Customizing PDF documents in NetSuite does not have to be a daunting task. This series of articles will suggest tips that will help you to customize PDFs quickly and efficiently.
Size your logo in an external program then import to NetSuite
Use an external photo editing tool like the Windows Paint app to resize your logo then upload to NetSuite in the Company Logo (Forms) field of the Company Information settings. All forms will then point to this file for the logo to print on forms.
Use external sites for color matching
When adding accents like lines and highlights, you may want to match your company colors. To get a good color match use an external website like http://www.colorexplorer.com/imageimport.aspx to upload an image that contains your company colors. Then select the particular color that you want to use as an accent. You will get the hex color code which you can use in your source code CSS.
Use If/Else FreeMarker tags to conditionally show elements on the PDF
Sometimes you want to conditionally show elements in your PDF. An example of this would be drop ship packing lists where your customer does not want your branding on the printout. To do this create a checkbox field in the UI that if checked would indicate that you do not want your branding printed. Then in the PDF source code you’ll reference that field in an <#if> tag. This is a very powerful FreeMarker tool that I use all the time. For more info on how to use the FreeMarker <#if> tag check out this website: https://freemarker.apache.org/docs/ref_directive_if.html
Switch to WYSIWYG mode to view the list of data points available
Sometimes it can be daunting trying to determine what the correct syntax is to reference a UI field when using the source code mode to edit PDF templates. A quick way to get answers is to switch to WYSIWYG mode and click on the plus icon. This will give you a list of fields available and their syntax for use in the source code.
Add comments to your source code by using the <!> tag
Always comment your source code. It will make it easier to troubleshoot and maintain. To comment in your PDF source code use the <!– your comment here–> tag.
Change font to your company font
Your company may want to maintain marketing consistency in their customer facing materials. One way to do that is to use a preferred company font. This may not be the default font referenced in the NetSuite PDF. To change this font, upload the font family to the file cabine
t. Make sure the file records are Available Without Login. Then reference the file URL in the source of the link tag at the top of the PDF source code.
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