Invoice Format Design Kit

This appendix contains the following topics:

Introduction to Invoice Format Design Kit

Checklist # 1

Data field worksheet

Header Fields

Line Item and Payment Fields

Totals Fields

 Sample Filled-in Data Field Worksheet

Checklist # 2

 

Introduction to Invoice Format Design Kit

If you have been using computers in your business for a while, you know some of the ways they can assist you to be more productive. If computers are new to you or your business, you are about to become aware of their benefits among them, speed, dependability, accuracy, and availability of information benefits which allow you to give more of your time to the activities of your business. Through this increased capacity for production, you are more able to increase income and cut costs, giving a better bottom line.

Among the various features of computer products available to you is the ability to print special forms meaning such things as payroll checks, customer statements, invoices, etc.

The Passport Business Solutions Accounts Receivable gives you the ability to issue invoices to your customers for goods sold or services rendered.

Most computer products which print special forms print them in one or more predefined formats. This means, of course, that you must adjust your business needs to the format or formats given you.

Passport takes care to provide predefined formats to fit the needs of most businesses. When these formats prove to be insufficient for a specific business, Passport partners are available to assist you and to make whatever customized modifications you need to match the software to your business needs.

But now you have increased freedom in printing invoices freedom to choose among any of the following options:

You can use one of Passport’s predefined invoice formats.
You can shop among various forms vendors to find a pre-printed form which more exactly fits your needs. Then, using this Format Design Kit, you can tailor an invoice format to print invoices on your selected form.
If you are using Windows or Thin client, you can design a graphical image file or the form in a JPEG or Bitmap file format. This includes the logo, lines column headers and any other relevant form data.
Using this Format Design Kit, you can design an invoice to be printed on plain paper, your own company letterhead or to merge with a graphical image file or your own design.

If one of the predefined invoice formats supplied with A/R is sufficient for your needs, you need not go any further with this Format Design Kit. All of the work involved with designing the invoice format has already been done for you, and you are all set to use A/R.

If you have selected some other pre-printed form, designing an invoice format is a matter of selecting the appropriate fields to print, specifying which rows and columns they should be printed in, and how they should look (such as how long they should be).

If you are about to design your own custom invoice from the ground up, you have a bit more work to do. For example, you will need to determine the physical length of the invoice (should it be 30 rows long ? some other length ?). You will need to decide on the physical width of the invoice (80 columns wide ? 120 columns ? some other width?). Then there is the matter of determining what information you want to appear on your invoice; in what order the information should be printed; the location and size of the information; what column headings or other accompanying text there should be; etc.

One way to reduce the amount of work you will have to do in this case is to use an already existing invoice format and modify it to become another format. You can do this if one of the predefined formats is already close to what you want.

The flexibility of the Passport Business Solutions A/R allows you to choose any of these options or any combination of them. You can store up to 99 different invoice formats and can select to use any one of them at the time you print invoices.

What this kit contains 

1.

Checklist #1, "Designing a New Format from the Ground Up" (page C-3) this gives all the steps needed to fully design a new invoice format.

 

2.

Data Field Worksheet (page C-6) this lists all the fields available to you for invoice printing, and helps you select the size of each field you want to print. It also includes definitions of all the fields available to you for printing what they are, where they come from, what they look like.

 

3.

A field location grid on a pre-printed form and an invoice layout worksheet on plain paper.

 

4.

Samples included are actual samples from the format design process which resulted in one of the predefined invoice formats (#2) supplied with this module. These include:

 

 

a.

A filled-in Data Field Worksheet (page C-21)

 

b.

A filled-in Invoice Layout Worksheet

 

c.

A sample invoice, printed with 9’s and X’s to show where the actual data would print

 

d.

An actual invoice printed on plain paper

 

e.

A list of specifications for the predefined invoice format.

5.

Sample invoices and actual invoices for the other two predefined formats (#1 and #3).

 

6.

Checklist #2, "Using a Preexisting Format as the Basis for Designing a New Format" (page C-26) this gives you the steps needed to design a new invoice format, starting from an existing format that is already close to what you want.

 

How to use this kit

To illustrate the process of designing an invoice tailored to your needs, samples of each step have been provided. A good way to use these samples is to look at the final product of the design process, and then look at samples of earlier and earlier design steps to see how the final product was arrived at. And that is what we will do.

The samples included are steps in the design of predefined format #2, a format to be printed on plain paper. (Predefined format #1 is for use with a pre-printed invoice form. Predefined format #3 is for a company which offers only services [rather than services and goods], to be printed on company letterhead paper.

First, a look at the final product a printed invoice. Turn to the invoice (predefined format #2) at the end of this appendix. This printed invoice is the goal of the design process.

Going earlier, look at the sample invoice just ahead of it. The sample invoice is the result of the earlier design steps and shows the format of the actual invoice. For each field on the sample, instead of actual data, 9’s are shown for numbers and X’s are shown for alphanumeric characters. The actual characters appear in each text field. With this sample invoice, you can see the full length of each field.

Next, look at the filled in Layout Worksheet just ahead of the sample invoice. Information collected at earlier design steps was used to fill in this Worksheet. Notice that it looks very similar to the sample invoice. The Layout Worksheet was used to enter information into the computer about the format of the invoice. The result of entering this information is the sample invoice. This Worksheet shows how the information is intended to appear.

Next, look at the filled in Data Field Worksheet just ahead of the Layout Worksheet. Using the Data Field Worksheet, fields were selected for printing on the invoice, and information about the size of each field was gathered. Note that not all field sizes are filled in only those fields chosen to print on the invoice. Information on each available field, shown on the Data Field Worksheet, was used to help fill in the Layout Worksheet.

Finally, look at Checklist #1. A copy of that checklist was used as a guide in putting together the samples you have just looked at. Completing all steps on this checklist resulted in the predefined Passport format for printing an invoice on plain paper.

When you are designing an invoice format, proceed in the following order: list what fields you want to print on your invoice; fill in a Data Field Worksheet; lay out the fields and text on a Layout Worksheet; print a sample invoice; then print real invoices to your customers.

