list of student names), saving you tons of manual work.
Scalability: Creating a template with code means you can easily reproduce it for many recipients without starting from scratch each time.
Learn Valuable Skills: By following this tutorial, you’ll get hands-on experience with fundamental web development technologies, which are highly valuable skills!

The specific example we’ll be working with uses a clean, modern design with pops of color, custom fonts, and even some decorative background elements. We’ll explore each part of the code to understand how it brings this design to life.

What You’ll Need to create HTML Certificates?

Before we start coding, make sure you have these simple tools:

A Code Editor: This is where you’ll write your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Popular free options include VS Code, Sublime Text, or Atom.
A Web Browser: You’ll need a browser like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge to open your HTML file and see your certificate.
The Code: We’ll be using the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript provided in your example.

That’s it! No fancy software required.

Understanding the Certificate Structure: HTML Certificates

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) provides the structure and content of our certificate. Think of it as the skeleton. Let’s break down the HTML code you provided:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Certificate of Appreciation</title>
    <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Dancing+Script:wght@700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
    <style>
        /* --- CSS goes here --- */
    </style>
</head>

<body>
    <div class="certificate-container" id="certificateBox">
        <div class="background">
            </div>

        <div class="content">
            <div class="content-wrapper">
                <div class="logo">
                    <img src="samoon-logo.png" alt="Samoon Foundation Logo">
                </div>

                <div class="certificate-header">
                    <svg class="certificate-svg" viewBox="0 0 600 100" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
                        <path id="curve" d="M50,150 C150,30 450,30 550,150" fill="transparent"></path>
                        <text>
                            <textPath href="#curve" startOffset="50%" text-anchor="middle" fill="#00adef" font-size="30"
                                font-weight="bold" letter-spacing="2">
                                CERTIFICATE
                            </textPath>
                        </text>
                    </svg>
                    <div class="ribbon">OF APPRECIATION</div>
                    <div class="recipient-name">Vinod Jethuri</div>
                    <div class="applause">deserves all the applause!</div>
                </div>

                <div class="message" style="text-align:center;">
                    Your support will go a long way in saving a life.<br>
                    Keep doing the great work you do to make the world a better place.<br>
                    <div class="heart">❤️</div>
                    We thank you for your generosity.
                </div>

                <div class="signature-line">
                    <div class="date-section">
                        <div class="date" id="certDate">16th Apr, 2025</div>
                        <div class="date-label">DATE</div>
                    </div>

                    <div style="text-align: center;">
                        <svg class="badge" viewBox="0 0 100 100">
                            <circle cx="50" cy="50" r="45" fill="#8bc162" />
                            <circle cx="50" cy="50" r="40" fill="#000" />
                            <text x="50" y="45" text-anchor="middle" fill="#f65024" font-size="10"
                                font-weight="bold">SAMOON</text>
                            <text x="50" y="60" text-anchor="middle" fill="#fff" font-size="8">SUPPORTER</text>
                        </svg>
                    </div>

                    <div class="signature-section">
                        <div class="signature-img">
                            <img src="signature.png" alt="Vinod Jethuri Signature"
                                style="max-width: 180px; height: auto;">
                        </div>
                        <div>Founder, Samoon Foundation</div>
                    </div>
                </div>
            </div>

            <div class="footer-wave">
                <div class="wave-top">
                     <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1200 120" preserveAspectRatio="none"
                        style="width: 100%; height: 75px; transform: rotate(180deg);">
                        <path fill="#00adef"
                            d="M0,120 L0,60 C200,150 400,0 600,60 C800,120 1000,30 1200,60 L1200,120 Z"></path>
                    </svg>
                </div>
                 <div class="founder-message">
                    <div class="quote-left">"</div>
                    <div class="message-container">
                        <div class="message-title">FOUNDER'S <br> MESSAGE</div>
                        <div>
                            Your kind acts of donation have gifted many people a second chance at life. We thank you for
                            being
                            the change this world needs.
                        </div>
                    </div>
                    <div class="quote-right">"</div>
                </div>

            </div>
        </div>
    </div>

    <button type="button" onclick="saveCertificate()" style="position: fixed; bottom: 20px; right: 20px;z-index: 9;">
        Save Certificate
    </button>

    <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
    <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/dom-to-image/2.6.0/dom-to-image.min.js"></script>
    <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jspdf/1.3.5/jspdf.min.js"></script>
    <script>
        // --- JavaScript goes here ---
    </script>
</body>

</html>

Here’s a breakdown of the key parts:

