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.