The Location Grid, which can also be printed from this module, is a tool you can use to easily determine rows and columns on a pre-printed invoice. Follow the same checklist steps as for an invoice printed on plain paper. You can also print the Layout Worksheet on your pre-printed form.

When designing invoices, you will find that you will be using all of the tools mentioned:

Checklist
Data Field Worksheet
Layout Worksheet and Location Grid
Sample Invoice

Getting started

Checklist #1 gives detailed, step-by-step instructions for you to produce an invoice format from the ground up. Checklist #2 (Checklist # 2 ) gives instructions on how to use a preexisting invoice format as the basis for designing a new invoice format.

So to design a new invoice from the ground up, turn to Checklist #1.

Or to use a preexisting invoice format as the basis for a new one, turn to Checklist #2

Checklist # 1

This checklist gives the exact steps to use in designing a new format.

If you already have a format close to what you want the new one to look like, use Checklist #2 instead of this checklist.

For your first new format, you might choose to copy one of the predefined formats furnished with this module, then modify the copy, even though the copy is not close to what you want. This will give you some experience in using the tools in the Format Design Kit.

 

Checklist #1

ü

Step 1

 

 

 

Make a copy of this blank Checklist #1, so you can check off the steps as you complete them and keep the original unmarked checklist. (This checklist is eight pages long.)

__

Step 2

 

 

 

Make a blank Data Field Worksheet. This can be done with a spreadsheet program like Excel.

__

Step 3

 

 

 

The Data Field Worksheet lists all the information available to be printed on your invoice.

Read the first three pages of this worksheet, which give instructions on how to use it. Then starting from the fourth page, decide which information you want to print on your invoice and check off these fields on the Data Field Worksheet. Do this for all three sections of the worksheet: Headers Fields, Line Item Fields and Totals Fields.

__

Step 4

 

 

 

For each field you checked off in step 3, determine the longest size the field can be and how you want numbers and dates to appear. Use the directions on the data field worksheet. Write the sizes in the My Field Size column.

__

Step 5

 

NOTE: Whenever you are asked to run a computer selection, that selection is shown in italics. The instructions for each of these selections are found in the Invoice Formats chapter.

Print a Layout Worksheet, using the Layout Worksheet selection, page. If you have a printed invoice form, print the Location grid, page, on it, as well as the Layout Worksheet.

__

Step 6

 

 

 

Using the information you entered on the Data Field Worksheet, draw on the Layout Worksheet the selected data fields and any text (invoice titles) you want to print. Refer to the sample filled-in Layout Worksheet for an example of how this can be done using X’s and 9’s.

___

 

If you are using a pre-printed invoice form, your job here is to locate your selected data fields within the proper columns on your invoice, using the Location Grid or the Layout Worksheet. Because you must work within the limitations of your pre-printed form, this step of the design process is simpler than if you are using blank paper.

__

 

If you are not using a pre-printed invoice form, you will find that, in addition to drawing in your selected data fields, you must decide where these fields should be drawn in, along with what text (if any) should accompany them. You will probably find yourself juggling fields around on a trial-and-error basis. This is to be expected.

__

 

One way to simplify this step, if you are not using a pre-printed form, is to use a word-processor. Using a word processor, enter fields and text into a document file and move them around as needed until you are satisfied with the appearance of your invoice. When done, draw in these fields on your Layout Worksheet. If you DO use a word processor in this step, remember to stay within the overall size of your invoice as represented by your Layout Worksheet.

__

Step 7

 

 

 

Using the Enter invoice formats, assign a format number and description to your format to identify it. For instance, Format # 5, First New Invoice Format.

__

Step 8

 

 

 

Using your Layout Worksheet and the General appearance selection (page), enter the data about the general, overall appearance of the format: how many rows are on the form, how many columns, the first row for printing line items, etc.

__

Step 9

 

 

 

Using the Header area selection, page, the Data Field Worksheet, and the filled in Layout Worksheet, select each header field and text you want to print, where to print in, and how it should look.

__

 

Also use this selection to specify pieces of text that you want to print in the header area.

__

 

When you select a field, you are not selecting the title of the field to print, only the actual data that will print in the field. For example, if the field is named Customer Number, and the data in the field is a customer code, your are selecting to print that code not the Customer number title. The title to print on the invoice is a text which you can specify by leaving the field number blank and the typing in exactly how you want the text to look on the invoice.

__

 

In selecting where to print a field or text, you are selecting the starting location for that field or text:

__

 

In selecting how the field should look, you are choosing, for example, the way you want a date printed, or whether to print leading zeros in front of a number, etc.

 
 

Specify what text you want printed in the header section of the invoice, as illustrated below. For example, if you select the data field Invoice date, you might want to print the title (text) Date in front of the field.

 
 

If you are using pre-printed forms, you probably will not need to enter any text, since the titles are already on the form.

 

Step 10

 

 

 

Repeat step 9 for the line item fields and text, using the Line item area selection.

__

Step 11

 

 

 

Repeat step 9 for the total fields and text, using the Totals area selection.

__

Step 12

 

 

 

Using the Verify selection, have the software check the format you have designed for errors such as fields overlapping.

__

 

You will get a printout of errors and warnings, if any are found. You must correct any errors; you may correct the warnings if you want to.

__

 Step 13

Correct your format, using all the selections mentioned in the previous steps. Then run the Verify selection again. Repeat steps 12 and 13 until there are no more errors.

__

Step 14

 

 

 

Using the Sample invoice selection, print a sample invoice to see it the format you have designed matches what you had in mind when you laid out your invoice on the Layout Worksheet.

__

Step 15

 

 

 

Change any parts of the invoice design, using the selections mentioned above, to correct or improve the format. Then check the format again and print a sample invoice again. Repeat this until you are satisfied with the result.

__

 

NOTE: To help in making corrections and improvements, you can print all the specifications for this format, using the Format Specifications selection on the Invoice Formats menu.

__

Data field worksheet

Use this worksheet to help lay out your invoice format. Using this worksheet, you can determine how many columns to allow on your invoice for each field you will be printing.

