Before Using

For new users of Excel Invoice Manager, here are some important features you should check before you begin.

LOGO image and company information

To replace the default LOGO image and enter your company information on the Invoice worksheet:

1. Open your invoice template in Microsoft Excel.
2. Switch to the Invoice worksheet if it is not active (or is not the current worksheet).
3. Unprotect the Invoice worksheet.

   By default, the Invoice worksheet is protected to avoid overwriting formulas accidentally. To unprotect it, in Excel 2000/XP/2003 click Excel menu Tools -> Protection -> Unprotect Sheet, or in Excel 2007 click Review tab -> Changes group -> Unprotect Sheet.

4. Switch to design mode.

   In Excel 2000 - 2003, click the Design Mode button on the Control Toolbox toolbar. (If the Control Toolbox toolbar is invisible, click Excel menu View -> Toolbars -> Control Toolbox).

   

   In Excel 2007, click Developer tab -> Controls group -> Design Mode. If the Developer tab is not available, do the following to display it: a) Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Excel Options; b) In the Popular category, under Top options for working with Excel, select the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box, and then click OK.

5. On the Invoice worksheet, enter your company information to replace the default text labels, such as your company name, address, and contact information.
6. To replace the default LOGO image with your own image, follow the steps below:
   1. Right click the Logo image, and select Properties from the menu.

      

   2. Click the Picture property, and then click the ... button.

      

   3. Browse to the folder containing your icon file. Select and open the icon file.
   4. Close the Properties dialog box.
   5. Drag the border of the image object to resize it, if needed.

   If you don't need the LOGO image and want to delete it, click the following link to download a template without the LOGO image: standard_invoice_template_without_logo.zip. Or, if you like to create the template yourself:

   1. Click the LOGO image to select it.
   2. Hit DEL key on your keyboard.
   3. Deleting the LOGO image leaves an empty area to the left of the Company Information section. You may like to move the entire Company Information section to fill in the empty area. To do this: Drag your mouse to select the entire Company Information area, including Company Name, Street Address, City, ST Zip Code, etc.; Push your mouse key on the border of the selected area; drag it to the new location.
7. Exit design mode, by clicking the Design button again.
8. Protect the Invoice worksheet.

   In Excel 2000/XP/2003, protect the Invoice worksheet by clicking Excel menu Tools -> Protection -> Protect Sheet.

   In Excel 2007, you can find the command in the Changes group of the Review ribbon tab.

9. Save your invoice template by clicking Excel menu File -> Save in Excel 2000/XP/2003, or by clicking Office button -> Save in Excel 2007.

For more information about customizing the invoice template, please see Customizing Invoice Template.

Tax types

The default tax system may not satisfy you. You can set your tax system easily by following the steps below.

1. Click Settings button on the Invoice worksheet to open the Settings window.
2. Click Taxes.

   

3. Choose your tax system: No Tax, One Tax, or Two Taxes. If you have 2 taxes, click the option Tax2 is applied to tax1 so tax2 is calculated on the sum of the price+tax1. Fill in your tax names and percentages in the appropriate text boxes.
4. Click Apply.
5. Close the Settings window and return to Excel.
6. Click the Save button on the Excel toolbar to save the modified workbook.

Additionally, each product has a Taxable attribute that controls whether the tax rate will be applied to the product. For each invoice, you can also set its tax rates and Taxable attributes.

Creating a new database (optional)

By default, the invoice workbook is connected to the sample.mdb database. This database is installed for demonstration purposes. You can use this database to try out how Excel Invoice Manager works. After reviewing and testing the software, you will want to create a new database for your own data. To create a new database, follow the steps below:

1. On the Invoice worksheet, click the Settings button to open the Settings window.
2. Click the Database tab.

   

3. Click Create New Database.
4. Select a folder to store your new database file and enter the database file name. Click Save to create a new database file.
5. If you want to open the newly created database for current workbook, click the Open Database button. Then select the database file you just created.
6. If the database is successfully opened, the database name will be displayed below the Current Database label on the Invoice worksheet.
7. The full path and file name of the database is stored in a hidden cell in the workbook. To make the workbook connect to/open the new database automatically next time you open it, click the Save button on the Excel toolbar to save the workbook.