<!DOCTYPE html> and <html>: Standard declarations for an HTML5 document.
<head>: Contains meta-information about the HTML document, like character set (<meta charset="UTF-8">), the title that appears in the browser tab (<title>), and links to external resources.
<link>: This line <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Dancing+Script:wght@700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet"> imports a custom font called “Dancing Script” from Google Fonts. This adds a touch of elegance to the recipient’s name.
<style>: This tag contains all the CSS code, which we’ll discuss next. For a more organized project, you would typically put this CSS in a separate file (e.g., style.css) and link to it.
<body>: This is where the visible content of the certificate lives.
<div class="certificate-container" id="certificateBox">: This is the main container holding all the certificate elements. The id="certificateBox" is important because we’ll use it later with JavaScript to grab this specific section for conversion to a PDF.
<div class="background">: This division is used for background elements, like the repeating bird silhouettes in this example. It’s positioned absolutely to stay in the background.
<div class="bird">⟁</div>: These individual div elements, styled with CSS, create the decorative bird shapes using a special character (⟁). Their absolute positioning and different top and left values scatter them across the background.
<div class="content">: This div holds all the main visible parts of the certificate. It’s positioned relatively and has a higher z-index than the background to ensure it appears on top. It also has a background image applied (bg.jpg).
<div class="content-wrapper">: An inner wrapper for padding and centering the main content.
<div class="logo">: Holds the logo image (samoon-logo.png).
<div class="certificate-header">: Contains the main title elements.
<svg class="certificate-svg">: This uses SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) to create the “CERTIFICATE” text along a curved path. SVGs are great for graphics that need to scale without losing quality.
- <path id="curve">: Defines the curved line.
- <text> and <textPath href="#curve">: Places the text “CERTIFICATE” along the path defined by the curve ID.
<div class="ribbon">OF APPRECIATION</div>: Creates the ribbon effect using CSS styling.
<div class="recipient-name">Vinod Jethuri</div>: Displays the name of the person receiving the certificate.
<div class="applause">deserves all the applause!</div>: An additional congratulatory message.
<div class="message">: Contains the main body text of the certificate, expressing appreciation. The <br> tags create line breaks.
<div class="heart">❤️</div>: Adds a heart emoji for a friendly touch.
<div class="signature-line">: A flex container to arrange the date, badge, and signature sections horizontally.
<div class="date-section">: Holds the date. The id="certDate" will be used by JavaScript to set the current date dynamically.
<div class="signature-section">: Holds the signature area.
<div class="signature-img">: Contains the signature image (signature.png).
<svg class="badge">: Another SVG, this time for creating a simple circular badge with text inside.
<div class="footer-wave">: A section for the footer with a wave design.
<div class="wave-top">: Contains an SVG to create the wave shape at the top of the footer.
<div class="founder-message">: Displays the founder’s message within the footer.
<div class="quote-left">"</div> and <div class="quote-right">"</div>: These create large quotation marks for the founder’s message using absolute positioning.
<button onclick="saveCertificate()">: This button triggers the JavaScript function saveCertificate() when clicked.
<script src="...">: These lines import external JavaScript libraries:
- jQuery (a popular JavaScript library that simplifies many tasks, though strictly not necessary for this specific PDF function, it’s often useful).
- dom-to-image.min.js: A library that can convert HTML elements into images (PNG, JPEG, SVG).
- jspdf.min.js: A library that can create PDF files using JavaScript.
<script>: This tag contains the custom JavaScript code for the date and the PDF download functionality.

Styling the Certificate: CSS | HTML Certificates

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) controls the visual presentation of the HTML elements. It’s like the skin and clothing on our skeleton. All the CSS rules are placed within the <style> tags in the <head>. Let’s look at some key CSS classes and properties used:

body {
    font-family: Arial, sans-serif; /* Default font */
    padding: 0;
    background-color: #f0f0f0; /* Light grey background for the page */
}

.certificate-container {
    width: 100%; /* Make container full width */
    margin: 0;
    background-color: #fff; /* White background for the certificate area */
    position: relative; /* Needed for positioning child absolute elements */
    overflow: hidden; /* Hides anything outside the container */
}

.background {
    position: absolute; /* Position relative to the container */
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
    background-color: white;
    /* Gradient from light blue to white at the top */
    background-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, #e8f7f7 0%, white 10%);
    z-index: 0; /* Puts it behind the main content */
}