This form has three sections: Header fields, Line Item fields, and Totals fields. Each section uses the following headings:

Field name

Longest field size

Longest form

My Longest Form

My Field Size

Field name

Field name means the name of the field in this module. For example, Item/Service quantity. (This is the quantity of the item or service you are billing for.)

Longest field size

Longest field size means the absolute longest that this field could possibly be, as printed on your form. This size is completely determined by the A/R module. You have no control over this.

Your field sizes may be smaller, but cannot be larger. The example number shown above would require 16 columns if your quantity ever got that big and you chose to print the comma, 3 decimal places, and parentheses to indicate a negative number. To confirm this, add up the 9’s, commas, decimal point, and parentheses.

Longest form

Longest form means how the largest allowable piece of information would look if you chose the form to print it in which took the most space. For example, the longest number that is allowed by the A/R module for Item/Service quantity is 99999999.999. The longest form of this number is when it is negative and parentheses are used to indicate it is negative, and commas are used. This form is (99,999,999.999).

For fields which are not numbers, the longest form is not shown on this worksheet. For example, User telephone number is an alphanumeric field and, at its maximum size, would appear as XXXXXXXXXXXX 12 X’s, each X representing a character.

For date fields, you can choose from 5 forms. The size of each form of date field is fixed and is shown.

Field name

Longest field size

Longest form

My Longest Form

My Field Size

Item/Service quantity

18

(99,999,999.99999)

____

____

My longest form

In My Longest Form, write your longest number as you want it to appear on the invoice. You can then get your field size (the number of columns needed on your invoice) by counting the characters you have written. For example, if you are sure that Item/Service quantity will never exceed 9,999, and your quantities do not have decimals but could be negative, and you want to show negatives with parentheses, then your longest number would be (9,999).

As an example, the maximum size allowable for Item/Service quantity is 18 characters when it is written in its longest form, (99,999,999.99999): eight digits to the left of the decimal and five to the right; one decimal point; two commas; and left and right parentheses to indicate a negative number.

Suppose however that:

You never sell more than 9999 of anything.
You merchandise is sold by count rather than by measure, so you never sell a fractional quantity.
You want a comma.
You want to use parentheses to show negative numbers.

You would fill in My Longest Form as (9,999), which requires only 7 columns.

My field size

In My Field Size, write the number of columns needed. You can calculate this in two ways:

1.

Use My longest Form. In the example, (9,999) will require 7
columns. As another example, if you know your invoice numbers will never exceed 9999 and you do not use a comma in the invoice number, then enter 4 for field size. (Since Invoice Number is never negative, you would not include parentheses or a minus sign.)

2.

By counting characters from the alphanumeric fields you are already using. For example, if your company name was The
XYZ Company, you would count the characters (including spaces) and enter 15.

For a date, write the date format you have selected from those shown in Longest Form.

Continuing the example, the filled-in entry on the Data Field Worksheet looks like:

Field name

Longest field size

Longest form

My Longest Form

My Field Size

Item/Service quantity

18

(99,999,999.99999)

(9,999)

7

The definition of each available field is shown after each entry on the worksheet.

Fields are explained in detail at the point in the user documentation where you enter information for that field.

In this Kit, a brief description of the field is given.

The selection in which the field is entered is also shown for your reference. If a selection is from another module, that module name is shown (for example, J/C).

Fields which have no reference are either calculated from other fields or assigned automatically by the software.

Header Fields

These are the fields available to you to print in the header area of your invoice.

       Note 

The first three fields print on the second and subsequent pages of invoices, in exactly the same row and column as you specify here. Also, if there is more than one page, Continued prints at the bottom of the page, and the Totals information prints on the last page.

 

Header Fields

Field Name

Longest field size

Longest form

My Longest Form

My Field Size

Invoice number

6

999999

____

____

This is the number used to identify the invoice. It is assigned to the invoice at the time the invoice is printed. (Print invoices, Invoice # screen).

Invoice date

8

MM/DD/YY

____

____

 

5

MM/DD

____

____

 

9

DD-MMM-YY

____

____

 

6

DD-MMM

____

____

 

18

September 30, 2005

____

____

This is the date of the invoice. Circle the format above you want to use. You assign the date either at the time you enter the invoice or at the time you print the invoice. (Enter invoices or Print invoices)

Due date

8

MM/DD/YY

____

____

 

5

MM/DD

____

____

 

9

DD-MMM-YY

____

____

 

6

DD-MMM

____

____

 

18

September 30, 2005

____

____

This is the date on which payment is due for the invoice. Circle the format above you want to use. For terms by days, the date is calculated from the date of the invoice and the due days entered in Terms. For terms by day of the following month (proximo), the date is obtained from the day of the month entered in Terms and the current month plus 1.

Discount date

8

MM/DD/YY

____

____

 

5

MM/DD

____

____

 

9

DD-MMM-YY

____

____

 

6

DD-MMM

____

____

 

18

September 30, 2005

____

____

This is the date on or before which a discount will be given for early payment. Circle the format above you want to use. For terms by days, the date is calculated from the date of the invoice and the due days entered in Terms. For terms by day of the following month (proximo), the date is obtained from the day of the month entered in Terms and the current month.

Invoice page number

2

99

____

____

 

 

 

 

 

Your company name

30

 

____

____

This is your company’s name, exactly it is entered in the Company display name field in Company information.

Your company address 1

Your company address 2

Your company address 3

30

 

____

____

____

____

____

____

This is your company’s address, as it is entered in Address line 1, Line 2, and Line 3 in Company information.

Your telephone number

12

 

____

____

This is your telephone number, as it is entered in Phone number in Company information.

** Credit memo **

17

(fixed)

 

17

You can include the words **Credit memo** when printing a credit memo, to emphasize the fact that it is a credit memo, not an invoice. If you select to print this on your invoice, you cannot also select the next field, Document type.

Document type (spelled out)

17

(fixed)

 

17

If you want the words Invoice or Credit Memo to print, select this field. In this case, you cannot also select the previous field, **Credit Memo**. (Enter invoices). This field also allows for "Order" or "RMA" if the format is used with O/E.

