How to Add Different Colors in Zoho Invoices

Invoices play a major role in how your business presents itself to clients. They’re more than just billing documents,  they reflect your professionalism, brand identity, and attention to detail. One simple but powerful way to make your invoices stand out is by adding your company’s signature colors.

Zoho Invoice, a popular cloud-based invoicing and billing platform, makes this process easy. Its design tools let you personalize invoice templates with your business colors, logos, and formatting preferences. Customizing your invoice color scheme gives your documents a professional touch, helps reinforce your brand identity, and enhances the overall client experience.

Why Use Color in Your Invoices

Before diving into the technical process, it’s helpful to understand why color customization is important. Color is a powerful design tool that communicates mood, structure, and brand identity. When used properly, it makes your invoices more attractive and readable.

Here are several benefits of adding color to your Zoho invoices:

1. Brand Recognition: Consistent color schemes that match your company’s logo and website strengthen your brand presence.
2. Professional Appearance: Well-designed invoices look polished and leave a positive impression on clients.
3. Improved Readability: Strategic use of color can guide the reader’s eye to important sections like totals, payment details, or due dates.
4. Visual Hierarchy: Different colors can separate headers, line items, and footers, making the document easier to follow.
5. Consistency Across Materials: When your invoices share the same look and feel as your other customer-facing materials, you project professionalism and reliability.

The key is moderation,  a few thoughtfully placed color accents can transform a plain invoice into a professional and memorable document.

Step 1: Accessing Your Invoice Templates in Zoho Invoice

The first step in adding colors to your invoices is to access the customization tools within Zoho Invoice.

1. Log in to your Zoho Invoice account.
2. From the main dashboard, go to the Settings icon, usually found in the upper-right corner.
3. Under the “Preferences” section, select Templates.
4. Choose Invoices from the list of document types.

You’ll now see a gallery of available invoice templates, each with a different layout and style. You can choose an existing template or create a new one.

Step 2: Choosing the Right Template

Zoho Invoice provides multiple pre-designed templates, each optimized for different types of businesses. Selecting the right base template is important because it determines how your color choices will appear throughout the document.  Templates such as “Classic,” “Modern,” or “Contemporary” offer varying design structures — some are minimalist, while others have bold header sections or accent boxes.

Select the one that best suits your brand personality. For instance:

• A creative agency might choose a template with bold color blocks and modern typography.
• A consulting firm might prefer a minimalist layout with subtle accent colors.

Once you have selected your base template, you can customize its colors and other design elements to match your company’s visual identity.

Step 3: Opening the Template Editor

After choosing a template, click Edit to open the Template Editor. This tool allows you to modify layout, fonts, and color elements across different sections of your invoice.

The Template Editor is divided into several key areas:

• Header: Contains your logo, company name, and invoice title.
• Body: Displays line items, quantities, and pricing.
• Footer: Includes payment terms, notes, and contact details.

Each section has customizable properties, including color, font style, and alignment.

Step 4: Adding and Adjusting Colors

In Zoho Invoice, colors can be applied to various parts of the invoice, such as:

• Header background and text
• Section dividers and table borders
• Font color for labels and values
• Totals section and due amount fields

To change colors, follow these steps:

1. Within the Template Editor, select the section or element you want to customize.
2. Look for the Color Picker or Theme Color option.
3. Choose from preset colors or use a custom color by entering a HEX or RGB code.
4. Apply your desired color and preview the change immediately in the live preview pane.

Zoho saves your color selections automatically as part of the template design.  If you have official brand colors, using their specific HEX or RGB codes ensures consistency with your company’s website, logo, and marketing materials.

Step 5: Customizing Header and Logo Colors

The header is often the first part of the invoice your client sees, making it a prime area to showcase your brand identity.

Adding a logo:

1. In the header section, click the Logo field.
2. Upload your company logo (PNG format with transparent background recommended).
3. Adjust its size and position to align neatly with the invoice title or company name.

Matching header color to your logo:
If your logo includes a dominant color,  for example, blue or green,  apply that same shade to your header background, title text, or dividers.  You can do this by selecting the header background and choosing the corresponding color code. Using your logo color ties the entire document together and reinforces brand recognition.

Step 6: Adjusting Text and Label Colors

Zoho Invoice allows you to customize the color of text elements across the document. You can modify:

• Invoice title (e.g., “Invoice” or “Tax Invoice”)
• Section headers (like “Bill To,” “Ship To,” and “Invoice Details”)
• Field labels (such as “Subtotal,” “Tax,” “Total,” etc.)
• Body text and item descriptions

For best results, use darker shades for text and lighter shades for backgrounds. This ensures clarity when printed or viewed digitally.

