How to Add a Footer in Sage 50

Sage 50 is one of the most established and widely used accounting programs for small and medium-sized businesses. It provides users with powerful tools for bookkeeping, invoicing, reporting, payroll, and inventory management. One of its many features that helps businesses maintain a professional image is the ability to customize invoices and other forms, including the addition of a footer.

Adding a footer in Sage 50 may seem like a small detail, but it plays an important role in creating consistent, branded, and compliant financial documents. Whether you want to include legal information, payment terms, or a thank-you message, the footer is the perfect section to do so.

Understanding What a Footer Is

In Sage 50, the footer is the section that appears at the bottom of your invoices, statements, quotes, or purchase orders. It is part of your document layout and appears automatically on every page.

The footer typically contains static information that remains the same for all invoices—details like company contact information, payment instructions, registration numbers, or disclaimers. It’s also an ideal spot for a short thank-you message or a line that reinforces your brand identity.

This information gives your invoice a professional polish and ensures your clients have all the essential details they need at a glance.

Why Adding a Footer Matters

Many businesses underestimate the value of a well-designed footer. It can:

• Enhance professionalism: A clean, consistent footer gives your invoices a polished look.
• Ensure compliance: Some regions require invoices to include company registration numbers, VAT numbers, or addresses. The footer is an ideal place for this.
• Provide clarity: Including payment details in the footer ensures customers always know where and how to pay.
• Reinforce branding: Adding a slogan, tagline, or thank-you message makes your documents more personal.
• Save time: Once set up, the footer appears automatically on every invoice you create, reducing manual edits.

With these benefits in mind, let’s explore how to add and customize a footer in Sage 50.

Step 1: Open Sage 50 and Access Forms

Start by opening Sage 50 on your computer and logging into your company data file.

To add a footer, you’ll be editing your invoice or form layout, which Sage 50 stores in its Forms section.

From the main menu, go to Reports & Forms, then select Forms. Depending on the type of document you want to edit (for example, an invoice, statement, or quote), choose the appropriate category.

For invoices, you’ll typically navigate to:

Reports & Forms → Forms → Invoices and Packing Slips

You’ll see a list of available invoice templates stored on your system.

Step 2: Select the Template You Want to Edit

Browse the list of templates until you find the one you currently use for customer invoices. If you’re unsure which one your system uses, check your default settings under Customer Defaults or Maintain Forms.

Once you locate your template, highlight it and click Customize. This opens the Forms Designer, the tool that allows you to modify the layout, add or remove text fields, and control how your invoices appear when printed or emailed.

The Forms Designer is powerful but straightforward once you understand its layout.

Step 3: Familiarize Yourself with the Form Layout

When the form opens in the Forms Designer, you’ll see different sections that represent parts of your invoice. These typically include:

• Header (company name, logo, and contact details)
• Body (itemized list of products or services)
• Totals area (subtotal, taxes, total due)
• Footer (the bottom section of the page)

You can scroll down to the lower portion of the layout to locate the footer section. If you’re designing a multi-page invoice, remember that the footer appears on each page unless you set it differently.

Step 4: Open the Footer Section

Click within the bottom section of the form, below the totals area. This is your footer zone. You may already see some elements there, such as page numbers or a default message like “Thank you for your business.”

If you don’t see any text in the footer area, that’s fine — you can create it yourself.

Step 5: Add a Text Field

In the Forms Designer toolbar, find the Text tool (often represented by an “A” icon or a label called “Insert Text”). Click it to activate the tool.

Then click inside the footer area where you want your text to appear. This creates a text box that you can move, resize, and edit.

Once placed, double-click the text box to open the Text Properties window.

Step 6: Enter Your Footer Text

In the text box that appears, type the content you want to display in your footer. This could include:

• A thank-you message: “Thank you for your prompt payment.”
• Payment details: “Bank Account: 12345678, Sort Code: 00-00-00.”
• Legal information: “Registered in England No. 4567890. VAT No. GB123456789.”
• Company contact details: “ABC Ltd | 123 Business Street | London | info@abcltd.com.”
• Slogan or tagline: “Quality and Service You Can Trust.”

You can include multiple lines of text. Use the Enter key to create new lines and separate different sections (for example, separating payment instructions from disclaimers).

Keep your message concise. The goal is to make the footer informative but not cluttered.

Step 7: Format the Text

After typing your footer content, use the formatting options in the Forms Designer to style it.

You can adjust:

• Font type and size to match your invoice design.
• Bold or italic styles to highlight key details like payment deadlines.
• Text alignment (left, center, or right) for a clean layout.
• Text color if you want to match your company’s branding (though black or dark gray is usually best for readability).

You can also resize or reposition the text box by dragging its edges or corners until it sits neatly at the bottom of the page.  Make sure it’s not overlapping other fields such as totals, notes, or page numbers.

