Document Designer
The Document Designer is Chitmunk's workspace for multi-page flat documents: rulebooks, player reference sheets, quick-start guides, and player aids. Unlike the Booklet Designer (which handles folded physical binding), the Document Designer produces pages that are exported as individual sheets or a multi-page PDF, ideal for digital distribution or print-at-home content.
When to Use the Document Designer
Use the Document Designer when your output is:
- A print-at-home PDF that players download and print themselves.
- A flat reference sheet (single page, both sides) included in a physical box.
- A multi-page rules document distributed digitally.
- A player aid or quick-reference card larger than a standard card size.
If your document will be physically bound and ordered through TheGameCrafter, use the Booklet Designer instead, which handles the physical folding constraints.
Multi-Page Document Layouts
Start with a document component type (Letter, A4, half-letter, or custom dimension) from the component selector. The editor opens with a single page. Add pages using the + Page button in the page navigation strip at the bottom of the canvas.
Unlike booklets, documents have no folding constraints. You can add any number of pages in any order. Pages are numbered sequentially and navigated using the bottom strip.
Page Layout and Margins
New pages start blank. Chitmunk doesn't offer a page-template picker (one column, two column, title page, and so on). Build your column layout and text zones with ordinary text and shape elements, then use Duplicate Page (right-click a page) once you've got a layout you like, so later pages start from that structure instead of a blank canvas.
Setting Margins
Drag guide lines from the rulers to set your margin positions. Ruler guides are shared project-wide, not per-page. Set them once on any page and they show up on every page automatically.
Tip: Standard margin recommendations for print: 0.5" (12mm) minimum on all sides for digital print. If your document will be hole-punched, use a 1" (25mm) left margin to preserve content in the binding area.
Adding and Managing Pages
Adding Pages
Click + Add Page in the navigation strip to append a blank page to the end. There's no template picker or insert-after option. To carry over a page's layout and master elements instead of starting blank, right-click it and choose Duplicate Page, which inserts the copy directly after it.
Deleting Pages
Right-click a page in the navigation strip and select Delete Page. Confirm the deletion. This cannot be undone via the normal Undo stack for multi-page operations.
Reordering Pages
Drag pages in the navigation strip to reorder them. The page numbers update automatically. Pages are moved one at a time. There's no multi-select to move a group at once.
Master Elements Across Pages
Mark any element as a Master Element (toggle in the element properties panel) to have it appear on every page of the document. Master elements are useful for:
- Headers and footers: Game title, chapter name, page number.
- Page number bindings: Use the
{{_pageNumber}}binding in a master text element to auto-fill the current page number. - Consistent branding: A logo or decorative border that appears on every page.
- Background: A paper texture or color background shared across all pages.
Master is just a per-element toggle (in the element's properties panel), so a master element behaves like any other element. You can select and edit it directly on the page. Editing it there updates how it renders on every page.
Best Practices for Rulebooks and Player Aids
- Use a consistent type scale: Pick 2–3 font sizes for your document (heading, subheading, body) and stick to them. Inconsistent font sizing makes documents look unprofessional and harder to read.
- Tables for structured rules: Use Chitmunk's Table element for rules that involve conditions, values, or comparisons. Tables are easier to scan than bullet lists for reference material.
- Keep rule language scannable: Game rulebooks are reference documents, not novels. Use short paragraphs, bold key terms, and numbered lists for sequential steps. Players will scan, not read linearly.
- Generators for diagrams: Use Chitmunk's Parametric Generators to add score tracks, probability tables, phase references, and other game mechanic diagrams directly in the document without needing external diagram tools.
- Test at actual print size: Letter/A4 documents look fine at 100% on screen but may have text that's too small when printed. Print a test page before finalizing your font sizes.
- Export as PDF for sharing: PDF export preserves fonts, layout, and images exactly as designed. Always share documents as PDF, not as the raw Chitmunk project file.