.bird {
    position: absolute; /* Position relative to the background div */
    color: #c4e8e8; /* Light blue color */
    font-size: 12px;
    transform: rotate(-20deg); /* Rotate the bird shape */
}
/* The individual bird positions are set with inline styles in HTML */

.content {
    position: relative; /* Position relative to the container */
    z-index: 1; /* Puts it above the background */
    padding: 0;
    background-image: url('bg.jpg'); /* Background image for the main content */
    background-position: center center;
    background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

.content-wrapper {
    position: relative;
    z-index: 1;
    padding: 0 40px; /* Padding on the sides */
}

.certificate-header {
    text-align: center;
    padding-top: 50px; /* Space above the header */
}

.certificate-header h1 { /* Styles for the (commented out) H1 title */ }

.certificate-svg {
    width: 100%;
    height: 150px;
    margin: 0 auto;
    display: block;
    margin-bottom: -20px; /* Pulls the ribbon up slightly */
}

.ribbon {
    background-color: #f65024; /* Orange background */
    color: white;
    display: inline-block; /* Allows padding and margins */
    padding: 8px 30px;
    font-weight: bold;
    margin-top: 0;
    font-size: 18px;
    margin-bottom: 15px;
    position: relative; /* Needed for the pseudo-elements */
}

/* Pseudo-elements for the ribbon ends */
.ribbon:before,
.ribbon:after {
    content: ''; /* Required for pseudo-elements */
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    border: 19px solid #f65024; /* Creates a triangular shape using borders */
}

.ribbon:before {
    left: -19px;
    border-left-color: transparent; /* Makes the left triangle transparent */
}

.ribbon:after {
    right: -19px;
    border-right-color: transparent; /* Makes the right triangle transparent */
}

.recipient-name {
    font-size: 80px;
    font-weight: bold;
    color: #f65024; /* Orange color */
    margin-top: 10px;
    margin-bottom: 5px;
    /* Text shadow for a "neon" or outlined effect */
    text-shadow: 2px 0 0 #75b545, /* Green shadow on different sides */
                 -2px 0 0 #75b545,
                 0 2px 0 #75b545,
                 0 -2px 0 #75b545;
}

.applause {
    font-size: 26px;
    font-weight: bold;
    color: #1e2f53; /* Dark blue color */
    margin-bottom: 40px;
}

.message {
    font-size: 20px;
    margin-top: 20px;
    line-height: 1.6; /* Spacing between lines */
    color: #1e2f53; /* Dark blue color */
    max-width: 80%; /* Limits the width of the message */
    margin: 0 auto; /* Centers the message block */
}

.heart {
    color: #f65024; /* Orange color */
    font-size: 24px;
    margin: 15px 0;
}

.signature-line {
    width: 100%;
    display: flex; /* Arranges items in a row */
    justify-content: space-between; /* Distributes space between items */
    margin-top: 60px;
}

.date-section {
    text-align: center;
    padding-top: 8px;
    width: 180px; /* Fixed width for the date section */
}

.date {
    font-weight: bold;
    font-size: 18px;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #000; /* Line below the date */
    padding-bottom: 5px;
    margin-bottom: 5px;
}

.date-label {
    text-transform: uppercase;
    font-size: 14px;
    color: #444;
}

.signature-section {
    text-align: center;
    width: 220px; /* Fixed width for the signature section */
}

.signature-img {
    margin-bottom: 0px;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #000; /* Line below the signature image */
    padding-bottom: 5px;
    margin-bottom: 5px;
    font-size: 28px; /* Font size applied if no image */
    font-weight: 700; /* Font weight applied if no image */
}
/* Inline style on the image limits its width */

.badge {
    width: 100px;
    height: 100px;
    margin-top: -10px; /* Pulls the badge up slightly */
}

/* SVG styles for the badge text and circles */
.badge circle { }
.badge text { }


.footer-wave {
    width: 100%;
    height: 170px;
    background-color: #00adef; /* Blue background */
    position: relative;
    margin-top: 50px;
}

.wave-top {
    position: absolute;
    top: -49px; /* Position just above the footer */
    width: 100%;
    height: 50px;
    background-color: transparent;
    overflow: hidden;
    rotate: 180deg; /* Flips the SVG wave upside down */
}
/* The wave SVG path creates the actual shape */

.founder-message {
    color: white;
    padding: 30px 120px; /* Inner spacing */
    font-size: 18px;
    line-height: 1.5;
    position: relative; /* Needed for positioning quote marks */
}

.message-container{
    display: flex; /* Arranges message title and text side-by-side */
}

