Order documents

This page of the manual describes how to set up and edit document templates and how to transfer settings from one template to another.
Before generating order documents and sending them to your customers, set up document templates for each document. Localised documents as well as fulfilment documents are available in your plentymarkets system. In addition, learn how to save your business letterhead in the form of a PDF template and link it to a document template. The creation of numbering systems is explained as well.

1. Setting up localised documents

The following documents are set up and managed in the Documents area in the System » System settings » Client » Select client » Locations menu:

Setting up a localised document:

Select a location in the System » System settings » Client (store) » Select store » Locations menu.
Select a location.
Click on the menu item Documents.
Select the template you wish to edit, e.g. Invoice.
Select a Language from the drop-down list, e.g. en for English.
Carry out the settings as described on this manual page.
Save the settings.
Click on Preview to display a preview of the document.

2. Setting up fulfilment documents

The following document templates are set up and managed in the System » System settings » Orders » Documents menu:

Setting up a fulfilment document:

Go to System » System settings » Orders » Documents.
Select the template you wish to edit.
Select a Language from the drop-down list.
Carry out the settings as described on this manual page.
Save the settings.
Click on Preview to display a preview of the document.

3. Setting up a document template

Some settings are already available by default once you open one of the menus described above. You can edit those settings and carry out additional settings. If no settings are available by default, you can apply settings from a default document template. Furthermore, you can add notes that are automatically included in documents based on certain options and settings made. Separate templates have to be set up for each language. Select the language at the top of the document menu.

Defining a language for a document template

If no document in the required language is found for a location, the system automatically searches for suitable document templates in the following order:

Default language of the client
System language
Default location of the client
System language of the default location of the default client

3.1. Basic settings

Carry out the basic settings for the document according to the information provided in Table 1.

Table 1. Basic settings for documents
Setting	Explanation
Font	Select one of the standard fonts Arial /Helvetica, Times New Roman or Courier. Within the font group Extended alphabets, you can choose between the options East Asian, Arabic and Cyrillic if you wish to set up document templates for languages such as Chinese or Russian.
Character set	Select whether the character set ISO-8859-1 or Unicode should be used. Keep in mind that generating PDF documents takes longer if you select the Unicode option.
Document template	Select whether the document template is only displayed on the first page or on the subsequent pages of the document as well.
Page break	Select whether paragraphs should be continued on subsequent pages or whether there should be a page break.
Structure of the invoice/delivery address	Select the elements that should be included in the invoice and delivery address and in which order these elements should be positioned. Activate the option Contact person if the information on the contact person saved in the contact data should be included in invoice and delivery addresses. Activate the option Title if the title saved in the menu point Adresses in the contact data should be positioned in front of the contact name.
Currency of the document	Select whether the standard currency of your plentymarkets system or the Order currency, i.e. the currency saved with the order, is used.

Mandatory settings for characters

To set up document templates containing Chinese or Cyrillic characters, use the language setting on top of the menu to select the correct language, for example cn for Chinese or ru for Russian, for which you would like to set up a document template. In addition, select the correct Font in the basic settings for the document. Select East Asian to display Chinese characters, or Cyrillic for Russian characters. Furthermore, enter the correct characters in the text field for each option so that they are properly displayed when generating documents later.

3.2. Margins

Carry out the settings for the page margins of the documents in this area. The margins are important for automatic page breaks and the positioning of mandatory elements in the document. Pay attention to the information provided in Table 2.

Table 2. Margins of a document
Setting	Explanation
Top	Enter a value (in mm) for the top margin on the page. 44.0 mm are set by default. To avoid overlapping elements, make sure to leave enough space to display a header containing the logo of your company.
Left	Enter a value (in mm) for the left margin on the page. 20.0 mm are set by default.
Bottom	Enter a value (in mm) for the bottom margin on the page. 30.0 mm are set by default. For fulfilment documents, the bottom margin defined here is only displayed on pages linked to a PDF template. Depending on the settings made for the option Document template in the Basic settings area, this applies to either only the first or to all pages of a document.

3.3. Positioning the mandatory elements

Mandatory elements are elements that have to be included in every document. The positioning of mandatory elements is determined by entering coordinates. Values for the most important parameters are already set up by default. However, these values can be changed. Add any missing entries.
Table 3 explains the mandatory elements for documents, using the invoice document as an example.

The values are based on a coordinate system with an x-axis and a y-axis. The X-axis runs from left to right and the Y-axis from top to bottom. Thus, the zero point is located on the upper left corner of the page.

