How can one download or print a certificate in the SP LMS?

Hi,

Great question! Here's how certificates work in SP LMS.

SP LMS doesn't currently include a one-click "Download PDF" or "Print" button for certificates — the certificate is shown as a web page. To get a physical or PDF copy, you use the browser's own print function, which works well:

For the employee (student):

1. They log in and open their certificate — it's listed on the Certificates page of their LMS account (each person sees only their own). Clicking it opens the certificate.
2. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac).
3. In the print dialog, choose "Save as PDF" for a digital copy, or select your printer for a physical copy.

For you (admin), to keep copies in your training records:

Each certificate has its own page at:

index.php?option=com_splms&view=certificate&id=<ID>

— where <ID> is the certificate's ID from the backend certificates list. Open that page while logged in and do the same Print → Save as PDF. That gives you a file to archive per employee.

Optional — for a clean, certificate-only printout (hides the site header/menu/footer so only the certificate prints), add this to your template's Custom CSS (Template Options → Custom Code → Custom CSS):

@media print {
    body * { visibility: hidden; }
    #splms .certificate, #splms .certificate * { visibility: visible; }
    #splms .certificate { position: absolute; inset: 0; width: 100%; margin: 0; }
}

Then the Save-as-PDF output shows just the certificate.

One thing to note: a certificate only exists once the employee has an account and has completed the assigned course (certificates are issued on completion), so make sure each employee finishes the course and the certificate appears under their account.

If a built-in "Download certificate as PDF" button would help your workflow, it's a great feature request.

Best regards,

Hello,

I haven’t heard back from you regarding this issue. Could you please confirm if everything is working fine now?
If so, kindly accept the most helpful answer to close the post.

Best regards,

Hi Ron,

Thank you for testing it and sharing the PDF. That helped me find the cause, and part of it comes from the CSS I gave you earlier, sorry about that.

1. Text breaking apart: the certificate has two columns, and they only sit side by side when the page is at least 992px wide. A printed landscape page is narrower than that, so the right-hand panel drops below the main text.
2. Background filling the page while the frame covers only half: the inset: 0 line in my earlier snippet stretched the blue background to the whole page, while the frame stayed the height of the content.

Please replace the earlier code in Template Options → Custom Code → Custom CSS with this:

@media print {
  @page { size: landscape; margin: 0; }
  html, body { margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; }
  body * { visibility: hidden !important; }
  #splms .certificate, #splms .certificate * { visibility: visible !important; }
  #splms .certificate {
    position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0;
    width: 100%; margin: 0 !important;
    box-sizing: border-box;
    page-break-inside: avoid;
    -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact;
    print-color-adjust: exact;
  }
  #splms .certificate .left-part  { float: left; width: 66.6667%; }
  #splms .certificate .right-part { float: left; width: 33.3333%; }
}

Then save, open the certificate page and press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac). In the print dialog:

• Layout: Landscape
• Margins: None
• Under More settings, tick Background graphics
• Destination: Save as PDF, or your printer

The certificate should now print on a single landscape page, with the two columns side by side and the frame fitting the certificate. If it still doesn't look right, please clear your site and browser cache and try again. If that doesn't fix it, share the certificate page URL in the hidden content and I'll take a closer look.

Best regards,

Hi Ron,

That's wonderful to hear; I'm so glad it's working now! Thank you for your kind words; I'll be sure to pass them along to the team. It really made our day.

Best of luck with your on-site training. It sounds like an exciting step, and we're happy SP LMS can be part of it. If anything else comes up along the way, just open a new question and we'll be glad to help.

You may accept the most useful answer here in order to close the post :)

If you have a moment, we'd really appreciate a quick review. It helps us a lot.

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Best regards,
Rashida