Adding an image through uploading or copy+paste.

• Always click on the images inside the template and use the “Replace Image” function. All six versions of replacement are safe, though uploading or URL are the most commonly used.

Changing the size/orientation of the page.

• I might use different page types when making my templates, though I typically use A4. Nonetheless, each design fits only on that specific dimension. Unless you’re prepared to do everything by hand yourself, it needs to remain as the paper size (i.e., A4, letter, etc) that you received it as.

Changing the margins.

• Similar to the sizes, many elements are placed in harmony with the margins of the page. Changing these around will likely cause other elements to shift. This is not as template-breaking as the one above, but be mindful of it and use it sparingly.

Deleting “page breaks” or “sections.”

• Google Docs has a feature called “sections” which essentially allows you to do different format types across different pages. If you go to “View” in the main menu and toggle on “Show non-printing characters”, you might notice that many of my documents have something that goes either “Section Break (Continuous)” or “Section Break (Next Page)”. This ensures that formatting on one area does not change another. However, if you accidentally delete the section break division, the formatting of the latter section will merge with the formatting of the former, which can lead to “disaster.”

Exceeding text allowances.

• Pages and tables are made with certain text limits in mind. That is why my templates include Lorem Ipsum placeholders, to give you an idea of how much text will be able to fit there. If you exceed the recommended text size of a particular area, it may break the formatting of the whole page.
• So what do you do when you just have to have more text in an area? There are a few solutions. Sometimes, changing the size of images and adjusting margins accordingly can give you some space. Other times, linking to another section is safe and easy. You can also see if other design elements on the page are optional to you. Perhaps you can delete a few lines in another section to “gain them back” for the area you expanded in. You can always duplicate pages to have more space in general. And of course, you can design your own additional pages instead of using any of my exact designs again. Wherever the wind takes you! But it’s true that the only 100% safe option is to simply not exceed the text limits.

One of my favorite features of all time is so hidden, and I don’t know why! If you highlight any text that is all the same format, right click, scroll all the way to the bottom, click on “View more actions” then you can find the life-saving button: “Select all matching text.” And yes, then anything matching that formatting in the document will become selected. This allows you to change the color, font, size, etc. of all text at once.

I toggle viewing “Show non-printing characters” on and off all the time when editing a document because it helps me see where I’ve accidentally put an enter or other thing I didn’t mean to. I will also similarly toggle text box borders “on” (by making them at least 1px) and “off” (aka 0px) in order to keep track of all the formatting.

Oftentimes, if my template has a background image, I put it up in the header. This means it doesn't get in your way when clicking around doing other things; however, it also means you need to double-click at the top of the page in order to open the heading. Only then can you select + edit the background image.

If you want (parts of) your document to look sleek and uniform, then I highly recommend using these tools:

• Image options -> position: to have your images on the right X and Y axes.
• Image options -> size and rotation: quite self-explanatory lol but good to ensure some images are the same size if you need them to be
• Table options -> table: using the alignment and indent options is a lifesaver!
• Table options -> column: to have uniform columns without having to worry about the stupid ruler
• Table options -> row: to have uniform rows without having to worry about the stupid ruler…again lol
• Just play about in the image/table options in general to see if these features enhance your work!

I don't exactly have any good advice about editing from a mobile app because I never do it, but here are some small things I've picked up.

• If you're on a mobile device app, click the top right's three dots. Then "flip the switch" for "Print Layout." This will allow you to view any template nicely from the app. (Sadly, if someone used the gdocs editing features on an image, they will not show up for you even with this print layout function turned on, so some docs may still be inaccessible visually. See my next point.)
• Even though Google Docs has these nice options to change the colors, opacity, brightness, and contrast of images, I recommend not using them. Unfortunately, they don't show up on mobile apps at all. So this could make your document unreadable. I recommend making edits outside of gdocs or within Drawings functions. They do maintain their edits if they're Drawings instead of images.
• For some reason, various fonts change size between a desktop version and mobile app. I often check how "drastic" this will be while making the template and change to a different font if it's acting extremely varied. Otherwise, check what happens if you bold/unbold text.