Examples for positioning

The address field is a field that is usually positioned in the upper left area of the pag. In the invoice document, the standard coordinates for the address field are X = 21 (mm), Y = 54.5 (mm). When positioning fields, use the upper left corner of the document as a point of orientation and pay attention to the margins.
In addition to the date, the order ID as well as the customer ID are fields that are typically positioned on the right. The ID’s mentioned above have the following standard coordinates on the X-axis: X = 150 (mm) for the field name and X = 173 (mm) for the value. The Y-coordinates differ so that fields and values do not overlap.
The page number is a field that is often positioned on the bottom of the page. In the invoice document, the standard coordinates for the page number are X = 21 (mm), Y = 286 (mm). Thus, the page number is located in the lower left corner of the page on invoice documents.

Table 3. Mandatory fields of a document
Setting	Explanation
Address field	Positions the field containing the address of the customer.
Document name/number	Enter a name, such as Invoice or Invoice no.
Date	Displays the current date on the document.
Ordered on	Displays the date on which the order was placed.
Currency	Enter a name. The currency itself is taken from the basic settings (see above).
Order ID	ID of an order
Order ID (2)	For returns, credit notes and delivery orders, the ID of the main order is displayed here.
Customer ID	ID of the customer
Referrer	Referrer of the order
Customer reference	Displays the data saved in the corresponding field in the order settings.
Customer class	Customer class ID
Order responsible	Displays the name of the owner of the order.
Account for financial accounting	Displays the debitor saved in the debitor account area in the customer data
Internal customer number	Displays the customer number saved in plentymarkets (not the customer ID).
VAT number	The VAT identification number of the customer
Own VAT number	Displays the VAT ID of the seller.
Pick list ID	An ID is assigned to a pick list as soon as such a document is generated. The pick list ID is saved with all orders included in the pick list. Use the option ID pick list to display this ID on PDF documents. For example, this makes sense with delivery notes.
Page number	Displays the page number on each page of the document.

3.4. Customer characteristics

This area is only displayed if properties have been saved for the language of the document template in your system. You can then name the properties using the text fields and position them in the document with the help of the coordinates.

3.5. Columns stock units

Use the area Columns stock units to position the entries in the header of the table containing the order items. Enter a field name for each available column. The field name is a name that is displayed in the header. Field names are only displayed if a value is selected in the respective Pos drop-down list. If Pos is selected, the column is not displayed on the document. Use these settings to determine the order in which the field names are displayed in the header. The available columns differ from document to document.

Column width

The column Item name will automatically wrap the text, if necessary. All other columns do not have this function. Thus, make sure to select an appropriate value for the with of the columns. Enter the column width in mm.

Use the check box to activate further parameters for the Item name column. In the document, the parameters will be displayed next to the item name in the same column. The activated parameters are only displayed in the document if information on the respective parameter have been entered and saved in the item data beforehand.

3.6. Totals

On all documents except for the delivery notes, sums such as the subtotal and the total invoice amount are listed below the list of items. Only sums for which a field name has been determined are displayed.
Table 4 explains important settings in the Totals area.

Table 4. Important settings in the **Totals** area
Setting	Explanation
Value of items (net)	Net value of the items (excluding VAT) In addition, select whether the value of items is displayed summed up for all VAT rates, summed up per VAT rate or per VAT rate if B2B. Summed up for all VAT rates = only one total is displayed on the invoice, regardless of how many VAT rates are used in the order. Per VAT rate = A separate total is displayed for each VAT rate used in the order. Per Vat rate if B2B = if a VAT number of the customer is used for the order, a total is displayed for each VAT rate. If no VAT number is used, only one total is displayed for all VAT rates.
Subtotal (net, total)	Displays the net total value of the order items at the end of the invoice document. In addition, select whether the subtotal of order items is displayed summed up for all VAT rates, summed up per VAT rate or per VAT rate if B2B. Summed up for all VAT rates = only one subtotal is displayed on the invoice, regardless of how many VAT rates are used in the order. Per VAT rate = A separate subtotal is displayed for each VAT rate used in the order. Per VAT rate if B2B = if a VAT number of the customer is used for the order, a subtotal is displayed for each VAT rate. If no VAT number is used, only one subtotal is displayed for all VAT rates.
Subtotal (net, each page except for the last one)	Displays the net subtotal value of the order items on each page. On documents with several pages, the accumulated subtotal of all listed order items is displayed on all pages except on the last page.
Subtotal (margin scheme)	Only adds sums that are subject to the margin scheme. *Important:* The margin scheme setting in plentymarkets is an older customized implementation. The tax rate will be applied to the entire amount of the order items that the margin scheme applies to. In other words, the tax rate will not be applied to the difference between sales price and purchase price.
Coupon amount (net) and Coupon amount (gross)	These fields display the net or gross amount that has been covered by one or more coupons. Make sure to enter a field name in case you offer coupons in the online store. Otherwise, the coupon amount is not displayed on the invoice. Whether the coupon amount is net or gross depends on the kind of coupon and the kind of invoice.

