Smart Form PublisherSmart Form Publisher

Working with Images & Signatures

Smart Form Publisher can dynamically insert images—such as profile photos, scanned documents, or e-signatures—directly into your generated documents.

1. Basic Setup

To display an image, your Google Form must have a File Upload question.

Step-by-Step:

  1. Add a question to your Form and set the type to File Upload.
  2. Note the exact question title (e.g., "Upload Photo").
  3. In your template, use the standard marker: {{Upload Photo}}.
  4. Important: Ensure the uploaded files are images (JPG, PNG). PDFs uploaded by respondents cannot be embedded as images; they will appear as clickable links.

🔐 Important: Uploaded files must have “Anyone with the link can view”access, or Smart Form Publisher won’t be able to retrieve or display them.

2. Controlling Image Size & Layout

Images uploaded from phones can be huge. To prevent them from breaking your document structure, follow these layout rules:

Google Docs™

Images insert inline as text characters.

  • The Table Trick: Create a 1x1 Table with fixed dimensions (e.g., 2 inches wide).
  • Place the {{Marker}} inside the cell.
  • The image will automatically shrink to fit the cell width while maintaining its aspect ratio.
Google Slides™

Images replace a shape or text box.

  • Draw a Shape (Rectangle) or a Text Box where you want the image.
  • Type the marker inside it.
  • The uploaded image will stretch or crop to fit the exact dimensions of that shape.

3. E-Signatures

You can capture signatures using "Signature" add-ons for Forms or simply by asking users to upload a photo of their signature.

Transparency

Digital signatures usually have transparent backgrounds. Ensure your document background is white to avoid visual clashes.

Aspect Ratio

Signatures are wide and short. If you put a signature marker in a square text box (Slides), it may look squashed. Always use a wide rectangular container.

4. Images in Google Sheets

Generating a spreadsheet report?

  • Floating vs. In-Cell: By default, Smart Form Publisher attempts to place the image floating over the cells near the marker.
  • Size Marker: Ensure the cell containing {{Upload}} is large enough (adjust row height/column width) before generation, or the image might cover your data.

Common Image Issues

  • HEIC Files (iPhone): Google Drive sometimes struggles to display .HEIC files in Docs/Slides. Ask users to upload JPG/PNG if possible.
  • Broken Links: If you see a URL link instead of an image, check that the "File Upload" folder in Drive has "Anyone with the link can view" permissions (or ensuring the add-on has access to that specific folder).
  • Red X / Placeholder: This usually means the image was too large (over 25MB) or the generation timed out while downloading it.