A well-designed document helps your customers take in the information quickly. Invoice Office splits this into two things that are worth keeping straight from the start:
- A document design holds the content of one document type in one language — its name, the fields it shows, its terms and its labels.
- A document template holds the layout and styling — which blocks appear, where they sit, and the fonts, colours and spacing. One template can sit under many designs, so a change there propagates to every design built on it.
Where the designs live
Go to Settings → Document designs.
Designs are held per language
The language selector at the top of the list decides which set you are looking at. Designs are held per language, so a French invoice can carry its own wording and layout without touching the Dutch one — and a language you have never set up simply shows No document design found.
One design per document type
The list gives each design a document type, a name, a title (what is printed at the top of the document), its layout, its language and when it was last modified. Two flags matter:
- Is default — the design used when nothing more specific is chosen.
- Is system — a design that ships with Invoice Office. Duplicate it rather than fighting it.
The row’s Action menu holds Open and Create duplicate.
The Document type is the base of the set. It is the one to change when you want something to apply everywhere; the others cover a single document type each.
Create a new design
If none of the designs in your account suits you, click Create document design in the top right and give it a document type, a language and a name. Simple document design, beside it, starts you on a stripped-back layout instead.
Starting from an existing design is usually faster: open its Action menu and choose Create duplicate, then edit the copy.
Two editors behind one screen
Opening a design gives you both editors, switched with the Document design / Document template control in the middle of the toolbar. Preview and Save sit on the right, with undo and redo on the left.
From there, set the logo, texts, columns, labels, colours and fonts — see How to customize the document layout.
Using a design once you have it
- Pick a design while creating a document — see Use a document design in your invoice.
- Always use the same design for one customer by setting it on their record — see Choose a design template per customer.
- Removing one you no longer need — see How to delete a document design template.