3.7. Optional elements

In this area, you select optional elements. Barcodes and the cash on delivery note are examples for this. These elements are described below in more detail.

3.7.1. Barcode

The option Barcode can be created from the Order ID or from the document number. In addition, you can choose between EAN13 and Code128 as coding methods for the barcode. If you select the option EAN13 and your order ID consists of 6 digits, the missing numbers are added automatically. Leading zeros and a 1 are added at the beginning of the barcode so that the order ID is turned into an EAN13. If the order ID should be used exactly as it is, select the option Code128. In addition, choose if the digits are displayed below or within the barcode or if they should not be displayed at all.

3.7.2. Cash on delivery note

The cash on delivery note is only displayed on invoices belonging to orders with the payment method Cash on delivery. The default note is CASH ON DELIVERY plus the invoice amount. The option is activated with YES. Alternatively, enter a Name to submit an individual name instead of the default name CASH ON DELIVERY.

3.8. Optional elements below stock unit table

In the Optional elements below stock unit table area, you choose which elements appear below the list of order items in the document. Table 5 explains these elements, using the invoice document as an example.

Table 5. Optional elements below stock unit table
Setting	Explanation
Font size	Select the desired font size for the optional elements below the list of order items.
Column width	Select a column width for all optional elements listed below. These optional elements are positioned below the list of items on the document.
Delivery date	Select whether the Current month, the invoice date, the date of outgoing items or no delivery date should be displayed.
Payment due	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether the option is displayed on the document. If you select YES, you also have to indicate a Payment due date in days. When carrying out the setting, keep in mind that the payment due date saved in the customer data takes priority over this setting. If no payment due date is saved in the customer data, the payment due date saved for the customer class takes priority.
Incoming payment	The date is only displayed if the amount of the incoming payment is complete.
Value date/payment due/early payment discount	The template variables are filled with the values saved in the customer data. Pay attention to sample terms of payment on the Managing contacts manual page. If a value for value date is saved for the customer data, this value is used for the document. Otherwise, the value saved for Payment due or the value saved in the customer class is used. The last possibility is to use the number of days entered for the Payment due option for the document.
Payment due	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether the option is displayed on the document.
Payable (cash on delivery)	Enter texts for Field name left and Field name right that are displayed on invoices belonging to orders with the payment method Cash on delivery.
Show payment method	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether the payment method of the order is displayed.
Early payment discount	Select the amount in % and the payment due date in days. The following template variables are available: [Date1], [Date2], [Amount1], [Amount2], [Percent]. Use the setting Value date/payment due/early payment discount if you wish to display the early payment discount saved in the customer data on the invoice. *Note:* The option Payment due has to be set to YES so that the early payment discount entered in this field is displayed on the invoice.
Designated use	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether information on the designated use of the payment is displayed on the document.
Shipping method	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether the shipping method of the order is displayed on the document.
Shipping costs	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether the shipping costs saved with the order are displayed.
Delivery address	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether the payment method of the order is displayed.
Copy missing contact details from the invoice address to the delivery address	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether contact data missing in the delivery address should be copied from the invoice address of the customer.
Invoice address	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether the invoice address saved with the order is displayed.
External order number	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether the external order number of the order is displayed on the document.
External customer number	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether the external customer number is displayed on the document.
Print customer wish	Customers can enter specific wishes for their order in the My account area of the online store. Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether these customer wishes are displayed on the document.
Date/Signature	Select one of the options YES or NO to determine whether a text field for entering a date and signature is displayed on the document.
Tax note 1	Select the desired font size. Select one of the options Normal or Bold for the font style. Enter the desired tax note in the text field. The tax note is only displayed with for orders consisting of items being delivered into or within the EU for which the customer’s VAT number is known. This sample text valid for German legislation can be entered: Intra-community delivery according go §4 No. 1b in connection with $6 a UStG.
Tax note 2	See Tax note 1. This note is displayed for orders delivered to a country outside the EU. This sample text valid for German legislation can be entered: Export shipping according to $4 No. 1a in connection with $6 UstG*.
Note for margin scheme	See Tax note 1. This note is displayed if the margin scheme applies to items in the order. *Important:* The margin scheme setting in plentymarkets is an older customized implementation. The tax rate will be applied to the entire amount of the order items that the margin scheme applies to. In other words, the tax rate will not be applied to the difference between sales price and purchase price.
Note on country VAT	Determine whether a note on the country VAT is displayed on the document. This note is displayed if the default VAT rate is used for orders that are delivered abroad.
Standard payment note (debit)	For orders with the payment method direct debit, the note The invoice amount will be gratefully debited from your account is displayed on the invoice and delivery note. Activate the option Hide note if the note should not be displayed on the documents.
Payment instruction of the customer class	Select whether the payment instruction of the customer class is displayed on the document. For further information on the payment instruction of the customer class, refer to the Managing contacts page of the manual.
Payment instruction	Select a Payment method from the drop-down list. Enter the Payment instruction for the payment method in the text field. The payment instruction is not permanently linked to the payment method. If the payment method is changed via the drop-down list, the instruction entered in the text field remains the same. It is applied to the newly selected payment method.