Apply to number
(for credit memos)

6

999999

____

____

This is the number of the invoice to which a credit memo applies. If you select it, it will print only for credit memos. (Enter invoices)

Bill reference number

6

999999

____

____

This is the internal reference number by which you identify invoices and credit memos. It is not the invoice number. (Enter invoices)

Bill group code

3

 

____

____

This is a 3 character code which you can use to group your invoices into categories. For example, a physician’s office might establish categories such as CRE (Medicare), INS (Private Insurance), or CMP (Worker’s Comp), etc. (Enter invoices)

Customer number

12

 

____

____

This is the unique number or code that identifies a customer. It is often referred to as the customer’s account number. (Customers, enter invoices, new customer window)

Customer name

25

 

____

____

This is the customer’s name. If you entered it as last name, comma, first name, it will automatically be rearranged and printed with the first name first. (A/R Customers) (Enter invoices, new customer window)

Customer bill address

line 1

line 2

line 3

 

25

30

30

 

 

____

____

____

 

____

____

____

This is the customer’s billing address to which the invoice will be sent (Customers, enter invoices, new customer window). On line 2, you can enter the customer’s department or person who is to receive this invoice. City, state, and zip will print (suitably formatted) on line 3, unless line 2 is blank (in which case they will be moved up one line to avoid a gap). The Contact field does not print on the invoice. You can print your customer contact person, if you want, by using a User defined field (see below).

Customer country code

3

 

____

____

This is the customer’s country code, if applicable (Customers, Enter invoices, new customer window)

Customer contact

15

 

____

____

This is the name of your contact with this customer. (Customers) The contact name cannot be printed for a one time customer.

Ship-to line 1

Ship-to line 2

Ship-to line 3

Ship-to line 4

Ship-to country

25

25

30

30

3

 

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

This is the location to which goods are to be shipped or at which services are to be performed, specified when the invoice is entered. (Enter invoices)

Customer P.O. number

15

 

____

____

This is the number of the customer’s purchase order, if any. (Enter invoices)

Cost center

17*

 

____

____

This is the cost center to which this invoice is assigned. You may print it for your reference. It is usually of no interest to the customer. (Enter invoices).

* 17 is the maximum possible size; your size may be shorter, or cost centers may not be present, depending on the format you have chosen in Company information

Terms code

3

 

____

____

This is the code (up to 3 characters) for the payment terms for this invoice; for example, N30 for Net 30 days. You can print it for your reference. To print the description of the terms, select the next field. (Enter invoices) (A/R or Terms)

Terms description

15

 

____

____

This is the description of the payment terms for this invoice; for example, Net 30 days. This comes from the terms codes entered in the A/R module or here in P/I. (A/R or Terms)

Tax code

3

 

____

____

This is the code (up to 3 characters) for the sales tax which applies to this invoice: for example, LAC for Taxable sales L. A. City. You can print it for your reference. If you want to print a description of the tax, then select the next field. (Enter invoices, Tax codes)

Tax description

25

 

____

____

This is the description of the tax which applies; for example, Taxable sales L.A. City. This comes from the tax codes entered (Tax codes)

Ship-via code

3

 

____

____

This is the code (up to 3 characters) for the method by which the goods on this invoice are to be shipped; for example, AF for Air Freight. You can print it for your reference. This field is available to you only if ship-via’s are used per Control information. If you want to print the description of the ship-via method, select the next field. (Enter invoices, Ship-via)

Ship-via description

15

 

____

____

This is the description of the ship-via method for the invoice; for example, Air freight. This comes from the ship-via codes entered. This field is available to you only if ship-via’s are used per Control information. (Ship-via)

Sales rep code

3

 

____

____

This is the code (up to 3 characters) for the sales representative responsible for this invoice. This is available to you only if Control information specifies that sales representatives are used. For instance, 01 for sales rep D. W. Langford. If you want to print the sales representative’s name, then select the next field. (Enter invoices, Sales reps)

Sales rep name

25

 

____

____

This is the name of the sales representative for this invoice. It is available to you only if Control information specifies that sales reps are used. This comes from the sales representative codes entered. (Sales reps)

Job number

7

 

____

____

This is the job number that this entire invoice is for. This field is available to you only if you are interfacing to the Passport Business Solutions Job Cost module, per Control information. If you want to print the description of the job, select the next field. (Enter invoices, J/C Job descriptions)

Job description

25

 

____

____

This is the description of the job for this entire invoice. This comes from the job header information entered in J/C. This field is available to you only if you are interfacing to the PBS Job Cost, per Control information. (J/C Job descriptions)

Order number

6

 

____ ____

Only needed when re-printing invoices that originated in Order Entry

 

 

 

 

Sub-job number

3

 

____

____

This is the number of the sub-job for this invoice, if any. This field is available to you only if you are interfacing to the Passport Business Solutions Job Cost, per Control information. If you want to print the sub-job description, select the next field. (Enter invoices) (J/C Job descriptions)

Sub-job description

25

 

____

____

This is the description of the sub-job for this invoice, if any. This comes from the sub-job header information entered in J/C. This field is available to you only if you are interfacing to the Passport Business Solutions Job Cost, per Control information. (J/C Job descriptions) (Enter invoices)

NOTE: For the three user defined fields below, write in the name you assigned in Control information to any of these fields that you use. For each of the three, a shorter maximum length may be specified in Control information.

User defined field 1
Name:_____________

15

 

____

____

This is the 1st optional field that was specified in Control information. The exact name of this field comes from Control information. (Enter invoices, 1st User-defined field)

User defined field 2
Name:_____________

15

 

____

____

This is the 2nd optional field. It is handled the same way as User Field 1 above. (Enter invoices)

User defined field 3
Name:_____________

30

 

____

____

 This is the 3rd optional field. It is handled in exactly the same way as User Field 1 above. (Enter invoices)

 

Line Item and Payment Fields

These are the fields available to you to print in the Line Item area of your invoice or quotation.

