Learn how PDF Settings control the appearance, math, and structure of your proposal PDFs—from tax calculations to labor display, line layouts, and photo pages.
PDF Settings are your control panel for how proposals look to homeowners. They determine the final presentation of every estimate you send—without changing your underlying costbook or pricing logic.
Think of it this way: your costbook holds the numbers, Project Setup collects the job info, and the Estimate Builder assembles the line items. PDF Settings decide how all of that shows up on the final document.
PDF Settings let you control:
Tax settings give you full control over how sales tax is calculated and displayed on your proposals.
Turn tax on or off for your proposals. When disabled, no tax line appears and totals are shown without tax.
Example: A handyman doing small repairs might disable tax, while a remodeling contractor includes it.
Set your local tax rate as a percentage. This rate applies to whichever cost columns you mark as taxable.
Example: 8.25% for Texas, 6% for Pennsylvania, etc.
Choose which cost components are taxable: Material $/Unit, Labor $/Unit, Equipment $/Unit, etc.
In many states, materials are taxable but labor is not. This setting lets you match your local tax rules exactly.
Example: Check "Material $/Unit" only → tax applies to materials; labor stays tax-free.
Use the "Apply to all" option to quickly mark all cost columns as taxable, or uncheck them all to start fresh.
Tip: Start with "Apply to all" unchecked, then selectively enable the columns that match your local tax requirements.
When tax is enabled, the proposal PDF shows:
The Estimate Builder calculates tax in real time as you add items, so you always see accurate totals.
Line layout settings control how individual line items appear on the proposal—whether you show detailed pricing or keep things simple.
When enabled, each line item shows the unit price and calculated total next to the quantity. When disabled, only the quantity appears.
Enabled:
"Quartz Countertop — 6 EA @ $200 = $1,200"
Disabled:
"Quartz Countertop — 6 EA"
Use case: Disable this if you prefer to show only a grand total at the bottom and keep line-level pricing hidden from homeowners.
Controls whether labor appears as separate line items or is rolled into a single lump-sum labor charge.
Enabled (Line Item):
Demo Existing Cabinets — Labor: $400
Install New Cabinets — Labor: $1,200
Countertop Installation — Labor: $600
Disabled (Lump Sum):
Labor — $2,200
Use case: Many contractors prefer lump-sum labor to avoid line-by-line negotiation. Others prefer itemized labor for transparency.
Pro tip: The line layout you choose affects homeowner perception. Itemized pricing can build trust, but it also invites line-by-line questioning. Lump-sum pricing is cleaner but offers less transparency. Choose based on your sales style and client expectations.
By default, the Project Info section on your PDF is labeled "General Project Information". You can change this to match your branding or communication style.
"General Project Information"
"Project Overview"
"Scope of Work"
"Your Remodel Details"
Not every question you ask in Project Setup needs to appear on the homeowner's proposal. The "Show on PDF" toggle lets you control this per question.
Each question has a "Show on PDF" toggle. Turn it on for questions you want homeowners to see; leave it off for internal-only questions.
When "Show on PDF" is enabled, the question label and the selected answer appear in the Project Info section of the proposal.
Internal questions (like "Who referred you?" or "Sales rep notes") stay hidden from the homeowner. They're still captured in the system for your records.
Photos captured during the site visit can be appended to your proposal PDF automatically.
1 photo per page, maximum detail
Balanced layout, good for most jobs
Compact layout, more photos per page
Note: Photos are for documentation and presentation only—they don't affect the estimate math. They help homeowners visualize the scope and give your proposal a professional, thorough feel.
Here's how Project Setup, the Estimate Builder, and PDF Settings combine to generate your final proposal:
Collects job info, customer details, and selections (finish, wall system, project type). Controls which costbook items are visible in the Estimate Builder.
You select line items from your costbook (filtered by Project Setup), set quantities, and build the actual estimate. Pricing rules apply automatically.
Controls how everything looks on the final PDF: tax display, labor breakdown, line layout, section labels, which Project Setup answers appear, and photo page layout.
The polished document sent to the homeowner: clean line items, accurate totals, professional formatting, and optional photo pages—all controlled by your settings.
No. Only questions with "Show on PDF" enabled appear on the proposal. Internal questions like "Who referred you?" or "Sales rep notes" stay hidden unless you explicitly turn on PDF visibility for them.
Yes. Disable "Show Price Next to Quantity" to hide line-level pricing. You can also disable "Show Labor Breakdown" to roll all labor into a single lump-sum line. The homeowner sees a clean total without itemized costs.
Absolutely. Use the "Tax Applied Columns" setting to choose which cost components are taxable. In many states, materials are taxed but labor isn't—you can configure this exactly to match your local rules.
Yes. The "General Info Label" setting lets you change the header from "General Project Information" to anything you prefer—like "Project Overview", "Scope Summary", or "Your Kitchen Remodel Details".
Yes. Any Project Setup question can be marked as "Show on PDF" or hidden. Internal notes, lead sources, and sales rep comments can stay private while customer-facing details like finish selections appear on the proposal.
No. Photos are purely for documentation and presentation. They don't change any line items, quantities, or totals. They're appended to the PDF as visual reference for the homeowner.
It depends on how many photos you have and how much detail matters. Full page is best for important detail shots. 4 per page is a good default for most jobs. 6 per page works well when you have many photos and want a compact document.
Yes, your PDF Settings are account-level defaults that apply to every proposal you generate. If you need different settings for different job types, you can adjust them before generating each PDF.
Yes. Use the PDF preview feature to see exactly how your proposal will appear to the homeowner. This lets you verify that tax, labor display, and visible questions are all formatted the way you want before sending.