Design on a blank page
Build the layout with drag and drop. Add your logo, headings, shapes, and any form field, then style each one.
Page
A4A5LetterPortrait
NewDocuments
Document generation that turns every submission into a branded PDF
Design a contract, invoice, or certificate once, right on your form. Every response fills it in, and the finished PDF goes out by email, Google Drive, or webhook. No mail merge, no extra tool.
Included in the Business plan, from $45/mo
Trusted by 56k+ teams worldwide
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Definition
What is document generation software?
Document generation software fills a template with data to produce finished documents, such as contracts, invoices, and certificates, without copying anything by hand. It is also called document automation. In Formester, the data comes from your form submissions, so every response becomes a branded PDF.
Templates
Start a template your way
Pick how you want to begin. Every template lives on the form it belongs to, so the fields are already there.
Use the PDF you already have
Upload your letterhead or an existing document as the base, then place answers and images exactly where they belong.
PDFcompany-letterhead.pdf
Describe it in a sentence
Say what the document is for and AI lays out a first draft, already linked to your form’s fields. Then adjust anything.
Describe your PDF
A professional invoice with company logo, itemised bill table, and payment terms.Ready-made templates
See the finished PDF before you build
These templates come with the form and its PDF already connected. Open one, change the wording and branding, and it is ready for submissions.
Freelance contract
Client and project details, payment terms, and signatures flow from the form into the contract PDF.
NDA agreement
Both parties fill in their details and sign, and each submission produces a finished NDA.
Service quote agreement
Services, prices, and acceptance details turn into a quote the customer can keep.
PDF Editor
A real document editor, built into your form
Drag elements onto the page, drop in form fields, and style every one. Long answers and tables flow onto the next page by themselves.
1@ recallType @ in any text block to insert an answer, the submission ID, or the submission date.
2Tables from repeatersRepeater and matrix fields print as tables. Long tables continue on the next page with the header repeated.
3Calculated totalsAdd a calculation field to the form and place the result on the page, for totals, scores, or fees.
4SignaturesA signature drawn on the form appears in its own signature box on the document.
Northwind Studio
SERVICE AGREEMENT
No. @Submission ID
This agreement is between Northwind Studio and @Client name of @Company, starting on @Start date.
Total@Total
@Signature
Client signature
Signed @Submitted At
5Images and shapesAdd logos and images, then lines, rectangles, and circles. Set a background colour or image for the whole page.
6TypographyChoose fonts, sizes, colours, borders, and padding for labels and answers, or style each element on its own.
7PagesA4, A5, or Letter in portrait or landscape, with your own margins. Add or duplicate pages as you need.
8File namesName every file from its answers, like “Invoice for @Name”, so documents are easy to find later.
How it works
From form to finished PDF in four steps
Automated document generation without mail merge or a second tool. The document is built on the same form that collects the data.
01
Open the PDF Editor on your form
Start from scratch, upload a PDF, or describe the document to AI. The form’s fields are ready in the sidebar.
How would you like to create your PDF?
Start from scratchUpload PDFCreate with AI
02
Place answers with @
Drag fields onto the page or type @ inside any text. Style labels and answers to match your brand.
Certificate awarded to @Full name for completing @Course.
03
Preview with a real submission
Pick an existing response and download the PDF with its data, so you see the real result before it goes out.
Download PDF · With submissionReady
04
Choose where it goes
Attach it to emails, send it to the respondent, save it to Google Drive, or post a link to your webhook.
Admin emailAutoresponderGoogle DriveWebhook
Delivery
Send every document where it needs to go
Choose “Connected PDF” wherever Formester sends or stores a submission. The document is generated at that moment.
Attached to your notification
Your team gets the finished document with every new submission, named the way you set.
PDF Style
Connected PDF
Sent to the person who filled it in
Attach the PDF to the autoresponder, or let respondents download it from the thank-you page.
Autoresponder
Your receipt is attached
Part of a bigger workflow
Attach the document in a Send email step, after an approval, a condition, or a delay.
Send email step
Attach submission PDF
Filed in Google Drive
Save each PDF to Drive, in its own folder per submission if you like. Past submissions can be synced too.
PDF filename
Agreement - @Company
A link for your own systems
Webhooks can include a secure link to the PDF, so your CRM or backend can fetch the document.
Payload
pdf_url included
Many at once
Select submissions in Results and download their PDFs together. We email you a ZIP when it’s ready.
Download PDFs
48 submissions selected
Use cases
Documents teams generate first
A few of the documents teams generate first. Each one is a form plus a template.
Contracts and agreements
Client details, scope, and a drawn signature land in a ready-to-file agreement the moment the form is signed.
Contract templatesInvoices and quotes
Line items from a repeater print as a table, and a calculation field adds up the total.
Quote templatesCertificates
Each person who passes a course or attends an event gets a certificate with their name and date.
How to auto-fill certificatesReceipts and confirmations
Send a branded confirmation to every customer through the autoresponder, with their order details.
Autoresponder emailsInspection and audit reports
Checklist answers, uploaded photos, and the inspector’s signature become one report per visit.
Inspection form builderApplications and intake summaries
Turn a long application into a clean summary and file it in Google Drive, one folder per applicant.
Google Drive integrationFormester vs a separate document tool
One tool instead of two
Standalone document tools are built to pull data from many systems. When the data starts in a form, generating the document in the form builder removes a whole layer.
| Formester Documents | Form + document add-on | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the template lives | On the form, in a PDF Editor tab | In a separate app or add-on |
| Getting the data in | Already there, type @ to insert | Map merge fields or connect with Zapier |
| Price to start | Business plan, $45/mo billed yearly | Formstack: Suite plan, $250/mo billed yearly |
| Preview with real data | Any existing submission | Varies by tool |
| Start from | Blank page, your PDF, or AI | Usually a Word or PDF template |
| Delivery | Email, respondent, workflow, Drive, webhook | Set up again in the add-on |
Security
Documents that stay in safe hands
Documents often carry personal and financial details. Here is how Formester handles them.
Encrypted connections
Submissions, notifications, and document downloads travel over TLS-encrypted connections.
Read about securityLinks that expire
Respondent downloads use signed links that expire, and PDF links sent by webhook stop working after 7 days.
Digitally signed PDFs
Add a Formester digital certificate to exported PDFs, so recipients can see where the document came from.
Testimonials
What teams say on G2
"PDF and emailing options are solid and easy to use. Support is second to none!"
"Their support is top notch. They reply quickly for any query and also help in technical queries and troubleshooting."
"Having one place to create different types of forms and collect responses makes this part of my work easier."
FAQ
Common questions
Find answers to common questions below, or reach out to our team for more help.
Business plan, from $45/mo
Turn your next submission into a document
Open any form, choose PDF Editor, and start from scratch, your own PDF, or a sentence for AI.