How to Add Different Colors in QuickBooks Online

When you send an invoice to a client, you’re not just asking for payment — you’re representing your brand. A well-designed, professional-looking invoice reflects the personality of your business. One of the easiest and most effective ways to make your invoices stand out is by adding your company colors.

If you use QuickBooks, whether it’s QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop, you can easily customize invoice templates to include your brand’s color palette, fonts, and logos. Adding color not only enhances your invoice’s appearance but also improves readability and brand recognition.

Why Add Colors to QuickBooks Invoices?

Before diving into the process, it’s helpful to understand why adding color is valuable. Color plays a key role in branding and visual communication. It helps convey your company’s personality, guides the reader’s eye, and differentiates your documents from generic templates.

When you apply your company’s official colors to your invoices, you:

• Reinforce brand identity. Clients recognize your business instantly when your colors are consistent across invoices, websites, and marketing materials.
• Enhance readability. Strategic use of color can draw attention to important details like totals, due dates, or your logo.
• Improve professionalism. Clean, well-designed invoices with subtle color schemes look polished and trustworthy.
• Make a lasting impression. A visually appealing invoice helps your business stand out from competitors who rely on plain black-and-white layouts.

That said, color should be used carefully. The goal is to enhance your design, not overwhelm it.

Customizing Invoice Colors in QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online makes customizing invoice colors simple through its built-in “Customize” tool. You can access templates and apply color changes directly from your browser.

Step 1: Access the Custom Form Styles

1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online account.
2. From the left-hand menu, click Settings (the gear icon).
3. Under “Your Company,” choose Custom form styles.
4. This page shows all your saved invoice templates.

If you already have a custom template, you can edit it. If not, click New style and select Invoice to create one from scratch.

Step 2: Choose a Template Design

QuickBooks Online offers several default styles, such as Airy, Bold, Friendly, or Modern. These templates determine the basic layout and structure of your invoice.

Choose one that aligns with your business image. For example, a creative agency might choose “Airy” for a clean, modern look, while a law firm might prefer the more formal “Bold” style.

Once you’ve selected a base style, you’ll be able to change the colors, fonts, and layout to suit your brand.

Step 3: Open the Design Tab

In the customization window, click the Design tab. This is where you can personalize your invoice’s visual elements.

The Design section typically includes options to:

• Add or remove your logo
• Change colors
• Choose fonts and sizes
• Adjust print settings

Step 4: Add or Modify Your Logo

Before changing colors, upload your logo if you haven’t already. Your logo often determines which colors you should use on the rest of the invoice.

1. In the Design tab, click Add your logo.
2. Browse and upload your logo file (PNG or JPG format).
3. Adjust the logo placement and size.

QuickBooks automatically picks up a primary color from your logo to use as the default accent color. You can keep this or change it manually to match your company’s palette.

Step 5: Choose a Theme Color

Under Choose a color, select your preferred accent color. This color applies to major elements such as:

• Header bars
• Section titles
• Invoice total highlights
• Lines and dividers

You can either pick a preset color or enter a hex code or RGB value for exact brand matching.

For instance, if your company’s brand color is navy blue, you could enter a hex code such as #003366. This ensures your invoices look consistent with your website and other branded materials.

Step 6: Preview and Adjust

QuickBooks Online provides a live preview of your invoice as you make changes.  As you adjust colors, review how the invoice appears both on screen and in print preview. Check that text is easy to read against colored backgrounds and that key information stands out.  If you want to create variation, such as using one color for headings and another for totals, you can modify those individually through the Content section.

Step 7: Customize Colors in Content Sections

Click the Content tab to dive deeper into section-specific settings. Here, the invoice is divided into three main areas:

• Header (company name, logo, invoice number)
• Table (line items, descriptions, quantities)
• Footer (totals, terms, payment instructions)

Select each section to adjust details such as:

• Font color
• Background color (in supported templates)
• Border color
• Text alignment

For example, you might use a soft gray background in the footer to subtly separate totals from line items.  Once satisfied, click Done to save your changes.

Step 8: Save and Set as Default

After customizing your colors and layout, give the template a descriptive name such as “Branded Invoice – Blue Theme.”

You can create multiple templates with different color schemes — one for standard clients and another for specific projects. To make a color template your default:

1. Go back to Custom form styles.
2. Locate your preferred design.
3. Select the drop-down menu and choose Make default.

Now every new invoice you create will automatically use your colored template.

Design Best Practices for Using Color in Invoices

Adding color is a powerful way to personalize your invoices, but the right approach matters. Keep these principles in mind:

1. Use your brand colors.
Consistency builds recognition. Use the same shades as your logo or website. If your brand uses two main colors, apply one for headers and accents, and the other for smaller highlights.

2. Maintain readability.
Ensure all text remains clear. Dark text on a light background is ideal for most invoices. Avoid low contrast combinations such as yellow text on white or red text on black.

3. Keep it minimal.
Too many colors can look unprofessional. Stick to two or three colors maximum — a primary, a secondary, and a neutral (like black or gray).

4. Test print your design.
Always print a test invoice to see how colors look on paper. Adjust if they appear too dark, faded, or difficult to read.

5. Use color strategically.
Highlight key areas like totals, due dates, or section dividers. Subtle accents are more effective than large, distracting blocks of color.

6. Match your logo.
Your logo’s colors should guide the overall design. Repeating those colors in headings or borders makes your invoice look cohesive.

Common Issues

1. Colors not displaying correctly in print:
Check your printer settings to ensure color printing is enabled. Some printers default to grayscale.

2. Logo colors don’t match:
QuickBooks may slightly alter colors during upload. Use high-resolution PNG files for better accuracy.

3. Invoice appears cluttered:
Simplify your layout. Reduce unnecessary color blocks or text elements that compete for attention.

4. Clients complain about dark printouts:
Use lighter shades for large background areas. Save strong colors for small accents or headings.

Adding different colors to QuickBooks invoices is one of the simplest ways to transform plain financial documents into professional, branded communications. Whether you use QuickBooks Online or Desktop, the process is straightforward:  upload your logo, choose your colors, adjust fonts, and preview the results until they perfectly match your company’s image.

Color enhances not only the aesthetic appeal of your invoices but also the perception of your business. A thoughtfully designed invoice communicates attention to detail, organization, and professionalism,  all of which strengthen your client relationships.  By following the steps in this guide and applying design best practices, you can create invoices that are not only functional but visually aligned with your brand identity, ensuring every transaction reflects the quality and consistency of your business.