Building & Maintaining Templates

Getting Started

1. 1From the main menu, navigate to Sale Cards.
2. 2Click the Templates tab.
3. 3You'll see System Templates (provided by GrocerTools, read-only) and Organization Templates (created by your team, editable).
4. 4Click "Create New Template" to begin, or click Clone on any existing template to use it as your starting point.

The Template Builder Interface

The builder has three main areas:

The template name input and Save Template button run along the top of the page.

Creating a Template Step by Step

Step 1 — Name Your Template

At the top of the builder, enter a descriptive name such as "Weekly Special – Large Format" or "Meat Department Card".

Step 2 — Set Card Dimensions

In the Toolbox under Card Settings, set the Width and Height in inches. Common sizes:

• 4" × 6" — standard promotional card
• 3.5" × 5" — smaller shelf tag

Step 3 — Configure Background & Border

Still in Card Settings: choose a Background Color and optionally enable a Border with color and thickness (1–10 px).

Step 4 — Add Data Elements

Data elements are placeholders that fill in with real product data when cards are generated. In the Toolbox under Text Fields, click an element to add it to the canvas:

Drag added elements on the canvas to position them where you want.

Step 5 — Add Shapes (Optional)

Under Shapes in the Toolbox you can add Lines, Rectangles, Ovals, Stars, Polygons, and Static Text. These add visual interest but don't contain product data.

Step 6 — Style Elements

Click any element on the canvas to select it. The Property Panel shows:

• Typography — Font family, size (8–144pt), bold/italic, alignment, color
• Styling — Fill/background color, stroke color and width
• Effects — Shadow with color, blur, and offset controls
• Position & Size — X/Y coordinates, width, height
• Layers — Bring to Front / Send to Back for overlapping elements

Step 7 — Enable Grid Snapping (Recommended)

Toggle Snap to Grid in Card Settings to align elements to a 10-pixel grid. This helps create clean, professional layouts.

Step 8 — Save

Click Save Template in the top right. Your template is now available for use in all sales.

Data Placeholders

Any text element can contain placeholders — they are replaced with real product data when cards are generated. Use double curly braces:

{{field_name}}

Partial vs. Full Replacement

A placeholder can be the entire text of an element (full replacement) or embedded within other text (partial replacement):

{{sale_price}}              →   $3.99
Was {{original_price}}      →   Was $4.99
Save {{savings}} Today!     →   Save $1.00 Today!

Managing Templates

Editing a Template

1. 1Go to Sale Cards → Templates.
2. 2Find your organization template.
3. 3Click Edit.
4. 4Make changes in the Template Builder and click Save Template.

Cloning a Template

1. 1Go to Sale Cards → Templates.
2. 2Click Clone on any template.
3. 3Enter a new name when prompted.
4. 4The cloned template opens in the builder for editing.

Setting a Default Template

1. 1Go to Settings → Organization.
2. 2Under Sale Cards settings, select your Default Template.
3. 3Save changes.

The default template is pre-selected whenever someone on your team creates a new sale.

Best Practices

• ✓Start simple: Begin with essential elements (Brand, Product, Price), then add more as needed.
• ✓Test print early: Create a test sale with sample products to verify your template prints correctly before rolling it out.
• ✓Use consistent fonts: Stick to 2–3 fonts maximum for a professional look.
• ✓Consider print size: Cards scale to fit the print grid — avoid very small text that becomes unreadable when scaled down.
• ✓Name descriptively: Use names like "Meat Dept – Large Price" rather than "Template 1".
• ✓Clone, don't edit system templates: System templates are read-only. Clone them to create your own editable version.

Troubleshooting