Line Item Fields

Field Name

Longest field Size

Longest Form

My Longest Form

My Field Size

Line number

3

999

____

____

This is the number automatically assigned to this line item at the time the invoice is printed. It is not the sequence number. Numbers are assigned in order: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. You can print this as a reference point to use in discussing the invoice with the customer. It is derived from the sequence number that you entered for the line item. (Enter invoices [Sequence #])

Line type

8

 

____

____

This is the type of this line item. It can have only 3 types: Goods, Services, or Note. (Enter invoices)

Item number

15

 

____

____

For a Goods line item, this is your item number; for example, HD20RC. Nothing is printed for Services or Note type line items. (Enter invoices, Goods)

Item description line 1

Item description line 2

Item description line 3

Item description line 4

25

25

25

25

 

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

For a Goods line item, this is the description (Enter invoices, Goods). If you use I/C inventory item numbers, there may be up to four lines of description; if you use A/R goods numbers, there may be no more than two.

Service number

3

 

____

____

For a Services line item, this is the service number. Nothing is printed for Goods or Note line items (Enter invoices,
Services).

Service/Note description

line 1

line 2

line 3

line 4

line 5

line 6

line 7

line 8

line 9

line 10

50*

 

 

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

 

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

* This field size may be shorter. Its maximum length is specified in Control information.

For a Services line item, this is the description (up to 10 lines) of the service provided; for example,

line 1: Security service for Warehouses A and B

line 2: officer with guard dog.

For a Notes line item, this is the text of the note (up to 10 lines); for instance,

line 1: Beginning on June 1, a 30 MB

line 2: disk will be available for those

line 3: users who wish to upgrade. It

line 4: will be completely compatible

line 5: with your current 20 MB disk.

For instance, if your longest service description or note is 5 lines, select lines 1 through 5 to print. (Enter invoices, Services, Notes)

Item/Service unit

4

 

____

____

For a Goods line item, this is the unit in which you stock the item: Each, Box, Gal, etc. For a Services line item, this is the unit in which the service is delivered (if any); for instance, Hour. (Enter invoices, Goods, Services)

 

Field Name

Longest field Size

Longest Form

My Longest Form

My Field Size

Qty ordered

18

(99,999,999.99999)

____

____

This field applies to Goods line items. This is the quantity ordered of the inventory item. (Enter invoices, Goods)

Qty shipped

18

(99,999,999.99999)

____

____

This field applies to Services line items. This is the quantity shipped of the service. (Enter invoices, Services, field Qty to ship)

Expanded qty
o/s or drop shipped

18

(99,999,999.99999)

____

____

This field applies to Goods line items. It is the text "Drop shipped" if the quantity ordered is being drop shipped.

(Enter invoices, Goods, field Qty to ship)

NOTE: Partial shipments are not allowed for drop shipped items. Thus, this field can be used instead of Qty shipped to show either the quantity shipped (for non-drop shipped items) or that the full quantity ordered is being drop shipped.

Expanded qty
o/s or (O/S)

18

(99,999,999.99999)

____

____

This field applies to Goods line items. If the line item is fully shipped (quantity shipped is the same as quantity ordered), then this field is zero. If the item has been shipped in stock, then this field prints as O/S.

This field is used to show either:

The literal "O/S" if the item is not fully shipped, or

Nothing at all if the full quantity is shipped.

For example, if you set up your invoice format to show the following:

Expanded qty o/s (short) then the following would be printed:

1. If the full quantity was shipped: Either 0.00 or blank, depending on whether you answered Y or N to Print when zero ? in the invoice format.

2. If the item was shipped in stock: O/S

This is useful if you are only shipping a partial amount.

Expanded qty
o/s (long) or
(Out of Stock)

18

(99,999,999.99999)

____

____

This field applies to Goods line items. If the line item is fully shipped (quantity shipped is the same as quantity ordered), then this field is zero. If the item has not been fully shipped, then this field prints as "Out of stock".

For example, suppose you set up your invoice format to show the following:

Expanded qty o/s (long)

In this case, the following would be printed:

1. If the full quantity was shipped: Either 0.00 or blank, depending on whether you answered Y or N to Print when zero ? in the invoice format.

2. If the item was shipped in stock: Out of stock

Not fully shipped o/s (short)

3

(fixed)

 

3

This field applies to Goods line items. If the line item is fully shipped (quantity shipped is the same as quantity ordered), then this field is blank. If the item has been shipped in stock, then this field prints O/S.

Not fully shipped o/s (long)

12

(fixed)

 

12

This field applies to Goods line items. If the line item is fully shipped (quantity shipped is the same as quantity ordered), then this field is blank. If the item has been shipped in stock, then this field prints Out of stock.

Item/Service unit price

19

9,999,999,999.99999

____

____

This is the price you charge per unit (if you charge by the unit); for example, 40.00 (per gallon) for an item; 150.00 (per hour) for a service. (Enter invoices, Goods, Services [Unit price])

For those services for which you charge a flat amount (not by the unit), this is the total price for the service; for example, 500.00. (Enter invoices, Services [Price].

Item pricing unit

4

 

____

____

For a Goods line item, this is the unit in which you price the item. This field is available to you only if you are interfacing to the Passport Business Solutions I/C module, per Control information. It is not used for Services and Note type line items. (I/C Enter items)

Line discount
percent

7

999.999

____

____

This is the discount given on the line item (if you offer discounts on individual line items). If you do not use line item discounts, per Control information, this field is not available to you. (Enter invoices, Goods, Services)

Line discount amount

20

(999,999,999,999.99)

____

____

This is the amount of the discount given on the line item, calculated from the quantity and unit price of the line item and the discount percent (if any). For example, if the line item is 8 gallons at 50.00 per gallon, and the discount is 3%, the line discount amount would be 12.00. (For a service with no unit, the discount percent is applied to the total price of the service.) If line item discounts are not used per Control information, this field is not available to you.

Extended price without discount

23

(999,999,999,999.99999)

____

____

This is the quantity of the line item, times its unit price. For a service with no unit, this is the total price. If line discounts are not used, this field appears as Extended price.