.message-title {
    font-weight: bold;
    font-size: 22px;
    margin-bottom: 10px;
    padding: 0 40px;
}

/* Styles for the large quotation marks */
.quote-left {
    position: absolute; /* Position relative to founder-message */
    left: 80px;
    top: -40px;
    font-size: 140px;
    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); /* White with transparency */
}

.quote-right {
    position: absolute;
    right: 80px;
    bottom: -100px;
    font-size: 140px;
    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6);
}

.logo {
    position: absolute;
    top: 30px;
    right: 40px;
    z-index: 2; /* Ensures the logo is on top */
}

.logo img {
    height: 100px; /* Set height of the logo image */
}

Key CSS concepts used here:

Selectors: Like .certificate-container, #certificateBox, .ribbon:before, etc., target specific HTML elements to apply styles.
Properties and Values: Like color: white;, font-size: 18px;, background-color: #f65024;.
Box Model: Properties like padding and margin control spacing. border adds lines.
Layout: display: flex; is used for arranging items in rows or columns (signature-line, message-container). position: relative; and position: absolute; are used for precise placement of elements, especially for the background, logo, and quote marks. z-index controls the stacking order of overlapping elements.
Typography: font-family, font-size, font-weight, letter-spacing control text appearance. text-align aligns text.
Colors: Hex codes (e.g., #00adef) and rgba() values are used to define colors.
Gradients: linear-gradient creates smooth color transitions in the background.
Pseudo-elements (::before, ::after): Used to add decorative elements (like the ribbon ends) without adding extra HTML tags.

Understanding these basic CSS concepts will help you customize the look and feel of your certificate.

Adding the Magic: JavaScript for Date and PDF Download | HTML Certificates

JavaScript is what adds interactivity and dynamic features to our certificate. In this example, it serves two main purposes: setting the current date and enabling the PDF download.

Here’s the JavaScript code provided:

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/dom-to-image/2.6.0/dom-to-image.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jspdf/1.3.5/jspdf.min.js"></script>
<script>
    // Add this block to set the current date in the required format
    function getOrdinal(n) {
        let s = ["th", "st", "nd", "rd"],
            v = n % 100;
        return n + (s[(v - 20) % 10] || s[v] || s[0]);
    }
    function formatDate(date) {
        const months = ["Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr", "May", "Jun", "Jul", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov", "Dec"];
        const day = getOrdinal(date.getDate());
        const month = months[date.getMonth()];
        const year = date.getFullYear();
        return `${day} ${month}, ${year}`;
    }
    document.getElementById('certDate').textContent = formatDate(new Date());

    function saveCertificate() {
        var node = document.getElementById('certificateBox'); // Get the certificate container element
        var scale = 2; // Lower scale for smaller file size

        var width = node.offsetWidth * scale; // Calculate scaled width
        var height = node.offsetHeight * scale; // Calculate scaled height

        // Use dom-to-image to convert the HTML node to a JPEG image
        domtoimage.toJpeg(node, {
            width: width,
            height: height,
            quality: 0.85, // JPEG quality (0.0 - 1.0)
            style: {
                transform: 'scale(' + scale + ')', // Apply scale transformation
                transformOrigin: 'top left' // Scale from the top left corner
            }
        })
        .then(function (blob) {
            // Use jsPDF to create a new PDF document
            // 'l' for landscape, 'pt' for points unit, [width, height] for dimensions
            var pdf = new jsPDF('l', 'pt', [node.offsetWidth, node.offsetHeight]);

            // Add the generated image to the PDF
            pdf.addImage(blob, 'JPEG', 0, 0, node.offsetWidth, node.offsetHeight);

            // Save the PDF with a filename
            pdf.save("certificate-of-appreciation.pdf");
        });
    }
    /*
    // The commented out functions below were for saving as PNG/WebP/JPEG images,
    // but the focus is on PDF download here.
    function saveCertificateAsImage(format = 'png') {
        // ... (image export code)
    }
    */
</script>

Let’s break down the JavaScript:

