Getting started

Quick-add content

You can create a document in a few different ways: you can either add content to the default page you see when you create a document or you can choose among other options below:

1. Cover page
2. Sample document 
3. Upload a file
4. Add from Content library and more
   

Customize your page layout

You can combine different types of content all in one place. Within one document you can create content from scratch using content builder blocks, add cover pages for more flexible design capabilities, and/or upload your own files from computer or cloud storage. 

If you need more freedom placing content blocks in your document, use our Cover Page which has absolute positioning. That allows you to place all blocks and fields onto the page without the relative structure of a content page. 

Click “+” > Cover Page:

As you add more and more content to the document the page will grow along with it. You will notice an estimate PDF page break marker when your page becomes larger than the set PDF page. In order to make the PDF look better, add any new content blocks above the estimated page break or add a new page, a cover page, or a landscape page, upload your file, or add from Content library.

Learn more about building content here. 

Upload your own files

Already have a .pdf or .docx that doesn’t need to be editable? Hover over a dot at the top or bottom of a page, and select Upload file below:

Need a small addition? Simply drag and drop your additional content on top of the uploaded file:

Real-time collaboration

Teamwork makes the dream work. Now, multiple team members can edit a document simultaneously. Avatars will appear in the document to show who is making changes.

Design

Add a ready-made design to your document

Don’t want to go into too much detail setting up document design? Choose a fully designed template from our template gallery. :

Or choose a ready-made theme on an existing template, under Design and click Apply:

Each theme can be customized and saved as a new custom theme:

You can re-use this theme on other templates and documents.

Create your own design

To design your document from scratch, click Design > Choose another theme > Create new. You have a bunch of options to style Text, Headings, Tables, Page Background, Header, and Footer. Any changes will be applied to the entire document.

Learn more about designing PandaDoc documents here.

Style pieces of content

Highlight a piece of text and apply styling using the top tool bar then use Properties to add a background and adjust paddings and margins. 

Learn how to apply custom font here.

Change page orientation

If you prefer landscape-oriented pages, select “...” at the top of the page > Page Settings > Layout > Landscape. 

You can add an additional blank Landscape page in just two clicks. Click Add content at the top or at the bottom > Landscape.

PandaDoc Tip: you can import a file from Google Slides. Click Upload file > Google drive > find your presentation in the list. 

This file will be static and therefore won’t be editable in PandaDoc. 

Working with data

Set up your pricing

Set up products in our dynamic pricing table then collect credit card information from your recipients with the Stripe integration. 

Pre-assign fields 

Pre-assign fields to a Role on your template and they will act as placeholders for your future recipients. When you create a document from this template, you will be prompted automatically to assign recipients to each role in the template, and all pre-assigned fields will be automatically assigned to designated recipients. 

Merge dynamic information with Variables

A variable is a way to auto-populate information or include a text placeholder for your documents in order to save you and your team time. Simply insert the bracketed text into any block that would typically allow text (such as a text block). This helps you generalize dynamic information and standardize the document creation process. Variables can automatically populate a recipient’s name, email address, company name, and more.

Think of the information that is always unique to each specific document, then replace that with a variable. 

1. To add a variable, type an opening square bracket, enter a variable name, for example, Invoice.No, and hit Enter.
2. Next, view your variables under Variables on the right. Copy it by clicking the Duplicate icon.
3. Add it to your template where you need it.

When you create a document using this template, fill out the variables just once and the data will be populated throughout the document. It’s that simple!