Extended price with discount

23

(999,999,999,999.99999)

____

____

Taxable flag

1

 

____

____

This flag (Y or N) indicates whether this particular line item is taxable. This is available to you only if your goods or
services are taxable by line item, as specified in Control information. (Enter invoices, Goods, Services)

Job number

7

 

____

____

This is the job number that this line item is for. This field is available to you only if you are interfacing to the Passport Business Solutions Job Cost module, per Control information. If you want to print the description of the job, select the next field. (Enter invoices, Goods, Services) (J/C Job descriptions)

Job description

25

 

____

____

This is the description of the job for this line item. This comes from the job header information entered in J/C. This field is available to you only if you are interfacing to the Passport Business Solutions Job Cost per Control information. (J/C Job descriptions)

Sub-job
number

3

999

____

____

This is the number of the sub-job for this line item, if any. This field is available to you only if you are interfacing to the Passport Business Solutions Job Cost, per Control information. If you want to print the sub-job description, select the next field. (Enter invoices, Goods, Services) (J/C Job descriptions)

Sub-job
description

25

 

____

____

This is the description of the sub-job for this line item, if any and comes from the sub-job header information entered in J/C. This field is available only if you are interfacing to the PBS Job Cost per Control information. (J/C Job descriptions) (Enter invoices)

Job cost
category
number

7

9999999

____

____

This is the category number to which the cost of the line item goes if the line item is for a job. This field is available to you only if you are interfacing to both the Passport Business Solutions Job Cost and Inventory Control modules. Nothing is printed for a Services or Note type line item. If you want to print the description of the category, select the next field. (Enter invoices, Goods, Services) (J/C Cost items for jobs)

 

 

 

 

 

Job cost
category
description

25

 

____

____

This is the description of the cost category to which the cost of the line item goes if the line item is for a job. This field is available to you only if you are interfacing to both the Passport Business Solutions Job Cost and Inventory Control modules. Nothing is printed for a Services or Note type line item. (J/C Cost items for jobs)

Totals Fields

These are the fields available to you to print in the Totals section of your invoice or quotation.

 

 

Totals Fields

 

 

Field Name

Longest Field Size

Longest Form

My Longest Form

My Field Size

Sub-total goods line items

20

(999,999,999,999.99999)

____

____

This is the total amount you are billing for all Goods line items on the invoice. Any Goods line item discounts you give have already been subtracted out.

Sub-total services line items

20

(999,999,999,999.99999)

____

____

This is the total amount you are billing for all Services line items on the invoice. Any Services line item discounts you give have already been subtracted out.

Total all line items

20

(999,999,999,999.99999)

____

____

This is the total amount you are billing for all the line items on the invoice. Line item discounts you give have already been subtracted out.

Number of line items

3

999

____

____

This is the total number of line items on this invoice.

Invoice discount percent

6

99.999

____

____

This is the overall discount percent (if any) on the entire amount of the invoice. It does not include any discounts given on line items. This field is available to you only if Control information specifies that invoice discounts are used. (Enter invoices, Totals)

Invoice discount amount

20

(999,999,999,999.99)

____

____

This is the amount of the overall discount (if any), calculated from the entire amount of the invoice [total all line items] and the invoice discount percent. This field is available to you only if Control information specifies that invoice discounts are used.

Line item total less discount

20

(999,999,999,999.99)

____

____

This is calculated from the Total all line items (above) minus the Invoice discount amount (above). You can still print this amount, even if you do not show Total all line items and Invoice discount amount on the invoice. If Control information specifies that invoice discounts are not used, this appears as Line item total.

Miscellaneous charges

15

(99,999,999.99)

____

____

This is the amount of any miscellaneous charges specified for the invoice. This is available to you only if the Control File specifies that miscellaneous charges are used. (Control information) (Enter invoices, Totals)

Freight charges

14

(9,999,999.99)

____

____

This is the amount of any freight charge for this invoice. This is available to you only if Control information specifies that freight charge is used. (Control information) (Enter invoices, Totals)

Sales tax

15

(99,999,999.99)

____

____

This is the amount of sales tax, calculated from either the Line item total less discount (if all line items are taxable), or from the total of the individual Line item price with discounts for each line item specified as taxable. (This is the amount which displays as the Taxable total (with this bill) on the Totals screen during selections such as Invoices.

The percent used to calculate the sales tax is obtained from the tax code which applies to the invoice. (Enter invoices, Totals)

If you use miscellaneous charges, and you specified that miscellaneous charges were taxable (Enter invoices, Totals), the amount of the miscellaneous charges is also used in calculating the sales tax.

Total invoice amount

20

(999,999,999,999.99)

____

____

This is the total amount the customer is to pay. It is the sum of:

Line item total less discount
Miscellaneous charges
Freight
Sales tax

Cash with invoice

18

(999,999,999,999.99)

____

____

This is the total amount of cash (currency or check) received from the customer by the time the invoice was entered. This field is available to you only if Control information specifies to ask if any cash is received with invoices. (Control information) (Enter invoices, Totals) This field does not print on credit memos.

Total invoice amt minus cash

18

(999,999,999,999.99)

____

____

This is the amount of the balance due on the invoice Total invoice amount minus Cash with invoice. If Control information specifies that Cash with invoice is not asked, this field is not available to you. This field does not print on credit memos.

Check number

7

999,999

____

____

This is the number of the customer’s check received by the time the invoice was prepared. If Control information specifies that Cash with invoice is not asked, this field is not available to you. (Enter invoices, Totals)

Bank route
number

15

 

____

____

This is the bank routing number that is on the check that was received as payment on the invoice. If Control information specifies that Cash with invoice is not asked, this field is not available to you. (Enter invoices, Totals)

NOTE: The next two fields apply only to invoices created from recurring bills. They will not print for any invoice that was not
created from a recurring bill.

Invoice comment line 1

Invoice comment line 2

Invoice comment line 3

Invoice comment line 4

Invoice comment line 5

50

50

50

50

50

   

____

____

____

____

____

This is any message (up to 5 lines) which was entered for comments for the invoice; for example,

Line 1: We appreciate your business.

Line 2: Please think of us when it is

Line 3: time to reorder.