Including Libraries: The three <script src="..."> tags at the beginning of the script section are crucial. They load the external libraries we need:
- jQuery: While present, it’s not directly used in the PDF generation logic in this specific example, but it’s a common utility library.
- dom-to-image: This library is a powerful tool that takes a DOM node (like our certificateBox div) and renders it as an image in your browser’s memory. It handles a lot of the complexities of rendering HTML/CSS accurately.
- jsPDF: This library allows you to generate PDF files client-side using JavaScript. It can add text, images, and shapes to a PDF document.
Setting the Current Date:
- getOrdinal(n): This helper function takes a number (like a day of the month, e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4) and adds the correct ordinal suffix (“st”, “nd”, “rd”, “th”).
- formatDate(date): This function takes a Date object and formats it into a human-readable string like “16th Apr, 2025”.
- document.getElementById('certDate').textContent = formatDate(new Date());: This line gets the HTML element with the ID certDate (our date placeholder) and sets its text content to the current date, formatted correctly.
The saveCertificate() Function: This function is called when the “Save Certificate” button is clicked.
- var node = document.getElementById('certificateBox');: This line gets the main HTML element (div with the ID certificateBox) that contains the entire certificate. This is the element we want to convert.
- var scale = 2;: This sets a scaling factor. By rendering the image at a higher resolution (2 times the original size), the resulting PDF will have better quality, especially for printing.
- var width = node.offsetWidth * scale; and var height = node.offsetHeight * scale;: These lines calculate the scaled width and height for the image rendering.
- domtoimage.toJpeg(node, {...}): This is where dom-to-image is used. It tells the library to convert the node element into a JPEG image.
  - width and height: Specify the dimensions for the output image.
  - quality: 0.85: Sets the compression quality for the JPEG image (1.0 is highest quality, 0.0 is lowest). 0.85 provides a good balance between quality and file size.
  - style: { transform: 'scale(' + scale + ')', transformOrigin: 'top left' }: This applies the scaling directly to the element during the image rendering process using CSS transforms. This is how dom-to-image achieves the higher resolution output.
- .then(function (blob) { ... }): This is a Promise. dom-to-image.toJpeg() performs the image conversion asynchronously (in the background). Once it’s done, the code inside the .then() block is executed. The blob variable contains the generated image data.
- var pdf = new jsPDF('l', 'pt', [node.offsetWidth, node.offsetHeight]);: This creates a new instance of a jsPDF document.
  - 'l': Sets the orientation to landscape.
  - 'pt': Sets the unit of measurement to points (a common unit in typography).
  - [node.offsetWidth, node.offsetHeight]: Sets the dimensions of the PDF page to match the original (unscaled) size of the certificate container. jsPDF will scale the image down to fit this page size.
- pdf.addImage(blob, 'JPEG', 0, 0, node.offsetWidth, node.offsetHeight);: This adds the generated image (blob) to the PDF document.
  - blob: The image data.
  - 'JPEG': The format of the image data.
  - 0, 0: The x and y coordinates where the image should be placed on the PDF page (top-left corner).
  - node.offsetWidth, node.offsetHeight: The width and height the image should occupy on the PDF page. This scales the higher-resolution image down to fit the page dimensions.
- pdf.save("certificate-of-appreciation.pdf");: This prompts the user to download the generated PDF file with the specified name.

Important Note: This method works by converting the HTML content into an image and then placing that image into a PDF. This means the text in the PDF is not selectable or searchable as text; it’s part of the image. For true text-based PDFs, you would need a more complex server-side solution or a different JavaScript library that can render HTML directly to PDF (which is generally more challenging). However, for creating a visually accurate representation of the HTML certificate as a downloadable file, this is a common and effective client-side approach.

Step-by-Step Tutorial: Putting it All Together : HTML Certificates

Now that we understand the code, let’s walk through how to get this working on your computer.

Step 1: Save the HTML File

Open your code editor.
Copy the entire HTML code provided (from <!DOCTYPE html> to the closing </html> tag).
Paste the code into a new file in your code editor.
Save the file as certificate.html (or any name you prefer, but make sure it ends with .html). Choose a location on your computer where you can easily find it.

Step 2: Get the Images (Optional but Recommended)

The provided code assumes you have two image files: samoon-logo.png and signature.png. You’ll need to replace these with your own logo and signature images, or remove the <img> tags if you don’t want images there.

If you want to use images, find or create a logo image (e.g., my-logo.png) and a signature image (e.g., my-signature.png).
Save these image files in the same folder where you saved your certificate.html file.
Update the src attribute in the HTML code to point to your image files:
- <img src="my-logo.png" alt="My Logo">
- <img src="my-signature.png" alt="My Signature">
If you don’t want to use images, you can delete the <div class="logo">...</div> and <div class="signature-img">...</div> sections from the HTML.

Step 3: Open the HTML File in Your Browser

Navigate to the folder where you saved certificate.html.
Double-click on the certificate.html file.

This will open the file in your default web browser, and you should see the certificate displayed!