4. Transferring document settings

Similar settings have to be carried out for each document. Thus, reduce the required time and effort by applying the default settings to a document or by transferring settings from one document to another.

Settings are overwritten

If you transfer settings to a document, the settings previously carried out for this document will be overwritten. Check the document settings and take note of the most important coordinates before using the transfer function.

4.1. Settings transfer

Transfer the settings for the German invoice document to the German delivery note, for example. In the document template for the delivery note, deactivate the elements that are not required or add further elements if needed.

This function also allows you to apply the settings for the German invoice documents to the document template for French invoices. This way, you do not have to manually enter the coordinates for the elements in each language. You only have to make the necessary changes for the texts of the particular language.

Proceed as described below to transfer settings to document templates.

Transferring settings from one document template to another:

Go to System » System settings » Client » Select client » Locations.
Select a location.
Open the Documents menu of the location.
Select the document whose settings you wish to transfer to another document.
Open the Transfer tab of the document.
In the Apply settings to target template, select the Location, the Language and the Target template of the document to which the settings should be transferred.
Click on Copy.

Use the preview function to compare documents

You can open a PDF Preview and print out the document for testing purposes. Use the preview to compare the document characteristics and decide whether transferring settings from one document template to another makes sense or whether too many settings have to be changed manually.

4.2. Applying default settings

Select Apply settings from default document template to transfer the default settings to an empty document or to reset the settings of a document to default values.

Applying default settings:

Go to System » System settings » Client » Select client » Locations » Select location » Documents.
Select the document to which the default settings should be applied.
Open the Transfer tab of the document.
Select the Language above the title of the tab.
In the Apply settings from default document template area, click on Apply.
→ The default settings are applied to the document.

5. Linking a PDF template

You need to provide the letterhead of your online store as a PDF template in your plentymarkets system. If you offer several payment methods with different information on payment procedures, you need a separate document template for each payment method.

Proceed as described below to upload a PDF file containing the letterhead of your store and link the PDF template to a localised document template.

Linking a PDF template to a localised document template:

Go to System » System settings » Client » Select client » Locations » Select location » Documents.
Select the document to which a PDF template should be linked.
Click on Add template.
→ A separate window containing options for uploading the PDF template opens.
Select the desired Payment method from the drop-down list.
Select the desired Language from the drop-down list.
Click on Choose template file and select the PDF file.
Click on Upload template.
→ The template is added and listed in the PDF template tab.
Use the Preview icon in the line next to the PDF template to display a preview of the template.
Switch to the Template tab and click on Preview to display a preview of the complete document and check your settings.
Correct the PDF template or the coordinates of the document template to eliminate overlapping content.
Save the settings.

Proceed as follows to link PDF templates to fulfilment documents.

Linking a PDF template to a fulfilment document template:

Go to System » System settings » Orders » Documents.
Select the document to which a PDF template should be linked.
Open the PDF template tab.
Open the New template tab.
Click on Select file to select the PDF file.
Save the settings.
Switch to the Templates tab and click on Preview to display a preview containing only the uploaded PDF template.
Open the tab Template and click on Preview to display a preview of the complete document.
Correct the PDF template or the coordinates of the document template to eliminate overlapping content.
Save the settings.

6. Defining number ranges

Number ranges are available for numerous documents. You can manage the number ranges in the Number range within a document. The number range consists of up to 5 digits and may contain numbers, letters and characters. The number range is placed in front of the actual number of the document.