• Tables are simultaneously one of the best and worst features in Google Docs. They're fantastic for creating structured layouts, but they also have a tendency to throw a dramatic tantrum if you're not paying attention.
• Keep an eye on the fact that all tables are required to have at least one line of text above and below them, no exceptions. If you ever end up with a mysterious line break on a page by itself that can't be removed, it might be that the page before it has a table that goes all the way to the bottom. The table must leave room for this last line break on that page. You can minimize the lines on either side to smaller fonts (I typically do the one after the table to 1px) to make this a little less annoying.
• Adding multiple columns and rows then doing combinations of "Merge Cell" is definitely your friend! See what you can get up to! You can also add new tables inside cells. It's worth experimenting how this might help you.
• In order to make the border of a cell disappear, you need to make it 0px in thickness. You can try the various sizes of lines to see which ones look better for your design, and they can come in any color imaginable. The fill of a cell can also be transparent or one solid non-transparent color.
• It is possible to edit just one part of a cell's border, instead of all four sides having to be the same thing. I typically do this by clicking on just the one part of the line. It will change the top menu to only be cell border options. If you hold Shift and click other cell borders, you can change more than one border at once to the same formatting. This is how I make cells that have no borders on the left and right but do have borders on the top and bottom, for example. (There is also an arrow that comes up on the top right of your cell selection, and this also helps you select certain borders as well. This can be especially helpful for bulk-editing cell borders too!)
• If you need a cell to be even smaller, check the "Table Properties" menu. Near the bottom, find Cell Padding and decrease that size. Increase it to make it bigger, of course.
• You can copy and paste tables to repeat them somewhere else in your document; just remember that line that will appear above and below them too.
• My tables started looking so much better once I started using the Column and Row size properties to type in a number that makes them all the exact same size. It really makes a difference!

• Avoid copy-pasting images directly into the document, as this may disrupt the formatting. Always use the "Replace Image" function instead.
• I’ve been told that if you CTRL+ALT+N, let go, then push G that you can flick through the various graphics on a page. This doesn’t work for me because I have an international keyboard lol. CTRL+ALT+N just gives me ñ…but if that works for you as a way to move onto the next image to edit, that’s great! For those of us plebians without that option, unfortunately you might have to do some silly workarounds. Such as moving an image left/right/up/down for a while when editing something behind it and putting it back when you’re done. The same goes for tables. Sometimes you’ll need to use a few line breaks to get a table out of your way and then delete them later. A small hassle for the big reward of your doc in its prettiest form though!
• If an image you want to select is behind a table, you can also right click over its location. The top option in that menu should be “Select image.” If it doesn’t work, there’s always moving the table as a back-up!
• Changing the sizes of images/drawings from the squares at the four corners of the design will make it bigger or small with a locked aspect ratio (aka it won’t warp). If you make it bigger or smaller using one of the squares in the middle top, middle left, middle right, or middle bottom individually, then the element will warp in that direction. If you are changing an element of a drawing inside the drawing menu, you need to click and hold Shift when resizing something, even with one of the corner resizers, or it will also warp.

• In my work, visuals are often added as Google "Drawings". If you click on an image, you can tell if it's a regular photo or a Drawing because a Drawing has a little bar pop up across the bottom of the selection that has an "✎ Edit " button in the bottom left.
• Drawings are completely editable (even more so than images!) once you open the Drawings Editing Window. You either click that "✎ Edit" button or double-click the Drawing image (when you already have it selected). I recommend the button because sometimes that double-click glitches. Nonetheless, either of these actions will open the Drawing Editing Window. This will allow you to replace photos and change colors of shapes like you would normally.
• It can be a lot of fun to explore the word art, cropping, gradient, etc functions of this menu…but proceed with caution, because once you save a drawing and exit the menu, you will not be able to CTRL+Z or undo-button your way into the previous versions.
• Similar to the CTRL+ALT+N/G functionality, you can use the Tab button to flick through elements in a Drawing. This means you don't have to move things out of your way to access them, which is great!
• In my newer templates, I usually put the Drawings in headers because then they aren't in your way when editing text. (This makes the text easier to edit in mobile apps, although Drawings themselves can only be edited on desktops/laptops.) To access the header, double-click at the top of the page first. Then click on the Drawing once, which will allow you to open it like normal for editing! Oftentimes, all aspects of images and shapes are combined into this one Drawing in the header (including with the background image), unless I needed to isolate something to be in front of the text. I am too lazy to click around lol

A general guide for editing is included with all purchases automatically. This may contain some helpful information for immediate support.

