Want your invoices to look professional and match your brand style? This article shows you how to work with invoice templates – from adding placeholders and building tables to applying colors, fonts, and other branding elements.
⏪ Not familiar yet with the basic principles of invoice templates? Start with the introductory article: Invoice templates: screen overview, types, and how they are applied
⏪ Want to first learn how to download, update, and activate templates? Then check out the previous article on template management: Invoice templates: key management actions
Using placeholders in invoice templates
In AdminPulse, you define how your invoices look and what information they display. You do this using invoice templates: Word documents with a fixed layout and dynamic placeholders.
Click the ‘Placeholders’ button (Settings > Invoice templates > Placeholders) to see a list of all available placeholders, including explanations. You can copy each one and paste it into your Word template.
How do placeholders work?
AdminPulse “reads” your Word template and automatically replaces the placeholders with real data when you generate an invoice.
For example: if you insert {RelationName} in your template and generate an invoice for a client named “AP Tech BV”, that placeholder will be replaced with “AP Tech BV”.
Below is a preview of the address section before the data is inserted:
And here is the result after AdminPulse has filled in the fields:
Placeholders allow you to automatically insert information in the right places, including:
- Your company’s details (address, email, registration number, ...)
- Your client’s information (name, address, VAT number, ...)
- Invoice information (invoice number, date, total amount, invoice lines, ...)
Showing a summary table on your invoice
In addition to customer and payment details, you’ll often want to show what work was performed, how much time it took, or what costs were made — and their associated costs.
To display that information clearly, use a table in Word with dynamic placeholders. You decide which details are included — for example: a list of invoice lines, with each one showing the description, quantity or duration, and the unit price excluding VAT.
How to set up a table
In your Word template, create a standard table with columns for each piece of information you want to show, like “Description”, “Quantity”, “Rate”, and so on.
Use two special placeholders to indicate where AdminPulse should start and stop inserting rows:
-
{TableStart:XXX}— place this in the first cell of the row -
{TableEnd:XXX}— place this in the last cell of the same row
Between these two placeholders, insert fields like {Description}, {Quantity}, {UnitPrice}, {VatRate}, {TaxableAmount}, and so on.
💡 You only need to create one row in Word. AdminPulse will use that single row as a template and repeat it automatically for each item.
Adding headers to your table
To make your invoice easier to read, it’s best to add a header row above the row with placeholders. This is just a normal row with static text (no placeholders), such as “Description”, “Quantity”, “Unit Price”, and so on.
This header will appear only once at the top of your table and helps your client understand what each column refers to.
Example: invoice lines table
Below is an example of a Word table with placeholders added to it:
And here's how that same table looks on a generated invoice — with real values inserted:
What kind of data can you show in a table?
You can choose which data set you want to display using placeholders inside the table:
-
{TableStart:InvoiceLines}…{TableEnd:InvoiceLines}– shows all invoice lines -
{TableStart:TimeInvoiceLines}…{TableEnd:TimeInvoiceLines}– shows only lines based on time-based price list items -
{TableStart:CostInvoiceLines}…{TableEnd:CostInvoiceLines}– shows only lines based on product/cost-based items -
{TableStart:PaidAdvanceInvoiceLines}…{TableEnd:PaidAdvanceInvoiceLines}– shows only paid advance lines - ...
💡 You can also combine multiple types of line items in one document — using a separate {TableStart:...} … {TableEnd:...} block for each. For example, show time-based lines first, then cost-based lines, and finally advance payments. This keeps your invoice clear and well-structured.
In the example below, {TableStart:TimeInvoiceLines} … {TableEnd:TimeInvoiceLines} is combined with {TableStart:CostInvoiceLines} … {TableEnd:CostInvoiceLines} in a single table layout.
Designing the look of your invoices in Word
With a template, you don’t just define the content — you also shape the look and feel of your invoice. This ensures every invoice reflects your brand identity and professionalism.
Everything you design in the Word document — text, colors, styles, or images — will appear the same on the final invoice.
What formatting options can you apply in Word?
- Font and font size
- Text and background colors
- Bold, italic, underline
- Images and logos
- Alignment of text and tables
- ...
The style applied to a placeholder in Word will also be applied to the final data. For instance: if you format {InvoiceNumber} in bold green text, the invoice number will appear in bold green on the invoice.
👉 Note: when your Word file is converted to PDF, some formatting may be slightly simplified. Most font styles and colors are preserved, but only certain fonts are supported. See the “Introduction” section in this Microsoft resource for the complete list: Microsoft Fonts List
💡Good to read
An English version of the detailed articles isn’t available yet. In the meantime, you can dive deeper using the articles below (available in Flemish, Dutch and French):
➡️ Factuursjablonen: invulvelden voor algemene factuurinfo uitgelegd
➡️ Factuursjablonen: tabellen en hun invulvelden uitgelegd
➡️ Factuursjablonen: invulvelden voor algemene factuurinfo uitgelegd
➡️ Factuursjablonen – tips voor opmaak in Word
➡️ FAQ – Hoe voeg ik voorwaarden toe aan een factuur?
➡️ FAQ – Waarom krijg ik een foutmelding bij het opladen van mijn sjabloon?
Use the language selector at the top of the page to switch between Flemish, Dutch and French.
Prefer help in English with invoice templates? We’re happy to assist - please submit a support ticket.
Thanks for your understanding!
Looking for example templates? Be sure to check the following article: Example templates for invoices and invoice details