Background

This support article covers the different types of forms that you can customize for emailing and printing. It explains how these forms can be customized and modified. The paper forms referenced below are available for the US from Acclivity's Checks and Forms web site: http://www.accountedgechecks.com, and for Canada visit AccountEdge Cheques and Forms. On that website is a PDF file of the form catalogue, which contains detailed information about the paper forms.

How to Customize Forms

You can customize the different types of forms by:

1. Go to your top menu bar and select Setup > Customize Forms
2. Select the type of form you wish to customize
3. Depending on the kind of form (ie: invoice) you may have different Layout options. Choose the one that you want to use.
4. Select the drop down menu next to Form to Customize and select a form (the different forms that are available are listed below)
5. Click Customize

Types of Forms

• Checks and Check Stubs
• Invoices, Packing Slips And Shipping Labels
• Deposit Slips
• Statements
• Receipts
• Purchase Orders

Each custom check includes different layouts for the type of check that you are printing. The layouts are listed below:

• Check - This is the actual check part of the check.
• Regular - The stub for a Spend Money check. Printed from the Banking Command Center.
• Payable - The stub for a Payable check. Printed from the Purchases Command Center.
• Refund - The stub for a Refund check. Printed from the Sales Command Center.
• Paycheck - The stub for a Paycheck. Printed from the Payroll Command Center.

Click here for a more detailed FAQ about customizing checks.

Pre-printed deposit slips for use with the Prepare Deposit Slip feature of AccountEdge are available from Acclivity's Checks and Forms web site: http://www.accountedgechecks.com. In Canada, visit AccountEdge Cheques and Forms.

When customizing invoice forms there are different sale layouts and each sale layout has a different list of forms. The layouts include:

• Service
• Item
• Professional
• Time Billing
• Packing Slip (Service)
• Packing Slip (Item)
• Packing Slip (Professional)
• Packing Slip (Time Billing)
• Labels (Service)
• Labels (Item)
• Labels (Professional)
• Labels (Time Billing)

The types of statements are:

• Invoice Statement: Lists all open sales with their current balance due.
• Activity Statement: Lists all sales transactions (invoices, payments and credit invoices) that involve a customer within a desired date range.

The forms to choose from are:

• The Plain Paper Statement: Prints one statement per page. The paper size is 8.5" wide by 11" long. It prints your company name and address. It also prints lines and boxes in some places on your statement.
• Pre-Printed Statement: Prints one statement per page. The paper size is 8.5" wide by 11" long. It does not print your company name, company address or any boxes on the form.

To customize a receipt select Print Receipts from the Sales Command Center. There are two types of receipts to choose from:

• Credit Card Receipt: Prints two receipts per page. The form size is 8.5" wide by 5.5" long. The paper size is 8.5" wide by 11" long.
• Payment Receipt: Print one receipt per page. The paper size is 8.5" wide by 11" long.

To customize purchase orders, open the Purchases Command Center then select Print Purchase Orders. Choose the Purchase Order format you want to customize from the form layout at the top of the window. Next to 'Selected Form for Purchase' at the bottom of the screen, choose the Purchase Order format that most closely matches your form (Pre-Printed or the Plain Paper). Select Customize.

• Plain Paper Purchase: Prints one purchase per page. The paper size is 8.5" wide by 11" long. It prints your company name and address. It also prints lines and boxes in some places on your invoice.
• Pre-Printed Purchase: Prints one purchase per page. The paper size is 8.5" wide by 11" long. It does not print your company name, company address or any boxes on the form.

