Creating a Document Template
How to create a document template in the Create a template popup: starting from scratch in one of the editors, or from your own, Basic, Ready-to-use or System templates.
Create Template, at the top of Settings > Document Templates, opens the Create a template popup. You can start from scratch in one of the editors, or from a template: one of your own, a Basic or Ready-to-use design, or one of the System templates every business starts with.
Document Type
Choose what the template is for first: Worksheet, Invoice, Quote, Customer for letters and other documents about a customer, or Job for job documents such as slips and price rise letters. It decides which details the template can fill in and where it’s offered, and it can’t be changed later. The popup starts on the type you had filtered the list to.
Starting from Scratch
Create from scratch offers each editor:
- Drag and drop editor: Build a document from blocks and ready-made sections. Best for invoices, quotes and worksheets.
- Simple editor: Write a letter-style document with text and images, on your letterhead.
- HTML custom code: Write or paste your own HTML.
- Text message: Write a message to send by text.
- Email message: Write an email to send to customers, with a subject. See Email Message Editor.
The new template is called Untitled with its type, such as Untitled invoice template, and opens straight away in its editor. It’s A4 and full page, set to be printed and emailed, or sent by text or as an email for a message; change any of that on its details page. A new design in the drag and drop or Simple editor starts with your brand’s fonts and colours from Organisation settings.
Starting from a Template
- Your templates: Your own templates of that type. Using one makes a copy with (copy) after its name.
- Basic templates: Plain layouts with the usual parts in place, to build on: Simple invoice, Simple quote, Simple worksheet and Simple letter. They have no fonts or colours of their own, so they take your brand’s.
- Ready-to-use: Finished designs in three styles: Classic, with serif type and fine rules; Modern, clean and spacious; and Bold, with a band of colour. There are two for each of invoices, quotes, worksheets and letters, and Style narrows them to one style. They keep their own fonts and take your brand colours, using their own colours where you haven’t set any.
- System: The built-in templates every business starts with. A copy of one can be put back to the System design later with Restore System version.
Letters from the gallery open in the Simple editor; the other Basic and Ready-to-use designs open in the drag and drop editor. Basic and Ready-to-use designs are A4 and full page, and there aren’t any for job documents yet.
Previewing and Using a Template
- Cards: Each template shows a picture of its design, filled in with example details and your business details, and in your brand colours.
- Preview: The eye button shows the design larger. Half and quarter page templates can show One copy or the Whole sheet. Back returns to the cards.
- Use template: Adds a copy to your templates under the design’s name, with a number after it if you already have one called that, and opens it in its editor. The copy isn’t your default until you make it so.
After Creating
Design the template in its editor, then use the template’s details page to change its name, description, page size, layout, whether it’s printed or emailed, and whether it’s the default for its type.
Related articles
- Document Templates List: Where Create Template is, and finding your new template later.
- Drag and Drop Editor: Designing from blocks and sections.
- Simple Editor: Writing letters.
- Text Message Editor: Writing text messages.
- Editing a Document Template: The details page.
- Branding and Business Details: The brand colours and fonts new templates use.