Why Certificates Need Verification
A PDF certificate is easy to copy. With AI image and document tools, changing a name, a grade or a date on someone else’s certificate takes minutes, and the result looks real. Employers, schools and event organizers can no longer trust a certificate just because it looks right.
The fix is simple: give every certificate a QR code that opens a page only you control. Anyone who scans it sees whether the certificate is real, who it was issued to and when.
Keep the Design You Already Have
Most certificate platforms ask you to rebuild your certificate in their own builder. If your certificate was made by a designer, carries an official seal, or follows a layout set by your institution, that’s a problem.
Mergram works the other way round. You upload the PDF you already use and place fields on top of it:
- Any PDF — from a designer, Illustrator, InDesign, Word or Google Docs
- Canva designs — import directly through the Canva integration
- Fillable PDF forms — fill existing form fields from spreadsheet columns
- Your fonts — upload calligraphy or institutional fonts; names in any language render correctly
Your design stays exactly as it is. Only the names, dates, IDs and QR codes change per recipient.
How It Works Today
1. Prepare the spreadsheet
One row per recipient. Add a column with the full verification URL for each certificate:
| FullName | Course | Date | CredentialID | VerificationURL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| María García | Data Analysis | 12 Oct 2026 | CERT-2026-0001 | https://yourschool.edu/verify/CERT-2026-0001 |
| Nguyễn Văn An | Data Analysis | 12 Oct 2026 | CERT-2026-0002 | https://yourschool.edu/verify/CERT-2026-0002 |
| Siobhán Murphy | Data Analysis | 12 Oct 2026 | CERT-2026-0003 | https://yourschool.edu/verify/CERT-2026-0003 |
Build the URL with a formula
A QR code field encodes one column as it is. If you only have a credential ID, build the URL in the spreadsheet: ="https://yourschool.edu/verify/"&D2 in Excel or Google Sheets.
2. Place the fields
Upload your certificate PDF and the spreadsheet. Drag FullName, Course and Date onto the certificate as text fields, and VerificationURL as a QR code field. Preview any row to check the layout.
3. Generate and deliver
Generate one PDF per recipient and download them as a ZIP, or email each certificate as an attachment with a personal message. Add password protection if certificates contain sensitive data.
Where the QR code points
Today the verification page is yours: a page on your website or LMS, or a published lookup sheet. Mergram generates the QR code for whatever URL is in your spreadsheet.
Self-Host for Schools and EU Organizations
Universities, training bodies and public organizations often can’t send student or attendee data to a third-party cloud. Mergram Enterprise runs on your own servers with Docker. It includes email/password sign-in, unlimited credits, and no phone-home, so recipient data stays inside your infrastructure.
Hosted Verification (Coming Soon)
We’re exploring hosted verification pages, so you won’t need to build your own:
- Every certificate gets a short verification link and QR code, created automatically at merge time
- The page shows the issuer, recipient, credential and issue date
- You can revoke a certificate, and its page shows it as no longer valid
- Works the same way when self-hosted
Request early access
Tell us how many certificates you issue and who checks them. It helps us decide what to build first.
Limitations
- Mergram does not host verification pages yet. The QR code points to a URL you provide.
- One column per QR code. Build the full URL in the spreadsheet; there’s no URL template in the editor.
- PDF certificates only. No Open Badges, digital wallets or LinkedIn add-to-profile credentials.
- Images must be PNG or JPEG for logos, signatures and photos added through image fields.