If you are an advanced Microsoft Word user and want to design your own invoice and quote templates, here are a few tips for success:
General
- Always start from an existing ServiceM8 template design. Try to find a template that is already close to your desired design. This will save you hours of initial setup.
- Make small changes to the template, then reload it into your ServiceM8 account to see the results before continuing to edit. That way, if an error prevents the template from loading, then it will be easy to pinpoint which field is causing the issue.
- Save versions of your template as you go. If something goes wrong, you'll be able to revert to a previous copy.
- The template preview in Document Templates may not always display your images or text properly. The only way to confirm your design is to open a job on the Dispatch Board and produce a PDF of an invoice or quote.
Layout, font, and images
- Use tables to design your template. Position all text and images within tables in the header, footer, and body of your template (remember, you can make a table with no borders).
- When setting text wrapping properties, keep all images inline with text. Positioning images is one of Word’s weaknesses, but by keeping images inline with text, you will greatly reduce the likelihood of error. Use margins and table cells to position your images exactly where you want them.
- Ensure your template uses a font that is supported by ServiceM8 templates.
Working with fields
- Always refer to the list of available fields for correct field names.
- Do not try to edit a field name by typing over it directly. Instead, right-click the field and select Edit Field, then edit the Field Name under Field Properties.
- Do not use tabs to position fields when the information goes onto multiple lines (for example, customer addresses) the tabs won’t apply upon merging. Instead, place the information inside a borderless table and adjust margins and cell sizing as needed.
- Refer to this article about adding bookmarks if you want to add material lines to your template.
Get help
- If you are creating a custom invoice or quote template and encountering difficulties, one of our ServiceM8 Partners can help you achieve your vision.