How to make your invoice readable: indicate the due amount and the due date

Lay out the title, number and amounts

Use font size, weight, spacing and alignment to separate the title, number, dates, parties, line items, total and terms. The customer first identifies who's sending it. Then which transaction. How much. Highlight the due amount, but make it easy to confirm the details.

Try to group related items. Don't need to put each field in a box. Place common numbers and dates consistently. It's ok to display the business name clearly without a logo. Make it easy to find addresses/contact info without scaling everything up.

• Begin with the title/number.
• Group the parties' details.
• Line items: Consistent table.
• Highlight amount due. Payment method.

Use color as a hint. Use words too.

Use a brand color (or two) on headings or separators. Dark body text. Spell out the paid/unpaid/due/balance. Don't just use red/green to convey these meanings.

Put all amounts on the right. Align amount decimal places. Give the description enough width. Vital information should be readable even if no images show or if the file is printed in black and white. Avoid embedding vital information in images only.

• Obvious logo with right size.
• Use accent colours sparingly, with clear text contrast.
• Readable system/embedded fonts.
• Retain vital data as text.

Give line items space

Don't crowd everything to fit on one page by reducing all text size. Put spaces between areas. Let long service names wrap.

Make sure there's adequate space to clearly label columns for quantity, rate, tax, amounts, etc. Don't cram everything so that all numbers wrap.

Make it easy for the customer to visually track an item to its amount (maybe use light dividers or line spacing). Try to keep each item together if possible. Repeat column headers on pages. Make the final total prominent.

When a lot of work details are involved, perhaps put a grouped summary on the main invoice, with a reference number linking to attached records. That way the customer can review the main amount first but can see the details that back it up.

• Sufficient column space for description.
• Quantities/currency aligned.
• Clearly separated rows.
• Column header repeated on pages.

View the export

View export. How does it look on mobile/computer? Print in black and white. See type size. Line height. Contrast. Whitespace. Link text should explain what it does. Make sure the source file is laid out nicely so it's not just position/colour that indicates meaning.

Open up PDF on mobile/computer. How does it look in black-and-white print preview? Are columns cut off? Are there long emails/account details that extend outside the space allowed? Light text visible? Can you select/search text? Link working? Proper file size/filename/page breaks?

In a PDF, it's possible that pasting screenshots may cause copy issues for numbers and search issues for customer names. Depending on your needs for these features, you should find some way to keep the text and look at the final export. Pocket Invoice has many templates, options for customizing your business details, PDF export. After you've picked a design look at what it produces.

• Readable at typical zoom settings.
• High contrast.
• Good labels.
• Working links.
• Text selectable where appropriate.
• Full phone and print previews.

W3C has tips for web design in terms of contrast, colour and grouping. Text reflow on the web differs from a fixed-layout PDF. Visual impression alone is not enough to know that all accessibility features are present.

Make the difference between amount due now and total obvious

For the layout, make sure the title, project number, customer, list of items and payment area are laid out in reading order. Make sure currency and deadline information are near the balance. It's not great to have multiple equally salient total amounts.

Make Total, Amount paid and Balance obvious. With scheduled payments, the total project price should not dominate the amount due now. Don't fade away the advance payment in smallish grey text and give the impression that the total is still owed.

What if you have a long service name?

Make the description wider, with narrower quantity, unit and amount columns. Keep wrapping text out of the price area. Make use of line spacing to ease reading each line. If labour and materials need to be verified separately, use groups or separate rows.

Use a readable description (e.g. “Air-conditioning filter replacement, 2 units”) so the customer knows what you've done. Alongside this you can put any item code you have. If you have a SKU internally it may be useful for finding inventory or work order info. Have the codes help the readable text instead of trying to replace readable text.

Have enough branding to recognize the business

Use the same fonts. Use the same company name. Use a few key colours. Make the invoices look uniform. Leave space around headings and amounts. Avoid putting large backgrounds behind charge and payment text.

Muted grey and your brand colours might look nice but can be hard to read on small screens and printing b/w. Decorative graphics increase file size and ink use when printing. A brief thank-you related to the job is enough: “Thank you for working with us. Attached in this email are the finished files.” Don't let marketing get in the way of charge and payment.

Try reading in different ways

The customer might be reading in email attachment preview mode. An accountant might copy the number. Finance people might print it and read. Zoom in. Select to copy the number. Check b/w. See if any account details are truncated. Check these different uses.

More than one page?

Make sure your number or page reference is on each page. Make sure the essential column headers are on each page. Don't separate heading and content. Don't leave totals or payment instructions orphaned by large blank space. Two clear pages can be better than one cluttered page.

Try one job and inspect the finished file

Long customer name. Many services. Advance payment. Real payment instructions. (Short placeholders can conceal wrapping issues.)

Can you find the amount due now? The payment date? The payment method? Do amounts align with items? Is the prior customer's info removed?

Send yourself the export and open it as an email attachment. See it in the customer's order, not just in the editor. If it's difficult to find the number or amount or payment method, those are the things to fix first before colours and icons.