If the longest message you want to appear here is 3 lines, select lines 1 through 3 to print. (Enter invoices, Totals)

NOTE: The fields below are the same fields as described and used in the Header fields section above. They are also available with the Total fields to either print in the Totals section or to enable you to print shipping labels with your invoices if you so desire (some invoice forms have tear-off shipping labels at the bottom of each invoice).

Customer name

25

 

____

____

This is the customer’s name. If you entered it as last name, comma, first name, it will automatically be rearranged and printed with the first name first. (A/R Customers) (Enter invoices, new customer window)

Customer bill address

line 1

line 2

line 3

 

25

30

30

 

 

____

____

____

 

____

____

____

This is the customer’s billing address to which the invoice will be sent (Customers, enter invoices, new customer window). On line 2, you can enter the customer’s department or person who is to receive this invoice. City, state, and zip will print (suitably formatted) on line 3, unless line 2 is blank (in which case they will be moved up one line to avoid a gap). The Contact field does not print on the invoice. You can print your customer contact person, if you want, by using a User defined field (see below).

Customer country code

3

 

____

____

This is the customer’s country code, if applicable (Customers, Enter invoices, new customer window)

Customer contact

15

 

____

____

This is the name of your contact with this customer. (Customers) The contact name cannot be printed for a one-time customer.

Ship-to line 1

Ship-to line 2

Ship-to line 3

Ship-to line 4

Ship-to country

25

25

30

30

3

 

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

This is the location to which goods are to be shipped or at which services are to be performed, specified when the invoice is entered. (Enter invoices)

Line item total gross amount

20

(999,999,999,999.99)

____

____

This is the total amount you are billing for all the line items on the invoice, but without any line item discounts and without the invoice discount amount.

NOTE: Field for Laser Printing.

Laser multi-part label

25

   

____

This is the multi-part label that prints on each copy of an invoice when printing on a laser printer. When printing invoices on a laser printer, you can choose to print from 1 to 9 copies of each invoice to produce multi-part forms. You are also asked to enter a different label for each copy of the invoice, such as Customer copy on the first copy, Store copy on the second copy and so on. This field determines where these labels print.

 

 Sample Filled-in Data Field Worksheet

This section shows the same worksheet as the previous section, as it might appear when filled so as to create predefined format #2. The fields themselves are shown, but the descriptions are not repeated.

Sizes of fields appearing on the invoice are in italics.

Fields which you do not wish to show on your invoice appear as blank ("____").

We have deliberately chosen the illustration to match a format already in existence, so that you can easily compare the one to the other. If you actually intend to use predefined format #2, you do not have to fill out this worksheet beforehand as the format is already in place.

Header Fields

Field Name

Longest Field Size

Longest Form

My Longest Form

My Field Size

Invoice number

6

999999

999999

6

Invoice date

8

MM/DD/YY

__________ ____
 

5

MM/DD

__________ ____
 

9

DD-MMM-YY

__________ ____
 

6

DD-MMM

__________ ____
 

18

September 30, 2005

__________ ____

Due date

8

MM/DD/YY

__________ ____
 

5

MM/DD

__________ ____
 

9

DD-MMM-YY

__________ ____
 

6

DD-MMM

__________ ____
 

18

September 30, 2005

__________ ____

Discount date

8

MM/DD/YY

__________ ____
 

5

MM/DD

__________ ____
 

9

DD-MMM-YY

__________ ____
 

6

DD-MMM

__________ ____
 

18

September 30, 2005

__________ ____

Invoice page number

2

99

99

2

Your company name

30

  __________  

Your company

address 1

address 2

address 2

30

  __________ ____

Your telephone
number

12

  __________ ____

** Credit memo **

17

(fixed)

__________ ____

Document type
(spelled out)

17

(fixed)

__________ ____

Apply-to number
(for credit memos)

6

999999

__________ ____

Bill reference number

6

999999

999999

6

Bill group code

3

     

Customer
number

12

   

6

Customer name

25

   

25

Customer bill address

line 1

line 2

line 3

 

25

30

30

 

 

 

 

25

30

30

Customer
country code

3

  __________ ____

Customer contact

15

  __________ ____

Ship-to line 1

Ship-to line 2

Ship-to line 3

Ship-to line 4

Ship-to country code

25

25

30

30

3

 

 

 

 

 

25

25

30

30

Customer P.O. number

15

   

12

Cost center

12

  __________ ____

Terms code

3

   

9

Terms description

15

  __________ ____

Tax code

3

  __________ ____

Tax description

25

  __________ ____

Ship-via code

3

   

3

Ship-via
description

15

  __________ ____

Sales rep code

3

  __________ ____

Sales rep name

25

  __________ ____

Ship date

6

  __________ ____

Job number

7

  __________ ____

Job description

25

  __________ ____

Sub-job number

3

  __________ ____

Sub-job
description

25

  __________ ____

User defined field 1
Name:_____________

15

   

10

User defined field 2
Name:_____________

15

  __________ ____

User defined field 3
Name:_____________

30

  __________ ____

 

Line Item Fields

Field Name

Longest Field Size

Longest Form

My Longest Form

My Field Size

Line number

3

999

   

Line type

8

     

Item number

39

   

15

Item description

line 1

line 2

line 3

line 4

 

25

25

25

25

 

 

 

 

 

20

20

____

____

Service number

3

     

Service/Note description

line 1

line 2

line 3

line 4

line 5

line 6

line 7

line 8

line 9

line 10

50

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

____

____

____

____

____

 

40

40

40

40

40

____

____

____

____

____

Item/Service unit

4

   

4

Item/Service quantity

18

(99,999,999.99999)

-999,999.99

11

Qty ordered

18

(99,999,999.99999)

____

____

Expanded qty_shipped or drop shipped

18

(99,999,999.99999)

____

____

Expanded qty o/s (short) or (O/S)

18

(99,999,999.99999)

____

____

Expanded qty o/s (long) or (Out of Stock)

18

(99,999,999.99999)

____

____

Not fully shipped o/s code (short)

3

(fixed)

   

Not fully shipped o/s code (long)

12

(fixed)

   

Item/Service unit price

19

9,999,999,999.99999

99,999.99

9

Item pricing unit

4

 

