A template sets how your invoices and estimates look to customers, on the web view and the PDF: your logo, name and address, colours, columns, wording and payment options. Retainer invoices and credit notes use templates too.

You can have as many templates as you like, for example one per brand or one per language. Each invoice uses one template, chosen in its Invoice Template field (Estimate Template on an estimate). Only Administrators and Finance Managers can add or change templates.

Add or edit a template

  1. Go to Settings › Invoice & Bill Settings and scroll down to Invoice & Quote/Estimate Templates.

    New accounts start with two templates, Invoice Template and Estimate Template. The list marks the defaults.

  2. Click a template to edit it. Or click Add Template, enter a Template Name and click Add Template. The Edit Template popup opens.

  3. Work through the tabs: General, Layout, Online Payments and Payment Instructions.

  4. Click Save.

You can also edit a template from an invoice or estimate: click Edit next to Invoice Template or Estimate Template in its details.

For a new template, check the Layout tab and switch on the columns and details you want to show.

General tab

The General tab of the Edit Template popup, with the template name, the default tick boxes and the Aurora Studio logo
  • Template Name: the name you pick on invoices and estimates.
  • Set as Default Invoice template., Set as Default Estimate template. and Set as Default Retainer template.: the template new companies get (see "Default templates for customers" below).
  • Company Name: leave it blank to use the company name from Settings › General, or send under another business name.
  • Address Line, City / Suburb, State / Province, Zip / Postcode and Country: the address for this template. Tick Override Display Address to type it exactly as it should print in Display Address. With no address here, invoices show the default address from Invoice & Bill Settings.
  • Upload Company Logo: click it or drag an image onto the tab. See adding a logo and logo sizes.
  • Featured Background Color: the accent colour. Avaza picks dark or white text to go with it.
  • Default Payment Instructions & Notes: text copied into the notes of each new invoice or estimate that uses this template.

Layout tab

The Layout tab, with the Show/Hide switches, the tax totals and page size menus and the grouping switch

Under Show/Hide, switch parts of the invoice on or off:

  • Show Currency, Show Subject and Show Customer Contact: those details in the invoice header.
  • Show Inventory (the Type column), Show Description, Show Unit Price & Quantity, Show Discount and Show Tax Column: the columns of the items table.
  • Show Company Tax Number and Show Customer Tax Number: print your tax number under your address, and the customer's under theirs. See customer tax numbers.

Then:

  • How are Tax Totals Displayed?: Single Tax Subtotal, All Tax Rates, All Tax Component Rates, Don't display tax, Non 0% Tax Rates or Non 0% Tax Components. A single subtotal combines all taxes on one line, the "All" options give each tax rate or component its own line, and the "Non 0%" options leave out lines with no tax. See setting up tax and how tax is calculated.
  • PDF/Print Page Size: A4 or US Letter.
  • Group Timesheets & Expenses Separately: lists timesheet lines and expense lines under their own headings. Fixed amounts and typed lines go under a general heading.
  • Company Tax Number: a different tax number for this template. Leave it blank to use the one in Invoice & Bill Settings.

Override Invoice Labels

Further down the Layout tab, you can replace the wording customers see, for example to meet local rules or to invoice in another language. Open a group and type your own text next to each label:

  • Header: the title (Invoice Header Title, "Tax Invoice" in new templates), invoice number, dates, currency, subject, PO number, From, To, tax number labels and amount due.
  • Items Table and Footer & Totals: column headings, totals, payments, credit notes and notes.
  • Online Payments Overlay and Email Variables & Buttons: the Pay Now box and the buttons and links in emails.
  • Invoice Statuses and Estimate Statuses: the statuses customers see, such as Paid or Accepted.
  • Invoice Grouping Labels, Estimate Unique Fields and Credit Note Unique Fields.

The PDF file name starts with the header title. Dates follow the reader's browser language, not the labels: see changing the date format.

Online Payments tab

The Online Payments tab, with Stripe switched off and PayPal and Payoneer switched on

Switch on the payment methods customers can use to pay invoices with this template. The tab lists the methods connected and enabled under Settings › Online Payments, so connect them there first.

Connecting Stripe or Payoneer doesn't switch it on in any template: do it here. When you connect PayPal, Add to all Invoice Templates is ticked by default and switches it on in every existing template. A Pay Now button only appears when a method switched on here accepts the invoice's currency. See online payments.

Payment Instructions tab

Switch on the bank or other payment details this template prints under Payment Instructions. You add the details themselves under Payment Instructions in Invoice & Bill Settings. E-invoices sent with this template include them too.

Default templates for customers

When you add a company, it gets the current default invoice, estimate and retainer templates. To change a customer's templates, go to Contacts, open the Companies tab and click the company. Under Financial Details, click Edit, choose the Invoice Template, Estimate Template and Retainer Template, and click Save changes.

Changing a default later only affects companies added after the change. You can still pick another template on any invoice or estimate.

Change or delete a template

Changes show on existing invoices and estimates that use the template, with a few exceptions. See are template changes applied to existing invoices?

To delete a template, open it and click Delete. You can't delete a template while invoices, estimates or recurring invoices use it, or your last template.