Step 8: Add Dynamic Fields (Optional)

Sage 50 allows you to insert dynamic fields in your forms. These are placeholders that automatically fill in information from your company or transaction data.

For example, instead of typing your company name manually, you can insert a dynamic field that pulls it directly from your company setup. This ensures accuracy and saves time if your details ever change.

To add a dynamic field, click Insert Field on the toolbar, select Company Information, and choose the data you want to include, such as company name or address. Place it within the footer section as needed.

You can mix dynamic fields with static text. For instance:

“Thank you for your business! Please make payment to [Company Name] within 30 days.”

Step 9: Preview Your Footer

Before saving your work, it’s essential to preview how your invoice will look with the new footer.

Click Preview or Print Preview in the toolbar. This shows a sample invoice as it will appear to customers, including your new footer.

Check that the footer text is visible, well-aligned, and not too close to the edge of the page. Make sure it prints correctly on both digital and hard copies.

If it doesn’t look right, close the preview, return to the layout editor, and adjust positioning or font size until it fits neatly.

Step 10: Save the Customized Form

Once you’re satisfied with your footer, click File → Save As to create a new version of the invoice layout. Give it a descriptive name, such as “Invoice_with_Footer” or “Standard Invoice Updated.”

Saving it as a new file allows you to keep the original form intact in case you ever want to revert to it.

After saving, close the Forms Designer.

Step 11: Set the New Template as Default

Now that you’ve created your customized invoice template, set it as your default form so that it’s used automatically.

From the main menu, go to Maintain → Forms, locate your new template, and set it as the default for invoices.

From now on, every invoice you print or email will include your newly added footer.

Step 12: Test the Footer on a Real Invoice

It’s always a good idea to run a real-world test. Create a sample invoice for a customer and generate a print or PDF preview.

Look at the bottom of the document to confirm that the footer appears correctly. Check for alignment, spacing, and readability.

If you notice that it’s too close to the bottom margin or looks cramped, you can reopen the form and adjust its placement slightly upward.

Step 13: Edit or Update the Footer Later

As your business evolves, you might need to update your footer,  for example, if your bank account changes, you move offices, or your legal details are updated.

To edit the footer later, simply reopen the same form in the Forms Designer, make your changes, and save again.

You can also create multiple templates with different footers,  for example, one for domestic customers and another for international clients with different payment instructions.

Step 14: Best Practices for Footer Design

A good footer should be functional, compliant, and visually balanced. Here are a few best practices:

1. Keep it concise: Limit the footer to two to four lines of essential information.
2. Be clear: Use plain, direct language for payment instructions or disclaimers.
3. Stay compliant: Include required details such as company number or VAT ID.
4. Be consistent: Use the same footer design across all forms to reinforce your brand.
5. Ensure readability: Avoid small fonts or colors that blend into the background.
6. Add a touch of personality: A short thank-you line makes your invoice more personable.

Following these guidelines will help your footer look professional and functional without distracting from the main invoice content.

Step 15: Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sometimes, users encounter small issues when adding or editing a footer in Sage 50. Here are a few quick fixes:

Footer doesn’t appear on printed invoices:
Make sure the text box is within the printable area. Adjust margins if needed.

Footer overlaps totals or page numbers:
Drag the text box lower on the layout, but leave a small margin above the edge of the page.

Footer cuts off on multi-page invoices:
Use the “Print on All Pages” setting for consistency across pages.

Text looks misaligned or distorted:
Check your printer settings and ensure scaling is set to 100 percent for accurate layout.

These small adjustments can make a big difference in your final printed results.

Step 16: Using Footers Beyond Invoices

While invoices are the most common document to include footers, Sage 50 allows you to apply the same principle to other forms like quotes, statements, and purchase orders.

To do this, simply open the desired form under the relevant section (for example, Reports & Forms → Forms → Sales Orders) and repeat the same steps to add a footer.

Using consistent footer information across all documents creates a unified brand image and ensures all communications are professional.

Your invoices and financial documents reflect your company’s professionalism. Clients often judge your business credibility by how organized and polished your paperwork appears.  A clean, well-structured footer contributes to this image. It shows attention to detail, reinforces your brand, and ensures clients have all necessary information without confusion.  It’s a small investment of time that pays off through improved client trust and smoother payment processes.

Adding a footer in Sage 50 is a straightforward process, but one that can significantly elevate the quality and professionalism of your invoices. By using the Forms Designer, you can insert custom text, payment instructions, or legal details that appear automatically on every document.  From the Reports & Forms menu to saving and previewing your customized layout, the process gives you full control over how your invoices look and what information they convey.  Whether you use the footer for compliance details, a simple thank-you note, or branded messaging, it ensures your documents stand out as professional and trustworthy.

With a well-designed footer, your Sage 50 invoices become not just payment requests but professional representations of your business,  clear, compliant, and polished from top to bottom.