____

____

Line discount
percent

7

999.999

____

____

Line discount amount

15

(99,999,999.99)

____

____

Extended price without discount

16

(999,999,999.99)

-999,999.99

11

Extended price with discount

16

(999,999,999.99)

____

____

Taxable flag

1

   

____

Job number

7

 

____

____

Job description

25

 

____

____

Sub-job number

3

999

____

____

Sub-job
description

25

 

____

____

Job cost category number

7

9999999

____

____

Job cost category description

25

 

____

____

 

 

Totals Fields

Field name

Longest field size

Longest form

My Longest Form

My Field Size

Sub-total goods line items

16

(999,999,999.99)

____

____

Sub-total services line items

16

(999,999,999.99)

____

____

Total all line items

16

(999,999,999.99)

-999,999.99

9

Number of line items

3

999

____

____

Invoice discount percent

6

99.999

____

____

Invoice discount amount

16

(999,999,999.99)

____

____

Line item total less discount

16

(999,999,999.99)

____

____

Miscellaneous charges

15

(99,999,999.99)

-9,999.99

9

Freight charges

14

(9,999,999.99)

-9,999.99

9

Sales tax

15

(99,999,999.99)

-99,999.99

10

Total invoice amount

16

(999,999,999.99)

-9,999,999.99

13

Cash with invoice

14

999,999,999.99

999,999.99

10

Total invoice amt minus cash

16

(999,999,999.99)

-9,999,999.99

13

Check number

7

999,999

____

____

Bank route number

15

 

____

____

Invoice comment

line 1

line 2

line 3

line 4

line 5

 

50

50

50

50

50

   

 

____

____

____

____

____

Customer name

25

 

____

____

Customer bill address, line 1

Customer bill address, line 2

Customer bill address, line 3

25

30

30

 

____

____

____

____

____

____

Customer country code

3

 

____

____

Customer contact

15

 

____

____

Ship-to line 1

Ship-to line 2

Ship-to line 3

Ship-to line 4

25

25

30

30

 

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

Line item total gross amount

16

(999,999,999.99)

____

____

Laser multi-part label

25

   

____

Checklist # 2

This checklist gives the exact steps to use in designing a new format, starting from an already existing format.

For your first new format, you may choose to copy one of the predefined formats furnished with the A/R module, then modify the copy as you wish, even if the predefined format is not close to the one you want. This will give you some experience in using the tools provided with the Format Design Kit.

       Note 

Whenever you are asked to run a computer selection in the steps below, that selection is shown in italics. The instructions for each of these selections are found in the Invoice Formats chapter.

 

Checklist #2

ü

Step 1

 

 

 

Make a photocopy of this blank Checklist #2, so you can check off the steps as you complete them, while still keeping the original unmarked checklist.

___

Step 2

 

 

 

Start with a layout of the existing format from which you want to create the new format in one of the following ways:

a. Make a copy of an actual invoice in the existing format, using a photocopier; or

b. Print a sample invoice in the existing format, using the Sample invoices selection; or

c. Print a Layout Worksheet, using the Layout worksheet selection.

Mark up this layout to show the changes you want to make to create the new format.

___


___


___

Step 3

 

 

 

To help in making changes, print the specifications for the existing format, using the Format Specifications selection.

___

Step 4

 

 

 

If you want to change how some of the fields appear on the invoice, or their lengths, make a copy of either a blank Data Field Worksheet or the Data Field Worksheet that was used to produce the existing format.

___

Step 5

 

 

 

For each field whose appearance or length you want to change, mark the new appearance or length on the Data Field Worksheet. Write the fields’ sizes of in the My Field Size column.

___

Step 6

 

 

 

On the layout you made in Step 2, roughly draw in the fields and text (titles) you want to appear on the new invoice. Use the new field sizes written on the Data Field Worksheet to make sure that fields that are next to each other do not overlap.

___

Step 7

 

 

 

Using the Copy selection, copy the existing format and assign a new format number and description to the new format. For instance, format #6, Modified format #1.

___

Step 8

 

 

 

If you are changing any of the values (shown on the screen below) which determine the format’s general, overall appearance, make these changes now, using your format specification print-out from step 3 and the General appearance selection as shown below.

___

 

If you are not changing any of these values, skip this step.

 

Step 9

 

 

 

If you are adding or deleting fields or texts from the format or changing where they are to print, or are changing what they are to look like, use the Header area, Line item area, and Totals area, referring to your format specification print-out from step 3. If you are not adding or deleting fields or texts, skip this step.

___

 

NOTE: The Data Field Worksheet provided with the Format Design Kit lists all of the possible fields, arranged in the order they would typically appear on an invoice. This is also the order in which they appear on the order in which they are shown on the three screens.

 
 

When you select a field, you are not selecting the title of the field to print, only the actual data that will print in the field.

 
 

For example, if the field is named Customer number and the data in the field is a customer code, you are selecting to print that code, not the Customer number title.

 
 

The title to print on the invoice is a text which you specify by leaving the field number blank, then typing in exactly how you want the text to look on the invoice.

 
 

If you are using preprinted forms, you probably will not need to enter any text, since the titles are already preprinted on the form.

 
 

To help in adding/deleting/changing, press <F1> to display a picture of the invoice on your screen when you are in the field selection screen in the Header area, Line item area, or Totals area selections.

 

Step 10

 

 

 

Using the Verify selection, check your new format for problems such as fields overlapping.

You will get a printout of errors and warnings, if any are found. You must correct any errors; you may correct the warnings if you want to.

___

Step 11

 

 

 

Correct your format, using all the selections mentioned in the previous steps. Then run the Verify selection again. Repeat steps 10 and 11 until there are no more errors.

___

Step 12

 

 

 

Using the Sample invoice selection, print a sample invoice to see if the format you have designed matches what you had in mind when you laid out your invoice on the Layout Worksheet.

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Step 13

 

 

 

Change any parts of the invoice design, using the selections mentioned above, to correct or improve the format. Then check the format again and print a sample invoice again. Repeat this until you are satisfied with the result.

NOTE: To help in making corrections and improvements, you can print all the specifications for this format, using the Format specifications selection