With our quotation editor, you can make your quotations even more personalised, professional and appealing. Thanks to the flexible block system and so-called ‘smart elements’, your templates automatically adapt to the details of the specific job.
In this article, you’ll learn how to use the editor and get the most out of your quotation templates.
1. Where can I find the quotation templates?
There are two ways to access your quotation templates:
Route A: Via the calendar
In the left-hand menu, go to Calendar.
Click on Tools in the top right-hand corner.
Select Quotation Templates.
Route B: Via the settings
Click on Settings (cog icon) at the bottom left.
In the menu, click on Quotation, email and brands.
Scroll to the desired brand and, under ‘Manage quotation templates’, click on the relevant section.
Here you can create a new template, edit an existing one or delete it.
2. Creating a new quotation template
Click the ‘+ New quote template’ button to create a new template.
Choose a starting point: You now have several options. You can start with a blank template (e.g. 16:9 landscape, A4 landscape or A4 portrait) or use a sample design (e.g. Colourful/Food Truck, Wedding, BBQ, etc.) as a basis.
Important: Don’t forget to give your new template a clear name straight away in the top-left corner.
3. General document settings
Click the Settings button (top right) to open the basic document settings for your template. Here you can set the basics for your entire quote:
Page size: Adjust the format of your document.
Selected language: Set the default language for the document.
Typography: Set the default font, textsize and textcolour for the entire document. (Please note: these settings apply to the entire document, but can be adjusted individually in each text box later on).
Digital signature: Tick this option if you want customers to sign the quotation digitally upon acceptance. You can find more information in the article ‘Signing quotations online’.
Number of days until expiry date: Set the number of days the quotation is valid by default. You can find details on this in the article ‘Setting the expiry date for quotations’.
4. Managing pages and applying layouts
The toolbar directly above the selected page helps you manage the layout and organisation of individual pages:
Page management: Here you can add a new page, duplicate the current page or delete it using the ‘X’ icon (Delete). You can easily change the page order using the Up and Down arrow keys.
Layouts: Using the Layouts button, you can divide the current page into ready-made colour blocks or copy the layout of another page from this template onto it.
5. The editor’s structure: Customising a page (adding blocks)
The editor is a drag-and-drop system based on blocks. Use the ‘+ Add Block’ menu to place various elements on your page:
A. Your brand
Logo: Adds the logo specified in your settings.
Contact details: Automatically adds your company details.
B. Design
Text box: A flexible text area. Double-click inside the block to add or edit text. A formatting toolbar will open. Here you can format the text or rotate the entire block.
Tip for variables (merge fields): Use the ‘Merge fields’ button in this toolbar to add placeholders (e.g. order – name, date, customer – first name). These are automatically populated with live data when you create the quotation. Find out more in the Help article on merge fields.
Element block (colours & images): A visual element for your layout. You can always adjust the size of the element by clicking and dragging the blue squares at the edges.
As a colour block: Add a background colour and adjust transparency, rotation, rounded corners and border width.
As an image/photo: Switch to ‘Image/photo’ in the element’s settings. Here you’ll find some great options:
Add one or more photos manually.
Have images load dynamically based on the products in the relevant order.
Choose the display mode: Static (the customer scrolls through a small gallery themselves) or Cinematic (the photos are displayed as an automatic slideshow).
C. Smart elements (order details)
These blocks automatically retrieve specific information from the relevant order.
Products: Displays the ordered items as a detailed table (prices, quantities, totals) or as a simple menu overview.
Planning: Creates a chronological timeline of the event schedule.
Comments: Displays comments from the customer, whilst retaining paragraphs and line breaks.
⚠️ Important layout rule for smart elements: Only one specific region for products, planning or comments can be placed per page.
6. Automatic page breaks & visibility
Depending on the job, smart elements require varying amounts of space. If the text or table no longer fits on the page, the system automatically duplicates the page when creating the quotation and continues the section on the new page.
To prevent every design element from being repeated during this transition, you can set the visibility for blocks (e.g. text, images, logos):
Always visible: Displayed on every generated page (ideal for headers).
First page only: Appears only at the start of the transition.
Last page only: Is only displayed on the last generated page of the section (e.g. a signature field).
7. Working efficiently: Keyboard shortcuts
To make working in the editor easier, commonly used keyboard shortcuts are supported once a block has been selected:
Copy / Paste:
Ctrl + C/Ctrl + V(Mac:⌘ + C/⌘ + V)Duplicate:
Ctrl + D(Mac:⌘ + D)Undo / Redo:
Ctrl + Z/Ctrl + Shift + ZFine-tune: Move block by 1px using arrow keys (5px whilst holding down the Ctrl/⌘ key).
Scale: Hold
Shiftpressed to maintain proportions. HoldAltpressed to disable grid snapping.
8. Save and activate
Once you’re happy with your template, click ‘Save template’ in the top right-hand corner. Make sure the box next to ‘Active’ is ticked, so you can use this template when creating a quote.
Need help?
Do you have any questions about the quotation template or would you like help with the design?
Feel free to send us a message via chat or email us at support@catermonkey.com.
Team Catermonkey 🍌