If there is any problem with your purchase or you have encountered an issue with customizing a product, please use my contact form, Tumblr, or Discord to reach out to me or the email provided in your purchase receipt. I will get back to you as soon as possible.

I create templates for the fun of it, not for the money. But many of my products take an extensive amount of time. In order to keep being able to set aside energy to publish these resources, I do charge for a majority of my templates. Because they take me hours and hours and hours! That being said, I also put out some freebies since I like to serve the community, and not everyone has a budget for these types of things.

All of my products are priced at a cost I feel comfortable asking to receive in exchange for how much time I invested into them. You are never obliged to pay more than my asking price, even when they're free.

If you decide to show your appreciation through a tip, I am always grateful though!

Once a template is in your digital hands, I permit you to edit it as you please. The only thing you cannot do is remove the two watermarks, aka the emoji/"template by kaleidoscope docs" that link back to my store and Tumblr. You may change the watermarks' colors. I prefer you not change their location or size. If you get rid of a page that has one of these, though, you do need to move it to an appropriate spot on another page.

You can change the colors and layout of other items as you wish. Feel free to delete or reorder pages. You can add new pages that either repeat layouts I made (even if from other templates of mine) or are inventions of your own, inspired by the style in the template.

In general, I permit you to use other page layouts from other creators mixed with my pages; however, you should retain credit to them for their pages and me for mine. Furthermore, be considerate that other creators do not always allow these mixes, so it also needs to be approved by them in order to be permitted by me too.

If something glitches in the template editing process for you, I am happy to offer some support for free. I also offer a variety of more in-depth support for big changes or even filling it in for you. See the overview of all that's possible here!

My templates are priced and sold under a single-user license. That means, when you buy the template, you are allowed to use it indefinitely for as many projects as you want, so long as these uses are just by you as an individual and don't break my other policies.

If someone else wants to use the same template, you need to direct them to my store for them to buy it themselves. (That's also why leaving the credit in there is so important. Then they can find me directly!)

That being said, I am totally fine with my templates being given as gifts. However, then only the single recipient of the gift has the right to use it.

In essence, one purchase = one person using the template.

You probably patronized my store because you plan to make use of my work. That's great! You are always welcome to share copy-locked and read-only versions with whomever you'd like. You can also use screenshots of the template.

Copy-locking a document keeps people from being able to steal a template they haven't purchased. It also stops them from copying-and-pasting your writing, which is an important way to protect your creative work too. So please do both of us a favor by being diligent about copy-locking each new document you ever make using a template!

TragedyNoir gives a great tutorial on how to copy-lock from both desktops and mobile devices here.

Speaking of people looking at your documents... This is maybe silly, but I would actually love for you to show me your characters/ideas in my templates. Feel free to share it with me! I'm curious! I love seeing what spins people put on things! You never need to be shy about this. I think it's so cool!

Generally speaking, I do NOT permit my templates to be used as server templates, where everyone is encouraged to use it as the main template. This applies even when my templates are free. You, as an individual, are welcome to use my templates for your individual work (whether characters or otherwise) in any situation that a uniquely-designed template is allowed, no matter the writing platform. (Permitted you not do weird/illegal things otherwise restricted.)

If you're an admin and want to use a template for something like lore or NPCs (essentially templates that only you are using/editing) that is also fully permitted without having to ask me.

My reasoning for wariness in having my template for everyone's character submissions is:

• Templates for servers tend to have the credit removed.
• Templates for servers are often edited to be unique for that server, so they will always use the master template from the server, rather than coming to my store and getting it from me. This isn't bad, per se, but it also usually means the template gets spread elsewhere too, eventually causing the same issue of my credit removed and such.
• If it is a paid template, it is stealing from me because I'm sure they're not all coming to pay me for their individual use.
• Some roleplays can have topics that make me uncomfortable, and I don't want my work associated with those themes.

That being said, I am open to the idea of any template of mine (including paid ones) being used for a server if the creator(s) reach(es) out to me first. This doesn't guarantee that I'll say yes, but I am happy to discuss what possibilities there may be.

Currently, there are NO SERVERS WITH APPROVAL TO BE USING MY TEMPLATES AS THEIR BASE. If this changes in the future, I will link a sheet here that lists the specific approved servers.

