Billing options: Estimate templates [in-depth guide]
Guide contents: Navigation | Add an estimate template | Copy template | Options | Layout
Navigation
Menu > Admin > System setup > Billing options > Estimate templates
Estimate layouts allow you to customize the look and layout of your client estimates. You can specify different logos and addresses and change the position of each element on the page.
By default, there will be two templates: details and summary.
Add an estimate template
Click the New button (+) to add a new Layout.
You will then be presented with a new template to populate, with the first field being the Name.
Copy template
Additionally, you can open an existing template.
To do this, open the template you want to copy, then click on More > Copy.
This will create and open a new template in your list called Copy of [your template name here].
Now you can make minor changes to its setup as needed, without starting from scratch.
Options
This is where you set up how you want this estimate template to work.
Name - Give the template a name that will make it clear when selecting it.
- Active - This can be unchecked to retain this template, without it being used on new estimates.
Display mode - Choose display mode to select how much detail you want to print on an estimate. There are several main options (one line, by task, by service, by person, by billing item, and by billing item and item), each with its own sub-settings.
- One line - Creates a single, summarized line for all the details.
-
By task - Creates a line for each task in the schedule.
- Show 0 values - Check this to show tasks with no amounts on them.
-
Task display level - When using the 'by task display mode', you can then choose the levels of tasks to show or summarize.
- Top-level tasks - Will only show tasks that are at the highest level. All indented tasks will be summarized under their top-level task. Also shows all stand-alone tasks.
- Summary tasks - Will only show summary tasks on the Estimate. NOTE: Stand alone top level tasks are hidden with this option.
-
All tasks - Will show every task as a line on the estimate.
- Show task detail - Shows additional details of the task.
- Show amounts on summary tasks - Summarizes totals up to the summary tasks.
-
By service - Creates one line per service, regardless of how the hours are divided up in the schedule.
- Subtotal by billing item - Creates a subtotal for each billing item that the services are linked to.
- Show 0 values - Show all services, even if no amounts are put to them.
- Show labor hours - Adds a column to show the hours for each service.
- Show labor rate - Adds a column to show the rate for each service.
-
By person - Creates one row per person. NOTE: Requires using the 'by task and person' - estimate type.
- Show labor hours - Adds a column to show the hours for each person.
- Show labor rate - Adds a column to show the rate for each person.
-
By billing item - Creates a summarized row for each billing item with no additional item detail.
- Show billing description - Shows the description of the billing item.
-
By billing item and item - Creates rows for each billing item, with each item below it.
- Compare to original - Shows original estimates compared to change order estimates.
- Show labor hours - Adds a column to show the hours for each service.
- Show labor rate - Adds a column to show the rate for each service.
Display mode example matrix:
NOTE: The following options may change depending on the display mode chosen.
- Breakout expense detail - Will show the expenses on the line item broken out in detail (one line per expense).
- Show quantity breakout on task - This option displays a text description of the hours, rate, and expense total for the task.
- Show labor hours - This option will show the hours on the estimate.
- Show labor rate - This option will show the labor rate on the estimate.
- Show expense quantity - Adds a column for the quantity of the expense.
- Show expense rate - Adds a column for the rate of the expense.
- Show sales taxes if 0 - Select this option if you want the estimate to print the sales tax information regardless if it is 0.
- Repeat header on each page - Repeat the top portion of the estimate on each printout page.
- Show project description - This option will print the project description from the project setup screen above the estimate description.
- Show approver name - Prints the approver name on the estimate.
- Hide approval line - This option will hide the approval signature lines and text. NOTE: Checking this overrides the 'show approver name option'.
- Hide company name - This option will hide your company's name.
- Hide client name - This option will hide the client's name.
- Show client project number - Use this to display the client's project number from the project on the estimate. This option follows the same display rules as the 'show project number/name' option. In the text box to the right of the checkbox, enter a label for the client's project number. A common label would be 'purchase order number' or a reference the client will understand.
