Print Templates
Print templates in Helm WMS decide how your paperwork looks, from packing slips and invoices to pick lists, gift notes and barcode labels. This article shows how to create and edit one, choose its size, and set the default for each document.
How Print Templates Work in Helm
Every document Helm prints comes from a print template: a page layout holding your branding, any fixed wording, and variables that fill in each order's or product's details. Each template has a Type, which is the document it produces, and a Size, which is the paper or label it prints on.
A type can have several templates, and one of them is marked Default. Where particular orders need different paperwork, such as a branded packing slip for one store or a gift note for gift orders, Document Rules choose which template prints.
Example: a business runs two brands from one warehouse. It keeps the ready-made Packing Slip A4 as the default, duplicates it to make a second packing slip with the other brand's image, and adds a document rule so orders from that brand's store print the new one. Packers print as usual and every parcel gets the right brand.
Before You Start
Where to find it: go to Settings > System Settings > Print Template Settings. The page is headed Print Templates.
Start from what is there: Helm comes with ready-made templates for each type, such as Invoice A4, Packing Slip A4, Gift Note, Purchase Order, Cheat Sheet and the Pick lists.
Match your printers: each paper size you print needs a default printer, set in System Defaults under Default Printers.
Set your branding first: store images come from each store's page, covered in Store Settings.
Document Types & Sizes
The Type decides which document a template produces and which details it can show.
When you pick a size, Helm lists the Recommended sizes for that type first and the rest under Other. Pick lists appear on the page as three quick filters: Tote, Bulk and Order by Order.
Note: choose the size that matches the paper or labels actually loaded in the printer. A packing slip built for A4 will not fit a 6x4 label.
Reading the Print Templates Page
The page opens as a grid of previews. Each card shows the template's name, its type, its size and how many tags it has. The default for each type is labelled Default, and inactive templates are grouped under Inactive Templates at the bottom.
Use the Print Templates Quick Filters along the top to show one document type, or the list icon to switch to a table with Template Name, Size, Type, Status and Actions. The Actions menu on each template holds Set as Default, Duplicate, Add Tag, Test Print and Delete.
How to Create a Print Template in Helm
Click Create New.
Enter a Name, then choose the Type and Size.
Click Create New, then start from a blank page or from one of the library templates.
Design the page in the editor, described below.
Click Preview to check it, then Save Template.
Tip: the quickest way to a new template is to open Actions on a ready-made one and choose Duplicate. You start with a working layout and only change what is different.
Designing in the Print Editor
Click a template to open it in the editor. The page fills the screen, with these tools around it:
Components: the toolbar along the top holds Image, Text, Shape, Divider, Table, Variable and Barcode. Drag one onto the page to add it.
Properties: click any element to open its properties on the right, including its position and size, fill, text colour, border and font.
Contents: the arrow on the left opens Contents, listing the template's pages and every element on the current page.
Template settings: the pencil beside the name opens Edit Template, where you change the Name, Type and Size, switch Page Number on or off, and choose whether to Include cover page and Include end page.
View: zoom in and out from the controls above the page, and switch the grid on or off.
Pages
A template can have a Cover Page, a Body Page and an End Page. When an order has more items than fit, the content carries on from the point marked Content Overflows Here onto further pages, so a long pick list or packing slip never gets cut short.
Tables of Items
A table lists the lines on an order, such as products on a packing slip. Select it and open the Layout tab to set its Table Type and Row Height, and to add, remove or Arrange Columns. Each column has a Title and a Field showing a variable or an image. The Totals tab adds total rows under the table.
Heads up: if an element sits outside the page margins, the editor shows a warning. Click Move them into frame, otherwise that part may not print.
Adding Details With Variables
Print templates use variables written with a dollar sign inside curly brackets, such as {$order_number}, {$order_date}, {$item_name}, {$item_code} and {$item_quantity}. When the document prints, each one is replaced with that order's or product's details.
To see what a table can show, select it, open Layout and click See Variables. The list gives each variable with a description and a copy button.
Note: email templates write variables without the dollar sign, such as {order_number}. Copy variables from the list in the editor you are working in, as described in Email Templates.
Testing & Setting the Default
Preview: click Preview in the editor to see the template filled with sample order details.
Test print: click Test Print in the preview, or open Actions on the template and choose Test Print, to check it on real paper or labels.
Make it the default: open Actions and choose Set as Default. The card then shows Default.
Check what printed: every document sent to a printer appears in the Printing Queue.
Heads up: a new default changes the paperwork your team prints from then on. Preview and test print a template before you set it as the default.
Best Practices & Notes
Duplicate Before You Edit
Keep the ready-made templates untouched and edit copies. If a change goes wrong, the original is still there to compare with or switch back to.
Give Barcodes Room
Scanners need clear space around a barcode. Keep text, lines and images away from its edges, and test print it before your team relies on it.
Save Before You Leave the Editor
Click Save Template when you finish, and check the template's name in the list afterwards, so you always know which version your team is printing.
Name by Brand, Document & Size
A name such as "NineTees Packing Slip A4" tells everyone which template a document rule is using without opening it.
FAQ
How do I print a different packing slip for one store?
How do I print a different packing slip for one store?
Create the template, then add a document rule that uses it for that store's orders. Document Rules covers setting one up.
Why is part of my document cut off?
Why is part of my document cut off?
Either the template's Size does not match the paper or labels in the printer, or an element sits outside the margins. Check the size in Edit Template and look for the margin warning in the editor.
Where do I choose which printer a template uses?
Where do I choose which printer a template uses?
Printers are set by paper size in System Defaults under Default Printers.
Can I see whether a document actually printed?
Can I see whether a document actually printed?
Yes. The Printing Queue lists every document sent to a printer, with its status.
If you are still stuck, contact Helm Support.
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