Open Document Designer from a table's dropdown, build a template by dropping elements (text, images, lines, shapes) and the table's fields onto the page, then export a filled PDF from any record (... > Export > Adobe PDF > the template) or with the Generate PDF automation action.

Document Designer can be used to create, manage, and track sales and marketing proposals, contracts, quotes, and other important documents. It replaces manual data entry, document approval and PDF generation. With its drag-and-drop editor, you can easily create documents in minutes.

You can integrate Document Designer into your CRM, accounting, and other business workflows to automate your sales and document management processes.

Here are a few ideas to put all this power to work:

To create a document template, click on the Table dropdown arrow (for the Table you wish the template to be created in) and select "Document Designer."
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Selecting + Create New will open up a new Document for you to create as a template.
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Once you have created a new Template, you can add Elements and Fields to the document canvas. You can also click on the "New Document" text at the top to change the name of the Template.

Click Save Design at the bottom to save the template.

The Document Designer includes a number of page elements that can be placed and arranged in your documents. They include:

Tip: When using Google Drive to host your image, you'll need to construct a different URL that removes the "wrapper" and only returns the final image.

For example if your google drive link is:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yRg7T0kXjdoEkBDQEa-p5lQn96GbeWp0

then the image link you would want to use to remove the wrapper would be:

https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1yRg7T0kXjdoEkBDQEa-p5lQn96GbeWp0

You will also need to make sure that the image is shared as Viewer to Anyone with Link.

The position options to choose from are Absolute, Relative, or Anchored. Absolute will always keep elements in the exact position they are placed, but Relative and Anchored offer greater flexibility. Relative is our simplified version that will make the field move vertically down on the page relative to Absolute elements that are above it (allowing for Linked Records to expand, for example).

Anchored is similar but allows for much more control, as you are able to choose to anchor an element to always be below another element regardless of how its position changes. To do this you'll need to select Anchored and you'll then be able to choose what element to anchor to, and the distance in pixels that you would like it to be offset by.

In addition to page elements, Document Designer allows you to drop fields from the current Table onto the page canvas. Click the field name to add it to the designer canvas.

Once on the canvas, you can drag the field into the location you would like for it to display.

Two properties unique to the Files & Images field are the Display Mode and Fit Mode. Display mode lets you choose whether you'd like to show only the first image or if you want to show all images from the field. Fit mode's Fit option will scale the image to fit the boundaries horizontally, Fill will crop and zoom the image to fully fill the boundaries, and Stretch will stretch the image either horizontally or vertically to fill the boundaries.

The property unique to the Linked Record field is the ability to determine table column widths. The values designated are proportional to the total value to determine their sizing. For example, in the image below the Description field will take up 3/5 of the width of the table and the other two fields take up another 1/5 each.

When you click on a field that has been added to the document canvas, the following properties will display in the left panel:

Additionally, you can Duplicate or Delete the field with the buttons at the bottom. The dialog looks like this:

The settings option allows you to specify the size and orientation of the page you'll be generating with the document template.

You can set the following values:

Paper Size

Page Orientation

Once you have completed your template, you can generate a document. Open up a saved template. You will notice the following icons in the header bar:
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These icons provide you with the ability to navigate through your Table's records, preview the document, and export or print the Template.

Once you have your template exactly the way you want it, you can export a filled-in PDF of the template from the record view. When you're inside a record you'll need to click on the 3 dot menu, hover over Export, then Adobe PDF, and you'll see the ability to export from a list of all templates within that table. Clicking one of the templates will automatically download it to your computer.
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Scenario: The Marketing team needs professional proposals for campaigns.
​Solution: Use Document Designer to create a reusable proposal template that integrates campaign data.

Scenario: Accounting needs monthly invoice generation.
​Solution: Automate invoice creation using order records.

Scenario: A project manager requires weekly status updates.
​Solution: Generate reports directly from project records using a pre-designed template.

How do I create a PDF export template?

Open the table dropdown, choose Document Designer, click + Create New, drag elements and fields onto the canvas, name the template at the top and click Save Design.

Can I put a table in the document?

Yes. Drop a Linked Record field onto the canvas; it prints as a table of the linked records, and you set the proportional column widths in its properties.

Can the document list the records linked to this record?

Yes, through a Linked Record field on the canvas. Each linked record becomes a row, with the columns you choose.

Can I import an existing Word or PDF document as a template?

Templates are built in the designer from elements and fields; this article does not cover importing a document. Recreate the layout with text and image elements and place fields where the values go.

Can a PDF be generated automatically?

Yes. The Generate PDF automation action uses the default format or a Document Designer template and can attach the file to an email or a record. See SmartSuite Automation Actions.

Last verified 21 Oct 2026 against this article as Product wrote it in Aug 2025 (elements, fields, paper sizes, export path) and the Automation Actions article (Generate PDF)