- Show estimate number - Shows the estimate number on the printout.
- Show product - If the project is for a client's product, then this will print the product on the estimate.
- Show division - If the project is for a client's division, this will print the project's division on the estimate.
- Show labor & expense subtotals - If this option is set, one labor subtotal and one expense subtotal will be inserted at the top of the footer, no matter what the options above and the conditions on the estimate are.
- Keep footer together - Select this option if you want to ensure the footer does not get broken into more than 1 page due to overflow issues.
- Hide page numbers - Select this option if you do not want the system to print page numbers on the estimate.
-
Standard footer text - Use this text box to enter a standard message that you would like to have printed at the bottom of the estimate. NOTE: If you change this down the road, it will change what you have printed in the past as well. We therefore recommend you create a new/copy estimate to update such details going forward.
- Contingency text - Use this text box to label the contingency amount in the estimates subtotal section.
-
User-defined fields - These text boxes are for the labels to be displayed on the estimate. If you put text in one of the text boxes here, you will be able to populate text from the estimate settings and then display this on the printed estimate.
- User Defined 1, User Defined 2, User Defined 3, User Defined 4, User Defined 5, User Defined 6, User Defined 7, User Defined 8, User Defined 9, User Defined 10
Layout
Logo
Add logo file - Adds a logo image file to print using this estimate layout.
NOTE: We recommend you try a few different example files from your graphic designer. For ease of use, we suggest using 72 DPI and one inch height in a JPG format. If the logo has been created on a Mac, you will need to remove the resource forks from the file. This can be done via most Adobe software. You can also open the file using a Windows machine. Open in Paint, use SAVE or SAVE AS. This will remove the resource forks.
All layout options are measured in inches from the top left-hand corner of the page. Using these options, you can customize the look and layout of your Invoice.
Inches from top - How far from the top of the page do you want the top of the logo to start.
Inches from the left- How far from the left of the page do you want the top of the logo to start.
Height in inches - How many inches high do you want the image to be.
Width in inches - How many inches wide do you want to image to be.
Client address
All layout options are measured in inches from the top left-hand corner of the page. Using these options, you can customize the look and layout of your invoice.
Inches from top - How far from the top of the page do you want the top of the logo to start.
Inches from the left- How far from the left of the page do you want the top of the logo to start.
Width in inches - How many inches wide do you want to image to be.
Company address
Company address - Use the drop-down to select one of your existing addresses (from account setup) to use on this template.
Inches from top - How far from the top of the page do you want the top of the logo to start.
Inches from the left- How far from the left of the page do you want the top of the logo to start.
Height in inches - How many inches high do you want the image to be.
Width in inches - How many inches wide do you want the image to be.
Include phone & fax option - Checking this will print your company's phone & fax numbers.
Estimate name
Display text - You can relabel the estimate with an alternative descriptive label that prints.
Inches from top - How far from the top of the page do you want the top of the logo to start.
Inches from the left- How far from the left of the page do you want the top of the logo to start.
Width in inches - How many inches wide do you want to image to be.
Font name - Allows you to select a font to be used for the display text.
Font size - Allows you to choose a font size for the display text.
Body fonts
The body font options allow you to select a font, size, bold, and italic options for items listed below:
- Addresses - This applies to your company and the client address sections.
- Estimate header - This applies to the header section, such as the project name and description.
- Phase Name - If using summary tasks of billing items, then this controls that level of detail.
- Phase description - This controls the descriptions of those summaries.
- Task subject - If using detailed tasks or sub-items, then this controls that level of detail.
- Task description - This controls the descriptions of those details.
- Detail header - If using detailed tasks or sub-items, then this controls that level of detail.
- Detail items - This controls the descriptions of those details.
-
Detail header border - Adds a border to the details section.
- No border
- Underline
- Box
- Estimate footer - If footer text exists, then this controls the text formatting.