Previewing Invoices
Before printing or sending an invoice, you can use the preview function to review its content and appearance.
Select the desired invoice from the invoice list and choose one of the functions available under the Preview button on the ribbon.
If you click the Preview button directly, the Quick Preview option is opened. It bypasses the print parameters window and opens the invoice immediately using the print parameters defined in the settings or in the customer or matter information.
The Preview option available from the drop-down arrow opens the Invoice Print Parameters window, where you can review the parameters that affect the invoice content and layout and modify them if necessary.
Defining Invoice Printing Parameters
To ensure consistency across invoices, the system administrator typically defines invoice print settings in the software settings (Application Parameters > My Business Unit Parameters > Invoicing > Invoice Printing). These settings determine which information is displayed on customer invoices and how it is presented. By default, these settings apply to all invoices created in the software.
However, the default print settings can be overridden at several levels:
- In the customer parameters (Parameters > Invoice Printing)
- In the matter parameters (Parameters > Invoice Printing)
- On a preliminary invoice (open the payer details on the Payers tab and select the Printing tab)
- When previewing a preliminary invoice, provided there is only one payer (by saving the desired changes)
- In the Invoice Print Parameters window when printing, previewing, or sending an invoice
If parameters have been defined at multiple levels, the settings closest to the invoice always take precedence (for example, preliminary invoice settings override matter-level settings).
Print parameters are stored with the invoice when the invoice is generated. As a result, changes made to print parameters do not affect invoices that have already been created. However, print parameters can still be overridden when the invoice is sent to the customer.
The Invoice Print Parameters window is also displayed during bulk printing if the Show dialog when bulk printing invoices parameter has been enabled in the office settings.
Reviewing Print Parameters
The Invoice Print Parameters window opens when previewing a preliminary invoice and when previewing, printing, or sending an invoice.
The window displays general invoice information along with settings required by the selected invoice template. Available information and layout options vary by country. For example, Finnish cover page and specification page templates are used when the firm's primary office country is Finland and no default invoice template has been selected.
The displayed print parameters are either default parameters configured at office level or parameters defined for the customer, matter, or payer on a preliminary invoice.
Edit the invoice general information, if necessary:
- Date: by default, the invoice date is the date on which the invoice was created. However, the accounting posting date may differ from the creation date. You can change the invoice date when printing the invoice, but it cannot be earlier than the posting date shown on the invoice's Additional Information tab
- Due Date: the due date is generated when the invoice is created according to the payment terms. If the invoice date is changed, the due date is updated accordingly.
- Invoice Language: the invoice language defaults to the matter language. When changed, the software offers a matching invoice template for the selected language or, if none is available, an English-language template.
- When printing invoices in bulk, the language field is blank because the language is normally determined separately for each invoice. If a language is specified in the field during bulk printing, that language is used for all selected invoices.
- Currency: the currency used to display invoice amounts can be changed when printing the invoice. If you change the currency, ensure that the exchange rates in the software settings have been updated, as they are not updated automatically.
- Email Template: the Email Template option is shown only when the invoice is being printed as an email attachment. Administrators can create email templates in Settings > Templates > Email Templates. These templates can automatically populate the email subject, default text, and selected information related to the matter, invoice, sender, and recipient.
- Billing Address: the billing address defaults to the user's office address or, if multiple addresses exist, the address matching the invoice language.
- Bank Account: the bank account field is empty by default. Normally, the invoice displays all bank accounts configured in the office settings and marked for printing. If only one bank account should appear on the invoice, it can be selected here.
Review the invoice specification page settings:
- Select the invoice template used for the invoice cover page. CSI LakiMies customers can use only the default invoice template, whereas CSI Lawyer and CSI Professional customers may also have custom invoice templates available.
- Choose whether any discount percentage should be shown on the cover page and whether expenses should be hidden and included under Fees and Charges instead of appearing on a separate expense line.
- Specify whether the invoice should be printed on a Finnish bank transfer form that includes a barcode. This option is typically used only for private customers and only for domestic invoices.
Review specification page settings:
- Select the invoice template used for the specification page. CSI LakiMies customers can use only the default invoice template, whereas CSI Lawyer and CSI Professional customers may also have custom templates available.
- Choose whether the specification page should be printed in the standard format, grouped by timekeeper, or grouped by matter. You can also choose whether entries with a value of 0.00€ and daily subtotals should be displayed, and whether expenses should be hidden and shown under Other Charges.
- To create a timekeeper-based specification showing both hours and totals, select Print Additional Specification Page by Timekeeper and choose Hours per Entry and Amount per Entry as the columns.
- You can group fee and expense entries by type or by matter phase and specify whether descriptions for individual invoice lines should be displayed.
- If required, invoice lines can be supplemented with information such as the timekeeper, hourly rate, hours worked, amount billed, and the quantity and amount of expenses.
Once you have reviewed and modified the print parameters, click OK. The invoice opens in preview mode, allowing you to perform a final review of its content and appearance before printing or sending it.
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