To edit text colors:

1. Click on any text label in the template preview.
2. Open the color menu next to the text formatting options.
3. Choose your preferred color or enter a custom code.
4. Preview and save your changes.

You can apply the same text color throughout the invoice or use different colors for different sections to create subtle contrast.

Step 7: Adding Color to the Totals Section

The totals section,  where subtotals, taxes, and the grand total are displayed,  is the most critical part of the invoice. This area should be both visually appealing and easy to locate.

To customize it:

1. Select the totals section in the Template Editor.
2. Modify the background color to a slightly darker or lighter shade than the rest of the invoice.
3. Adjust the text color for the “Total Amount” field to stand out — for instance, bold white text on a blue background or dark text on a light background.

Avoid using too many bright or saturated colors in this area; instead, choose subtle contrasts that maintain a professional look.

Step 8: Adding Accent Colors

Accent colors are smaller color elements used for details like lines, dividers, and icons. These touches add sophistication to your design.

To add accent colors:

1. Locate the lines or borders in your template (for example, between the header and body).
2. Click on the line or border to open its style settings.
3. Choose a complementary accent color that matches your overall theme.

Using accent colors effectively can make your invoice look polished without being overwhelming.

Step 9: Adjusting Background Colors

If your template supports background customization, you can add a soft background color to certain sections or to the entire invoice.  However, full-page backgrounds can affect printing clarity, so it’s often better to restrict background colors to specific areas, like the header or footer.  Choose muted, light tones such as pale gray, light beige, or soft blue to avoid overpowering the text.

To apply background color:

1. Select the section in the editor.
2. Click Background Color in the customization options.
3. Pick your desired color or input a custom value.
4. Save and preview.

Step 10: Previewing and Testing Your Design

Once you have made your color adjustments, use the preview function to check how your invoice looks on screen and in print format.

Examine the following aspects carefully:

• Are all text elements legible?
• Does the invoice reflect your company’s branding consistently?
• Do colors look balanced, not too bright or dull?

You can also send a test invoice to your own email address or download it as a PDF to verify how colors appear in different formats.

Step 11: Saving and Applying the Template

After finalizing your color scheme, save your customized template. You can name it something descriptive like “Brand Colors Invoice” or “Modern Blue Invoice.”

To make it your default template:

1. Go to the Templates section.
2. Hover over your new template.
3. Click Mark as Default.

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

Step 12: Maintaining a Professional Look

When designing invoices, color enhances appeal, but professionalism and readability should always come first. Here are some best practices:

1. Use brand consistency. Stick to two or three colors that reflect your brand’s personality.
2. Ensure contrast. Dark text on a light background (or vice versa) ensures easy reading.
3. Avoid clutter. Too many design elements can make your invoice confusing.
4. Keep it printer-friendly. Light shades and minimal solid blocks help reduce ink consumption and ensure clear printouts.
5. Align with your logo. Use the primary and secondary colors from your logo to maintain harmony across all branding materials.

Common Issues

Even with careful design, you may encounter a few challenges while customizing colors in Zoho Invoice. Here are common problems and solutions:

Colors appear differently on printouts:
Printers interpret colors differently from screens. To fix this, adjust the brightness or saturation and perform another test print.

Text hard to read:
Increase color contrast. For example, switch from gray text on a colored background to black text or a darker shade.

Logo colors clash with invoice theme:
Try neutral background colors such as white or light gray so your logo remains the focal point.

Too much color distraction:
Simplify your palette. Limit colors to key areas like headers, totals, and accents.

Creating Multiple Color Versions

Zoho Invoice allows you to create and save multiple templates. This is helpful if you want to use different color schemes for different purposes — for example, one color scheme for domestic clients and another for international clients.

To create multiple designs:

1. Duplicate your customized template.
2. Change its name and adjust the color scheme slightly.
3. Save each version separately.

This feature gives you flexibility while maintaining brand consistency.

Regularly Review and Update Your Design

Your company’s branding may evolve over time, so it’s good practice to review your invoice design periodically. Update color schemes when you change your logo, adopt new brand colors, or refine your marketing visuals.  Consistent updates ensure your invoices always reflect your company’s most current and professional image.

Adding different colors in Zoho Invoices is a simple yet powerful way to elevate your business communications. Through careful use of the platform’s built-in customization tools, you can transform basic invoices into branded documents that reflect your company’s professionalism and identity.

By following the steps above,  choosing the right template, applying consistent brand colors, adjusting text and background shades, and previewing your design,  you can create invoices that are both functional and visually appealing.  Color adds character, reinforces trust, and enhances the client’s overall experience with your business. Whether you prefer bold modern hues or subtle, elegant shades, Zoho Invoice gives you the flexibility to create invoices that represent your brand perfectly,  every time you send one out.