Proforma (1st Sample of Customization)

This is the 1st sample on how to create a new design by customizing the existing pro forma invoice template.

All the templates available here on InvoicingTemplate.com were initially created based on the general invoice template that was shipped with the installer program of Invoice Manager for Excel. Each template has a version that works with Invoice Manager for Excel, and another free version that works without the installation of Invoice Manager for Excel. If you are familiar with Microsoft Excel, you may already find that it is easy to do such customizations, but we think it is still helpful to detail some basics of customizations so that someone who is not very familiar with Microsoft Excel could follow. This is why we create this serial of samples based on the proforma invoice template on InvoicingTemplate.com.

With this first sample, we do only three basic steps - convert ".xls" format to ".xlsx" format, unprotect the Invoice worksheet and then change some colors.

The original proforma invoice template is provided in Excel 2000 ".xls" format, which works fine in Excel 2007 and later versions, but will shows the words "Compatibility Mode" on the Excel title bar if you open it in Excel 2007 and later versions. For the purpose of testing, we will work with Excel 2010 and ".xlsx" format in this document. A caution must be made, however - usually you can easily convert ".xls" format to the new ".xlsx" format by executing the "save as" command in Excel, the conversion from ".xlsx" format back to ".xls" format usually causes warnings and errors.

For the purpose of this sample, now let's do the trick of conversion and remove the "Compatibility Mode" comment from Excel title bar. To do this, follow the steps below.

1. First, open the original ".xls" formatted proforma invoice template in Excel 2010 (Excel 2007 and all the later versions support ".xlsx" spreadsheet format).
2. Click Excel menu File / Save As. If you have Invoice Manager for Excel installed, a warning message appears that says "If you save this workbook with a different file name, you must re-open it to ensure Invoice Manager for Excel functions properly. Are you sure you want to continue? " Choose Yes.
3. On the "Save As" dialog box, choose "Excel Workbook" from the "Save as type" drop-down list. Name the new template "proforma 1st sample", or something else you like.
4. If you have Invoice Manager for Excel installed, you may find that after executing Excel "Save As" command, all the buttons on the new template stop working. This is not a bug, bug by design - as stated above, you need to close and then reopen the template if you want to make the buttons work. But for the purpose of this sample, we'll skip this step.
5. Now unprotect the Invoice worksheet. To do this in Excel 2010, go to the "Review" ribbon tab and click the Unprotect Sheet command.

   How to I unprotect Invoice worksheet?

6. The background color we used for the labels "SHIP TO", "BILL TO", "SHIPPING DETAILS" and the heading line of the invoice body, as well as the fore color of the big title "PRO FORMA INVOICE", is a custom color defined in Excel palette. You can find this color on many of the templates designed by us here on InvoicingTemplate.com - In fact, we use this color since 2005 - when we released Excel Invoice Manager for the first time. To make sure all of our templates have a similar style, this color has never been changed.

   However, to make your own invoice template, you may like to change it. Here is how you can do it (Again, we are using Excel 2010 in this tutorial.)

   How do I easily change colors of an invoice design?

7. Once returned to the Invoice worksheet, you can find the new color applied to the invoice form. See the figures below to find an example.