Step 4: Test the PDF Download

Look for the “Save Certificate” button. Based on the code, it’s positioned at the bottom right of the page.
Click the “Save Certificate” button.

Your browser should now prompt you to download a PDF file named certificate-of-appreciation.pdf.

Troubleshooting:

Certificate doesn’t look right: Double-check that you copied all the HTML and CSS code correctly. Ensure the <style> tags are in the <head>. If you’re using external images, make sure they are in the correct folder and the src paths in the HTML are correct.
PDF download doesn’t work: Make sure you have an internet connection when you open the HTML file, as the script relies on loading the dom-to-image and jsPDF libraries from Content Delivery Networks (CDNs). Open your browser’s developer console (usually by pressing F12) and check the “Console” tab for any error messages related to the scripts.

Customizing Your HTML Certificates

The real power of using HTML and CSS is how easy it is to customize! Here are some ideas:

Change the Text: Edit any of the text content within the HTML tags, like the certificate title, recipient name, messages, date label, or founder’s message.
Update the Name and Date Dynamically: We already have JavaScript setting the date. You could easily modify the JavaScript to read a recipient’s name from an input field or a variable and set the textContent of the .recipient-name element.
Change Colors: Modify the color values in the CSS (e.g., #00adef, #f65024, #1e2f53). You can use online color pickers to find new colors.
Change Fonts: Replace the Google Font link and update the font-family property in the CSS. Explore the vast library of free fonts on Google Fonts!
Modify the Layout: Adjust margin, padding, width, height, and position values in the CSS to change the spacing and arrangement of elements. Experiment with display: flex and justify-content for different layout options.
Change the Background: Replace the bg.jpg image with your own background image or remove the background-image property and use a solid color or gradient instead.
Adjust the Ribbon: Change the background-color of the .ribbon class and its ::before and ::after pseudo-elements to match your color scheme. Adjust the border size to change the ribbon tail shape.
Modify the SVG Elements: If you’re comfortable with SVG, you can edit the path data for the curve or the shapes in the badge SVG to create different designs.
Add More Elements: You can add additional sections, images, icons, or text fields to your certificate by adding new HTML elements and styling them with CSS.

Remember to save your certificate.html file after making any changes and refresh the page in your browser to see the updates.

Saving as an Image (Just for Fun, PDF is Our Goal)

While the provided code primarily focuses on PDF download, you might notice some commented-out JavaScript functions (saveCertificateAsImage). These demonstrate how you could use the dom-to-image library to save the certificate as a PNG, JPEG, or WebP image directly.

domtoimage.toPng(node, {...})
domtoimage.toJpeg(node, {...})
domtoimage.toWebP(node, {...})

These functions work similarly to the toJpeg call used for the PDF, generating image data in different formats. The commented-out code shows how to create a downloadable link for these image formats.

For the purpose of this tutorial, which focuses on the PDF download as requested, we won’t activate these image-saving functions, but it’s good to know dom-to-image is versatile!

Potential Improvements and Advanced Concepts

This tutorial provides a solid foundation. Here are some areas you could explore for more advanced certificate generation:

Server-Side Rendering: For more complex scenarios or when dealing with sensitive data, generating PDFs on the server side using libraries like Puppeteer (which can control a headless browser) or dedicated PDF generation libraries in languages like Python or Node.js might be more robust.
Templating Engines: If you’re generating many certificates with varying data, using a templating engine (like Handlebars or Jinja) can make managing the HTML structure easier.
User Input: Add form fields to your HTML page to allow users to enter the recipient name, date, or other details before generating the certificate. You would use JavaScript to read these values and update the certificate content.
Print Stylesheets: Create a separate CSS file specifically for printing (<link rel="stylesheet" href="print.css" media="print">) to optimize the certificate’s appearance when printed directly from the browser, independent of the PDF download.

Demo: HTML Certificates

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created a visually appealing certificate using HTML and CSS and implemented a feature to download it as a PDF using JavaScript libraries. You’ve learned how to structure content with HTML, style it with CSS, and add functionality with JavaScript and external libraries.

This project is a fantastic starting point for building more complex web-based documents and applications. The skills you’ve gained in manipulating the DOM and using client-side libraries for rendering and export are incredibly valuable in modern web development.

Now you can customize the certificate to your heart’s content, creating unique designs for any occasion. Share your creations and keep experimenting with web technologies!

Let us know in the comments below what kind of certificates you’re planning to create!

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Unlock Your Creativity: Create Stunning HTML Certificates with Easy PDF Download – 202526 min read

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