HOWTO: Create Stationery Overlays

ZTN3003

ID: ZTN3003

This Zetadocs technical note applies to:

• Zetadocs for Accounting v3.0

Summary

Zetadocs can add an overlay image to your accounting documents in place of the pre-printed stationery you would normally use. You can add a different stationery overlay for each of the document types Zetadocs supports. This technote describes how to create these stationery overlays, taking you through four steps: Designing the stationery, Creating the PDF, Saving the file, and Testing the design.

More information

Designing the stationery

The stationery form is stored as a single-page PDF. You can design your stationery using any package that can print to the Zetadocs printer, or that can export to a PDF file. Equisys provides some sample stationery designed with Microsoft Word - follow this link to download the stationery for your accounting system:

http://software.equisys.com/zetadocs/accounting/v3/downloads/stationery

You can design your stationery from scratch, or you can use the Equisys samples and modify them, for example adding your company logo. This technote will take you through an example of modifying the Statement sample for Sage Line 100.

1. Download the Stationery samples for Sage Line 100.
2. Open the Statement_A4.doc file.
3. Make your design changes, e.g. add a company logo.

Design tips:

• If you are using Microsoft Word, ensure that any embedded images have the Layout Wrapping Style set to " Behind text" . You can set this by right-clicking on the image, selecting " Format Picture" , clicking on the " Layout" tab, and choosing the " Behind text" option. If you don't set this option, Word creates a white background which will overwrite the accounting document text.
• Since the stationery file is overlaid onto your accounting document, ensure that any boxes that are placed around text are transparent, so the text shows through. In Microsoft Word, set the Fill Colour to " No Fill" .
• If you want to erase or overwrite any text on the document, create an object with a White fill colour.

Creating the PDF

You are now ready to convert the design document into a PDF file. If your application has a " Save as PDF" option, skip to " Saving the file" .

1. Print the page to the Zetadocs printer.
2. Locate the page in the Zetadocs outbox - it will have appeared as a Custom job.
3. Right-click the document and select " Preview" .
4. This opens the Adobe viewer and allows you to preview the PDF overlay.
5. You can go to " File / Save a copy" to save a copy of the PDF.

Saving the file

Now you need to save the PDF overlay into the correct location, and using the correct filename, so that Zetadocs can locate it.

The file must be saved in the \Zetadocs\Forms directory, which is usually located under c:\Program Files, e.g. c:\Program Files\Zetadocs\Forms.

The filename encodes the document type and accounting system, and must follow this format:

formx_yyyy.pdf

where x is the document type ID selected from the following table:

and yyyy is the accounting system ID selected from the following table:

So, for example, if you are creating a Statement overlay for Sage Line 100, the filename you should use is:

form1_L100.pdf

or, if you are creating an Invoice overlay for Navision, the filename you should use is:

form7_MSNAV.pdf

Testing the design

Zetadocs will pick up the new overlay from the \Forms folder the next time you print a document to the Zetadocs printer. To test the design:

1. Print a document from your accounting system to the Zetadocs printer which matches the overlay you have just created.
2. Locate the document in the Zetadocs outbox.
3. Right-click on the document and select " Preview" .
4. Adobe viewer will open and you can preview the stationery overlaid onto your accounting document.

Last updated: 01 September 2004 (SD/SV)