Frequently asked questions

DocSpring automates documents. You can upload a PDF and use our visual template editor to place fields on it, upload a Word document with tags in it, build a new PDF in the Page Designer, or write a template in HTML and CSS. You then send data to our API, and it returns a link where you can download the finished document as a PDF (or, for Word templates, a Word document).

Examples:

• A personal tax service collects financial information from users and generates a completed tax form that can be sent to the IRS.
• A property management company collects information from a rental applicant and generates a lease agreement.
• A legal team generates a custom contract for each client and uses DocSpring to collect legally binding signatures.

DocSpring is not an online PDF editor. DocSpring is a tool for people who are building applications that need to generate PDFs and Word documents. Our API was designed to be used by programmers, but we also integrate with no-code platforms and other third-party services.

Yes. With the Page Designer you build a new PDF in your browser: place text, images, tables, charts, QR codes, barcodes and fillable form fields on the page, and put your data where it goes. Learn more about the Page Designer.

You can also design a document in Microsoft Word, type tags such as {{ name }} where your data goes, and upload it as a Word template. Learn more about Word templates.

If you are a web developer, you can also design templates using HTML and CSS. Our HTML template engine supports the Liquid templating language, so you can use variables and logic to create dynamic PDFs.
Learn more about HTML/CSS templates.

Yes. You can embed DocSpring's visual template editor inside your own application, either inline or in a modal, so your users can set up their own PDF, Word, page design and HTML templates without leaving your product. You can restrict the editor to allowed domains and choose which controls are available to embedded users. The embedded editor is included on every paid plan from Starter, and you can try it free for 14 days with no credit card. Learn how to embed the template editor.

Yes. You send a signature request, and DocSpring emails each signer a link to sign, can send them reminders, and emails everyone the signed PDF once they have all signed. You can also embed the signing form in your own app and send your own emails.

To remove the watermark on your PDFs, you need to create a "live" API token and set test: false in your API request. This will allow you to generate PDFs without watermarks. Please note that test API tokens will always add a watermark.

Yes, DocSpring supports all character types when filling out PDFs, including right-to-left languages.

However, you may see some unexpected results when filling out editable PDF forms, especially when opening an editable PDF in Safari or Preview on a Mac. These issues can sometimes be due to limitations in the PDF specification or the way that our PDF engine creates editable PDFs. Please let us know if you run into any problems.

DocSpring is SOC 2 Type II audited, GDPR and HIPAA compliant, and you can keep your data in the US or the EU. We sign Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) on every paid plan, including Starter, but not on the free Developer plan. Contact [email protected] to request a BAA. You must sign a BAA with us before submitting protected health information (PHI). Read more about security at DocSpring.

DocSpring uses prepaid credits. The free Developer plan includes 200 credits every month, enough for 10 filled PDF forms, and paid plans include a larger monthly allowance whose unused credits roll over for 12 months. A filled PDF form costs 20 credits, a PDF from an HTML template or a page design 4, a Word document 20 whatever its length, as a Word document, a PDF or both, and each signer asked to sign or initial on a signature request adds 60 to the PDF's cost. A signature request with nothing to sign adds nothing. Longer documents cost more, and keeping documents for more than 30 days costs 1 credit a month per 50 documents or 50 MiB, whichever is more. Watermarked test documents are free, but combining PDFs always uses credits. If you need more credits, you can buy a credit pack or turn on automatic top-up. See what each document costs on every plan.

Yes. The Developer plan is free, with 200 credits every month, and you can try any paid plan's features free for 14 days. A trial uses the free plan's credits: subscribe at any time to get your plan's monthly credits. No credit card is required.

Live PDFs wait for credits and are processed automatically when you add them. The API returns HTTP 402, with the submission in the insufficient_credits state. Anything still waiting after 30 days isn't processed. Test PDFs keep working. Turn on automatic top-up to buy a credit pack whenever your balance runs low, with an optional monthly spending cap.

No. Live signature requests work on every plan once your account has made a payment, such as a credit pack. You can embed signing in your own app and send your own emails, or DocSpring can email your signers for you, from its own address as "Acme via DocSpring". On Growth and Scale, those emails come from your own domain and link to your own signing page.

Yes. Credits from a paid plan roll over and stay available for 12 months, and credit packs last 12 months from the day you buy them, so a quiet month or a seasonal project doesn't waste what you've paid for. We always use the credits that expire soonest first, and we email you a month before paid credits expire. Free Developer plan credits reset each month instead.

Credits need an end date because unused credits are payments for work we haven't done yet. A balance that could sit forever would never settle in our accounts, and it would let anyone stock up years ahead at today's prices. Twelve months is a common window for prepaid usage credits, and long enough for most projects.

Yes. Registered nonprofits and charities can use our Starter plan free. See who qualifies and how to apply.