How To Customize Invoice Templates In QuickBooks Pro

QuickBooks Pro has many strengths, but invoice template creation just isn’t one of them. And the last thing you want is to send your clients unattractive invoices.

In this post, I’ll teach you how to take your invoices from this…

to this…

…without having to pay extra for a customized invoice template. Using eight simple steps and a bit of TLC, you can impress your customers with attractive, professional invoices in no time.

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How To Customize An Invoice

Step 1: Select A Default Template

Choose a default template. QuickBooks gives you four choices:

• Intuit Packing Slip
• Intuit Product Invoice Slip
• Intuit Professional Invoice
• Intuit Service Invoice

Once you’ve made your selection, click the blue “OK” button on the bottom of the screen. You should be taken to a screen that looks like this:

Step 2: Add A Business Logo

There are a ton of invoice customizations available. Most of these steps can be done in any order you please, so we’re just going to make our way down the Basic Customization screen.

To start, if you want to add a business logo, check the “Use logo” box. Then click “Select Logo…”

Browse your files to find the appropriate logo. Click on the file, then click “Open.”

Step 3: Select A Color Scheme

Select a color scheme using the drop-down menu. You can choose between:

• Black
• Gray
• Maroon
• Green
• Beige

If you change the color scheme, your invoice will look something like this:

Click the “Apply Color Scheme” button to see your color scheme choice in action.

Step 4: Choose A Font

To alter the font, use the scroll bar menu to choose what you want to change.

At this point, you can choose specific fonts for these sections (there are further font customizations later):

• Invoice title
• Company name
• Company Address
• Labels
• Data
• Subtotals label
• Total label

Once you make your selection, click “Change font.” QuickBooks uses the Microsoft Word font bank on your computer to offer font selections. You can change the font, color, and size.

Once your font looks right, click the “OK ” button in the top right-hand corner.

Step 5: Display the Appropriate Contact Information

Choose what business contact information you want to appear on your invoices. We recommend including your company name, company address, and phone number (at the very least). Check the boxes next to the information you want to include.

You’ll most likely receive a message that says:

Don’t worry. We’ll address that in step 7, so you can click “OK” and ignore that message for now.

If you need to update any of the company information included on your invoice, click the “Update Information” button. Enter the proper information and click the blue “OK” button when done.

Step 6: Decide What Information To Include

To change what information is and isn’t seen on your invoice, click the “Additional Customizations” button on the bottom of the screen. You’ll be taken to a screen that looks like this:

You can customize the invoice header, columns, footer, and print defaults. Simply check the boxes for the information you want to include and change the title if needed. Don’t click the blue “OK” button quite yet (unless you want to save a copy of your progress and continue customizing the invoice later).

Step 7: Customize With Layout Designer

Next, click the “Layout Designer…” button on the bottom of the screen. You should then be taken to a screen that looks like this.

Note: The green boxes on the screen indicate envelope windows.

Here’s where the fun begins. In the layout designer, you can change the size and position of all the information on your invoice. When you select a box, you can resize it, drag it to a new location, or click the “Properties” button for more customization options (like fonts, font colors, borders, fill colors, and more).

You can add images and backgrounds to your invoices as well. The only thing you can’t customize is the fill colors of certain headers (Item Cost, Description, Price, Amount).

We added color to our invoice and an image which we used as a header. We also rearranged the placement of our data to make it more appealing. We also took time to make the invoice due date and total due clear for customers.

Tip: Use the “Copy Format” button at the top of the screen so you don’t have to reenter the same design formatting for every single box.

When you’re done editing your invoice, click the blue “OK” button on the bottom of the screen.

Step 8: Save Your Invoice Template

Take on final look at your invoice preview. If you invoice looks correct, click the blue “OK” button.

You’ve officially customized your invoices; now you can start sending them and getting paid! Follow these same eight steps to customize your estimate templates (simply go to List>Templates to find your estimate templates).

If you have any troubleshooting issues, check out the QuickBooks Community or call QuickBooks directly. Don’t forget to check out the rest of our QuickBooks Desktop Pro 101 Series to learn how to create invoices, create estimates, add sales tax rates, and more.

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