Advanced PDF Templates in NetSuite: Branding Your Invoices & Statements

Invoices, purchase orders, and statements are often the documents customers and vendors see most. In NetSuite, these documents are generated using Advanced PDF/HTML Templates, which allow you to fully brand and customize them.

In this blog, we’ll explain what Advanced PDF templates are, why they matter, and how to use them to create professional, branded documents that reflect your company’s identity.

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📝 What Are Advanced PDF/HTML Templates?

Advanced PDF/HTML Templates in NetSuite are customizable layouts for printed and emailed transaction forms. They use FreeMarker (HTML/CSS-based) code to control formatting, design, and data display.

Commonly customized documents include:

• Invoices
• Customer Statements
• Purchase Orders
• Sales Orders
• Credit Memos

👉 Key Point: With Advanced PDF templates, you can go beyond plain forms and design branded, professional layouts.

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🎨 Why Customize PDF Templates?

1. Branding – Add your company logo, fonts, and colors.
2. Professionalism – Create documents that impress clients.
3. Flexibility – Display data in your preferred format.
4. Global Needs – Adjust layouts for multi-language or multi-subsidiary businesses.
5. Automation – Attach customized templates to emails automatically.

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🛠️ How to Create/Customize an Advanced PDF Template

1. Navigate to:
   Customization > Forms > Advanced PDF/HTML Templates
2. Select a Base Template:
   Choose an existing template (e.g., Invoice – Standard).
3. Edit Layout:
   • Add your logo
   • Customize headers, footers, and tables
   • Use HTML & CSS for styling
   • Insert NetSuite fields with FreeMarker syntax (e.g., ${record.entity} for customer name)
4. Save and Apply:
   • Assign the template to a form under Custom Transaction Forms
   • Test by printing or emailing a transaction

👉 Pro Tip: Always work on a copy of the standard template to avoid overwriting defaults.

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📊 Examples of Customizations

• Add payment instructions or bank details on invoices
• Show multi-subsidiary logos depending on which subsidiary is used
• Highlight overdue balances in red
• Add QR codes or PayPal/Stripe “Pay Now” buttons
• Include terms & conditions in the footer

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✅ Best Practices

• Keep templates clean and simple for easy readability
• Test formatting in both PDF and email views
• Use dynamic fields instead of hardcoding text
• Maintain different templates for subsidiaries or brands
• Document changes so they can be updated during upgrades

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✅ Final Thoughts

Advanced PDF/HTML Templates in NetSuite allow you to turn plain system documents into branded, professional, and user-friendly communications. From invoices to customer statements, customizing templates ensures your documents not only look good but also convey the right information.

With some basic HTML/CSS knowledge, you can design templates that make your business stand out.