Getting Started

What you’ll need

• A PDF template — any PDF file you want to personalize (invoice, certificate, letter, form). PNG and JPG images also work.
• A spreadsheet with your data — Excel (.xlsx, .xls, .ods), CSV (.csv, .tsv), or a connected Google Sheet.

That’s it. No desktop software, no plugins — everything runs in your browser.

Before you begin

Before jumping into your first merge, here are a few things that will make the process smoother:

• Prepare your spreadsheet — Make sure the first row contains clear column headers (e.g., Name, Email, Amount). Avoid blank rows at the top and merge cells, as these can interfere with header detection.
• Check your PDF — If your PDF has fillable form fields (AcroForm), Mergram detects them automatically and offers Form Mode. For any other PDF, use Canvas Mode to drag fields wherever you need them.
• Name files clearly — Use descriptive filenames for your templates. This helps when browsing saved templates later.
• Gather images — If you plan to use image fields, have your PNG or JPEG images ready to upload to a Media Album before merging.

Your first merge

1. Sign up or sign in

   Create a free account using Google sign-in (or email/password on self-hosted deployments). New teams receive free trial credits to explore all features.

2. Upload your PDF template

   Open the editor and click Choose Template to upload your PDF or image file. This is the background every merged document will use.

   If your PDF has fillable form fields (AcroForm), Mergram detects them automatically — you can map spreadsheet columns to those fields instead of placing new ones manually.

3. Upload your spreadsheet

   Click Choose Spreadsheet and upload your data file. Mergram reads the first row as column headers and shows a preview of your data.

   Alternatively, click Use Google Sheet to connect a live Google Sheets spreadsheet — your data stays up to date without re-uploading.

   Multi-sheet workbooks

   If your Excel file has multiple worksheet tabs, Mergram shows a sheet picker dialog. Select the tab that contains your merge data. CSV and TSV files load automatically since they have a single sheet.

4. Place data fields on the canvas

   Drag column headers from the sidebar onto the PDF canvas. Position each field exactly where you want the data to appear. Click a field to change its render type:

   • Text — Renders the cell value as styled text.
   • Image — Renders an image by matching spreadsheet values to your Media Album filenames. Scales to cover the bounding box width.
   • QR Code — Generates a QR code from the cell value. Scales to cover the bounding box width.
   • Barcode — Renders a barcode (CODE128, EAN13, and more). Scales to cover the bounding box width. Height is controlled by the barcode height setting.

5. Preview and merge

   Use the row selector to preview individual rows in real time — this runs entirely in your browser and costs nothing. When you’re happy with the layout, click Merge to generate all PDFs at once.

   Single-row previews are free. Bulk merges are processed server-side and cost 1 credit per row of data.

6. Download your results

   Once the merge completes, download individual PDFs or a ZIP archive containing all generated files. You can also save the editor setup as a reusable template for next time.

Going further

Now that you know the basics, explore these features:

• Save & reuse templates — Save your field layout as a template. Organize with folders and share with your team.
• Image fields — Dynamically add images to your PDFs based on spreadsheet filenames and Media Albums.
• Media Albums — Organize and manage images for dynamic image fields.
• Email campaigns — Send personalized PDFs as email attachments via your own SMTP server.
• REST API — Automate merges programmatically with API keys. Integrate into any workflow.
• Custom fonts — Upload fonts for CJK, Arabic, or any script. Ensure every character renders correctly.
• Merge history — View past merges, re-download results, and track activity across your team.

Tips for best results

• Match column names to field names — Mergram auto-maps spreadsheet columns that share names with PDF form fields.
• Keep header row first — The first row of your spreadsheet is always used as column headers. Avoid blank rows at the top.
• Use the filename template — Name output files dynamically with patterns like Invoice_[[Name]] in output configuration.
• Preview before merging — Browser-side previews are free and instant. Check a few rows before running a bulk merge.
• Use consistent date formats — Format dates in your spreadsheet before uploading (e.g., 2025-01-15 or Jan 15, 2025) to ensure they render as expected.
• Start small — Test with 5–10 rows first to verify layout and data mapping before merging thousands of rows.

Limitations

• Maximum rows per merge — 100,000 rows per job.
• File size — Very large PDFs or spreadsheets may take longer to process. For best performance, keep PDF files under 50 MB.
• Image fields — Only PNG and JPEG images are supported.
• Concurrent jobs — The number of simultaneous jobs depends on your plan. Check Credits & Billing for details.