Enter the first number in the field Number (starting value). This number will be used as a starting value. This does not necessarily have to be “1”. For example, if you already have numbered invoices in your system, you can start from the existing values and continue the numbering. If you want the number to consist of a certain amount of digits, enter the starting value with leading zeros (e.g. 00001). If documents with higher numbers already exist in the system, these will be used.

Using the example of invoice documents, the following instruction describes how to define a number range. Proceed the same way for other documents.

Defining a number range for invoices:

Go to System » System settings » Client » Select client » Locations » Select location » Documents » Invoice.
Select the desired Language from the drop-down list.
Open the tab Number range.
Enter a prefix for the number range consisting of up to 5 numbers and/or letters in the field Number range, e.g. 2016.
→ Add a hyphen at the end of the prefix to separate the prefix from the actual document number.
Enter the first invoice number for the number range in the field Number (starting value), e.g. 00001.
→ The invoice numbers are assigned starting from this number (in this example 201500001).
Save the settings.

Several locations

If you wish to use number ranges for more than one location, you have the following options:
One number range for multiple locations
The numbers are counted upwards for all locations. Thus, each number is only assigned once. Select the same number range for every document and every location to use this method.
Note: This method can only be used for locations belonging to the same client. It is not possible to assign a number range to multiple locations belonging to different clients.
Unique number ranges for each location
Specific number ranges can be defined per location and per document, e.g. by including an abbreviation for the location in the number range. The numbers are counted upwards within each number range. Thus, they can occur repeatedly within a client.

In addition, you can assign number ranges for individual countries. The document number is then assigned on the basis of the country indicated in the recipient’s address. Proceed as described below to assign number ranges for individual countries. Again, defining number ranges is explained using the example of invoices. However, keep in mind that creating individual number ranges per country does not always make sense. Contact your tax advisor before carrying out this setting.

Defining a number range per country for invoices:

Go to System » System settings » Client » Select client » Locations » Select location » Documents » Invoice.
Select the desired Language from the drop-down list.
Open the tab Number range.
Expand the menu Numbering per country.
In the field Numbering for the individual countries, enter a Prefix consisting of up to 5 numbers and/or letters for the number range, e.g. 16DE for Germany.
In the field Number (starting value) for the individual countries, enter the number that should be assigned to the first invoice, e.g. 00001.
→ The invoice numbers are assigned for each country starting with this number.
Save the settings.

Deleting or editing a number range

Do not remove a number range once you have started generating PDF documents that contain the number range. However, you can edit number ranges even when they are already in use. The changed number range has to differ from all other number ranges that are already in use. In other words, you have to change at least one digit or add a digit to an existing number range. However, you must not remove a digit. Example: If the previous number range was 13IN, 13I is not permitted as a new number range, but 13IN0 is.

7. Automating subsequent procedures

After having set up the document templates, you can set up automatic procedures in the System » System settings » Orders » Events menu. One interesting possibility is automatically booking outgoing items as soon as an invoice is generated. You can also set up further procedures, such as automatically sending emails.

8. Tax information for foreign shipments

In general, we recommend contacting your tax advisor to discuss all fiscally relevant contents in your document template before using them.

8.1. EU delivery

For deliveries to countries belonging to the European Union and if a VAT number is available, the invoice is automatically created containing net prices. To comply with tax regulations, your own VAT number as well as the customer’s VAT number have to be displayed on the invoice. In addition, a note has to be displayed.

The customer’s VAT number is available as a data field in the Positioning the mandatory fields section. Position the customer’s VAT number in the upper section of the invoice by entering coordinates.

The data field Tax note 1 is available in the Optional elements below stock unit table section. This data field is displayed with deliveries to the EU if the customer’s VAT number is available.

Example: Sample note for Germany

“Export shipping according to $4 No. 1a in connection with $6 UStG.”

8.2. Export shipments

Export shipments are deliveries to a country outside the EU. Invoices for export shipments are also created with net prices. For this purpose, a note containing tax information has to be displayed as well.

The data field Tax note 2 is available.

The required tax notes vary from case to case. Consult your tax advisor on the appropriate wording.

9. Margin scheme for order items in documents

There are two settings for displaying order items and sums that are subject to the margin scheme on invoices, dunning letters and credit notes:

Subtotal for order items to which the margin scheme applies
Note on order items to which the margin scheme applies

For these settings to take effect and be displayed on documents, go to System » System settings » Client » Select client » Locations » Select location » Accounting » Tab: VAT rates and select one of the 4 VAT rates for the option Margin scheme for the default country. The margin scheme setting in plentymarkets is an older customized implementation. The tax rate will be applied to the entire amount of the order items that the margin scheme applies to. In other words, the tax rate will not be applied to the difference between sales price and purchase price.