If you see any template of mine being used in a manner that you think is against my policies (my links removed, in a server against my wishes, etc.), I kindly ask that you not escalate the matter by contacting anyone on my behalf. I don't want you to get stuck in the middle of anything.

Please use my contact form, Tumblr, or Discord to reach out to me and describe the situation so I can decide how to best take action. Thanks!

There are two sides to this coin: the inspiration I get from external sources and the possibility of someone being inspired by my work.

For the former, I always try to be upfront and transparent about what has influenced my templates by discussing it in the notes of the products themselves. Some of my templates are drafts for months or years, though, so any neglect on this front is completely accidental because I simply forgot. Please use my contact form, Tumblr, or Discord to reach out to me if you think any credit needs to be updated accordingly. I just ask that you talk with kindness and in good faith. Sometimes, using similar elements in a similar fashion is a natural conclusion of working in a very limited medium, so not all alike designs are inspired accordingly.

Plagiarism is a rampant problem, and it's wrong. Nonetheless, I am a firm believer that inspiration taken in good faith (and not done as copying/passing it off as your own) is a good thing. Credit does not take away from the creativity that the "new" creator also put into their work. I mean, they say that nothing has been truly new for a few centuries, right? I have no shame in being upfront about what inspired me because I know there is an important line between copying and having creativity ignited. I have a lot of respect for creators that did light that "spark" for me, which is why I want to share who they are. If you are ever concerned about something, feel free to get in touch.

Truthfully, I'm not sure if my work will ever inspire anyone, but if it does, that's great! I kindly ask that you not directly copy multiple elements of any of my designs at once when making your own version, such as using the same colors, layouts, and fonts in the same piece. I also warmly welcome you tagging/messaging me about it just because I'd love to see what you made! But generally I hope that you will credit me as an inspiration if you were inspired by me. And if you didn't, then I prefer to operate under the optimistic belief that it's just a coincidence. I like to believe the best of people in these cases. So fingers crossed my "looking on the bright side" tendency can remain, and this template community can continue to build one another up! It is a pleasure to see all the different things you all create, regardless of the origin of your inspiration!

• My templates are sold under a personal-use license. Once purchased, you are allowed to use a template for as many iterations as you wish. You may also purchase any template as a gift for another person, although this forfeits your access to using it further. In essence, one license = one user. Each licensed individual can continue to reuse the template(s) as much as they wish.
• Purchases from my store are non-exclusive licenses. Commissions are generally exclusive licenses, unless we mutually agree otherwise.
• None of my products can be used for commercial or illegal purposes. None of my products may be uploaded/fed into AI/LLMs. I am not to be held liable for any illegal activity/content done with your use of my template, as I do not permit this use.
• You may customize a template for your personal use. Regardless of your changes, do not remove either the "watermark" emoji [✷] or text [made by kaleidoscope docs ✷] that link to my Tumblr and store. You may change the colors of these though.
• Purchasing a template does not transfer ownership of the design. You are buying my template to use personally, not in a capacity where you can claim it as your own.
• You may not share, redistribute, resell, sublicense, or make the template(s) available to others for their own use (outside of a single gifting recipient, as mentioned above), whether for free or for payment. This includes it being prohibited to share the link of my master version that they can make a copy of.
• Others may view finished outputs (for example, read-only live versions or screenshots/flattened PDFs), but may not copy or reuse the template without their own purchase. Instructions on how to copy-lock your template are included in your purchase.
• Due to the digital nature of this product, all sales are final.
• The delivered templates use placeholders so you can customize with your own visuals.
• I retain only strictly-necessary data. Your personal data protection rights are important to me.
• I am not affiliated with or endorsed by Google, nor any other company whose services that I use to provide these products.
• The images shown in the listings belong to their respective owners. If you are one such owner and want your image removed, please let me know, and I will be happy to do so! The images are generally not a part of the final product, which focuses on the layout and formatting of this template. The images are typically used as demonstrations of how the templates can be designed.

Your privacy is important to me. Kaleidoscope Docs collects and uses personal information only to the extent necessary to provide products, respond to inquiries, fulfill commissions, and provide customer support. Please see my data protection overview for details about your data and rights. Payhip's policies can also be found by clicking the arrow next to the site's name on the footer below.