PressPrimer Certificate is a free plugin available from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. This guide covers installation and initial setup.
System Requirements
Before installing PressPrimer Certificate, your WordPress site must meet these requirements:
- WordPress: 6.4 or higher
- PHP: 7.4 or higher
- MySQL: 5.7 or higher (or MariaDB 10.3+)
The certificate designer runs in your browser, so administrators should use a modern web browser like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge with JavaScript enabled. PDF and QR code generation happen locally on your server; no external services are required.
Installing from WordPress.org
- Sign in to your WordPress site as an administrator and visit /wp-admin/.
- Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for “PressPrimer Certificate” in the search field.
- Locate the plugin in the search results.
- Click Install Now.
- Once installation completes, click Activate.
After activation, you’ll see a new Certificates menu entry in your /wp-admin/ sidebar.
After activating the plugin, PressPrimer Certificate will:
- Set up database tables to store your templates, certificates, and issuance history
- Create a Verify Certificate page containing the public verification form, then link it in the plugin settings
- Register the public certificate share URL at
/certificate/ - Set up user capabilities
- Schedule a daily cleanup job that prunes old anonymous event records
Manual Installation
If you prefer to install the plugin manually, download the ZIP file from WordPress.org, then navigate to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, choose the file, and click Install Now followed by Activate.
The Setup Tour
When you first visit the Certificates dashboard after activation, you’ll be prompted to start a guided Setup Tour. The tour walks you from first template to first issued certificate in about five minutes: pick a starter design, get oriented in the designer, name and publish your template, issue a certificate to yourself, and download the finished PDF.
You can skip the tour at any time and relaunch it later using the Watch Onboarding Tour quick action on the dashboard.
Next Steps
Once the plugin is installed, continue with Creating Your First Certificate for a full walkthrough, or review Plugin Settings to set your site-wide design defaults before building templates.