#Expense report template google docs how to

But it’s best to stick with black for the color for the main body of text in your template. You can also format blocks of text such as paragraphs in columns and/or set indentation, margins that are narrower than the page margins, and spacing between the lines of text.Īnother way to make certain text elements stand out is by changing the color of the text or adding colored highlighting using the Text color and Highlight color icons in the toolbar. IDGįormat the styles of various text elements in your template. Similarly, you can create a placeholder list by clicking the down arrow next to the Bulleted list or Numbered list icon in the toolbar and choosing a style for the bulleted or numbered list. Then all someone using your template needs to do is replace the headline text with their own.

For example, you can create a placeholder for a heading, which has larger text, by selecting the text, selecting Normal text in the toolbar, and choosing Heading 1 (or Heading 2 or Heading 3) from the menu that drops down. Using the menu bar and toolbar running across the top of the document, you can implement various styles for your placeholder text. There are several sites, such as loremipsum.io and, that generate lines of placeholder text (in Latin, so it’s obvious that it needs to be replaced) that you can copy and paste into your doc. This helps the user visualize how their text will appear in the layout and directs their attention to where they should replace your placeholder copy. But as you’re designing your template, you should add placeholder text to it. Text: use placeholder copyĪ document template is meant for a user to insert their own text. While the specific components will vary depending on the type of template you’re designing (letter, proposal, agreement, training document, report, etc.), the following tips will guide you through the most common elements. Now let’s look at the elements that go into a document template. Tip: Keep at least one backup copy of the original template somewhere safe in case somebody forgets to make a copy and accidentally overwrites the shared template doc. If you don’t have a corporate template gallery, you and your co-workers will need to make a copy of a template each time it’s used. Now users can adapt the copy as needed without altering the original template. On the “Copy document” panel that appears, type in a new document name, select a folder where it will be saved, and click Make a copy. When you or others want to use the template, open the file and make a copy of it by selecting File > Make a copy from the menu bar at the top of the page. If you’re using a personal Google account (or your organization hasn’t enabled custom Drive templates), you’ll need to share your finished template doc with others in your organization or place it in a shared drive that your co-workers can access. See the Google support doc “ Turn custom Drive templates on or off for users” for details. (If you don’t have permission to submit templates, you won’t have access to the “Submit template” option.) On the panel that appears, select your template document, designate a category, and click Submit.ĭepending on how your organization’s template gallery is set up, your template might have to be approved by an administrator before it appears in the gallery. On the Google Docs home screen, click Template gallery > Submit template. Under an organizational Workspace account, you can add your finished template to the gallery - if your company has enabled custom Google Drive templates and you’ve been granted permission to add templates to the gallery. Use the word “Template” when you name a template doc.īuild out the document with placeholder text and other elements such as your company logo, headers or footers, dropdowns, and so on, as described later in this story. If you instead have a personal Google account, you can still create a document to act as a template, but you and your colleagues will have to remember to make a copy of it each time to prevent changes to the original.Įither way, get started by creating a new blank document and giving it a descriptive name that includes the word “Template.” IDG

From there, your co-workers will be able to select the template and create documents based on it - without affecting the template itself.

If your organization has a paid Google Workspace subscription, you can create a template and add it to the company’s template gallery. You’ll want to preserve the template itself in its original form so there’s always a pristine version for users to work from. Templates are designed to be used over and over, with users adding or changing the text each time.

#Expense report template google docs how to

How to create a template file in Google Docs