The Tool Bar appears in every form's Customize window: The Tool Bar consists of 11 buttons. There are no text labels on the buttons, however if you place your mouse over the tool bar button, a tool tip will be provided with information. The tool buttons, left to right are:

1. Data Fields Click to open the Add Fields window, where you can select the data fields you want to insert. You can also select an option to include headers with each element or column you add to your form. When you have finished selecting fields, click Add. The fields will be added to the form.
2. Text Box Click this icon to insert a text field.
3. Image Click this icon and then click anywhere on your form. This creates a picture field. Double-click on the picture field and then click "Load Picture." The Select Image window appears. Find and select the image you want to insert and click Open. Click OK.
4. Box Click this icon and drag your cursor around the area you would like the rectangle
5.  Line Click this icon and then drag your cursor horizontally or vertically when you would like to create a line.
6. Undo Reverses the last performed action
7. Send to Back Click this icon to position a selected element behind another element on the form.
8. Bring to Front Click this icon to position a selected element in front of another element on the form.
9. Fonts Select a field and then click this button to change the font for that field.
10. Properties Click this icon to open the Form Properties window, where you can modify element and form properties.
11. Preview Click this icon to display a preview on the screen of what you invoice will look like. Uses sample information to do this.

Note: The Layout drop-down menu at the top right of the customize screen is available for Check formats, only.

Further Customization

• Add New Data Field Tool: This tool is used for adding data fields. To add a new data field, click on the 1^st icon on the tool bar, and select a field from the list. You can search the list alphabetically. You can only add the data fields that are on this list. Warning: Some fields are linked to specific invoice/purchase line information, such as description, amount, job number, and sales tax. These fields are "linked" together vertically so they can be moved independently right or left but not up or down.
• Selecting Multiple Fields: Hold the shift key and click to select multiple fields. If you want to choose all fields on the form go to Edit from the menu bar at the top of the screen and choose "List Select All"
• Deleting Fields: To delete any field, click the field and either press the delete key or right-click your mouse and select delete. The field will still be on the data field list if you choose to add it back.
• Add a New Text Field: This tool is used for adding text fields. To add a new text field, click on the 'T' from the tool bar.
  • On Mac this will insert the text field automatically
  • On Windows click into the form where you want the text field to be located and a text box will appear. Double-click inside the text box to bring up the Text input window, and the Field Properties screen. On the Layout Tab, enter your text and any adjustments to field size and location. You can also change the font by selecting Text Properties. Background color for the text field can also be added by selecting the background colors button. You can enter text in the Text input window.
• Adjusting Field Size: When you select a field, a rectangle appears around it. 8 small squares, called "handles", appear on rectangle, indicating where you can use your mouse to pull or drag the handle. When you select a line, the handles appear at either end. Another way to change the size of a field or a line is to double-click your selection and change its size in the Field Information window.
• Copying and Pasting Fields: To copy a field, select it and choose Copy from the Edit menu. To paste the field, choose Paste from the Edit menu. Fields can be copied and pasted within a form. You cannot copy a field from an invoice and paste it into a check form.
• Insert Graphics/Picture Tool: This tool is used to insert a graphic onto a form. Acceptable image file formats are: .pdf (Mac only), .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .gif.
• Drawing A Rectangle: To draw a rectangle on a form, click the rectangle tool and click the location on the form where you want the upper left corner of the rectangle to appear; a handle appears. Drag the handle to the location of the lower right corner of the rectangle you want to create. The size of the rectangle can be changed in the same manner as a field.
• Drawing A Line: To draw a line on a form, click the line tool and then click the location on the form where you want the line to begin; a handle appears. Drag the handle to where you want the line to end. You can change the location and size of the line with the pointer or in the Field Information window.
• Form Properties Tool: The Forms Properties window displays two tabs; the Layout tab and the Options tab. In the Layout tab you will set up the paper and form size. In the Options tab you will select the options available including the margins.
• Double-Click a Field: If you double-click in a field, the Format (Form Properties) window will open. There you can adjust field sizes, fonts, etc. If you double-click on the form, but not in a field, you will open the Format (Form Properties) window for the form itself.

Saving Your Customized Form

When you finish customizing your form, click on the Save Form or Save Form As button. If you are working on a form you have already customized before then Save Form will save this with the same name. If you want to choose a new name for your form (leaving the original intact), click Save As. After saving the form click then click OK.

Note: Don't use a slash ('/') in your form name because the AccountEdge file utility will misinterpret the file name.

Tips

• Customize Checks to Show Debits
• Show Partial Invoice Number
• Show One Line of a Field