PDF templates

The PDF Template Builder lets you brand your invoices, quotes, and payment reminders — from the accent color all the way down to the position of every block on the page.

The two editing modes

dVersum offers two ways to design a template. You can convert a Theme template into a Block template at any time, but not back:

Theme mode (Professional plan)

Eight knobs cover the most common branding needs without touching the layout:

• Starter Layout — Classic (traditional German invoice), Modern (bold editorial, accent band, big total) or Compact (industrial, dense)
• Accent Color — drives the title bar, table headers, totals row
• Body & Heading Font — pick from the supported font stack
• Page Size — A4 or Letter
• Margins — top/right/bottom/left in mm
• Table Style — zebra stripes, bordered or minimal
• Header Logo — image, size and alignment
• Footer Text — multi-line, prints on every page

Block mode (Team plan)

Full WYSIWYG canvas with 13 block types — text, columns (2/3/4 with per-column content type), image, logo, spacer, divider, signature, totals, recipient, sender, dates, items, page-break.

• Clicking a block selects it — the settings sidebar slides in on the right
• + lines between every block insert a new block exactly where you want it
• Images and logos resize via a drag handle directly on the element
• Drag the move icon on the floating toolbar to reorder blocks
• A live A4 preview shows the real page breaks — exactly the way Chromium breaks them at print time

Creating a new template

1. Settings → PDF Templates
2. Click + New Block Template — duplicates the Classic starter into your own editable Block template
3. In the editor, adjust theme settings (color, font, margins) in the right sidebar, or click any block on the canvas to edit it
4. Changes auto-save after 800 ms — there is no save button
5. From the actions menu on the list page, mark the template as your organization's Default

How a document picks its template

When a PDF is rendered, the resolver walks this chain:

1. ?template=<uuid> URL override — used by the editor preview, does NOT mutate the saved snapshot
2. Existing snapshot on the document — frozen at first send (GoBD-stable)
3. Client default — default_pdf_template_id on the client profile
4. Organization default — the template marked as default

The first send snapshots the resolved template onto the document. A 5-year-old invoice always re-downloads with the styling it was sent with, even if your organization has since changed its default. That is the GoBD-stable contract.

Per-client template

In the client profile under Default PDF Template, you can assign a different template. All future invoices, quotes, and reminders for that client will automatically use it.

Managing templates

On the Settings → PDF Templates list:

• Preview — every card shows a real PDF preview of the first page (not an SVG mockup)
• Actions menu — Edit, Duplicate, Set as default, Delete
• Starter templates (Classic, Modern, Compact) cannot be deleted, but can be duplicated into your own editable copy

Common pitfalls

My logo doesn't appear large enough. → In the header block settings (right sidebar after selection), use the size slider — or drag the resize handle directly on the logo in the canvas.

Page 2 content starts right at the top edge. → Fixed — the editor now applies the top margin from the Margins → top theme setting on every page.

A column with an image ended up on page 2 even though page 1 had room. → The block editor now follows Chromium's exact page-break logic. If you want to avoid this, insert a manual Page Break block via a + line.

I don't see the template in the client profile dropdown. → Make sure the template is saved (auto-save fires after 800 ms) and published — drafts don't appear in the client selector.