How to migrate PDF templates that 'Need updating'

In May, 2024, we launched our new PDF generator, which makes creating and customizing templates easier. The new generator comes with a number of benefits, such as improved visual accuracy and CSS customization options.

The old PDF generator is fully deprecated as of October 15th, 2026. The PDF templates created on the old PDF generator – the ones with the 'Needs updating' label next to them – are archived and can no longer be used to generate and send PDFs to your clients. You can still move them to the new PDF generator by duplicating the archived templates.

This article walks you through migrating your old PDF templates to the new PDF generator.

1. Why was the PDF generator updated?

Scoro's new PDF generator makes creating and customizing templates easier. The old generator offered limited styling options, and the visual previews weren’t always reliable – the formatting in the editor did not necessarily match up with the actual PDF, which means achieving the desired look involved some trial and error.

Here’s what the new generator brings to the table:

• More accurate and reliable previews
  Our new PDF generator is built on the same modern web technologies used in the template editor. It means we can provide full HTML5 support. In other words – what you see in the editor now also matches the final document. 
• Custom CSS support
  With our in–built visual editor, you can easily create a simple layout and manage the content that goes into the PDF, but it doesn’t offer any advanced styling options. This is where the new CSS feature comes into play. It gives you complete control over the appearance of the document as you’re no longer limited by the built-in editor. Some of the most useful possibilities include:
  • Custom font support
    We understand how important fonts are to branding, so the new generator gives you complete freedom in that regard. You can implement any of the thousands of fonts available in libraries like https://fonts.google.com/ or host your own custom font.
  • Background image support
    Background colors, patterns, or photos can add a lot to documents. Our new generator now supports all of those options fully.

Read more about creating and customizing PDF templates.

2. How to migrate the templates?

Note! You can migrate old PDF templates to the new PDF generator one by one only; there is no option to migrate them in bulk.

The migration process has three quick steps:

1. Duplicate the old PDF template:
   Go to Settings > Site Settings > PDF templates, click on the Status filter, and select 'Archived'. The PDF templates made with the old PDF generator are labeled 'Needs updating'. Click on the name of the old template you want to migrate.
   Click the Duplicate button in the top-right corner to create a copy of that template and open the PDF template modify view. You can check its contents and settings, but you don’t need to make any specific changes now. Simply save the new duplicated version. By duplicating and resaving the template, you’ve already migrated it over to the new PDF generator. The new PDF template you just created will have the same name as the one you duplicated.
   
2. Test the new template:
   Generate at least one PDF document with the new template to test it. This step ensures everything looks correct, the new template works as expected, and there are no visual issues. For example, if you updated an invoice template, navigate to the Invoices module. Open any invoice from the list, select the new template from the dropdown menu, and click the PDF button to generate a preview.
   
   Check the preview to ensure the invoice looks as expected. If any adjustments are needed, navigate back to the PDF template list to modify the template accordingly. If you notice any visual errors you’re not sure how to fix, reach out to us via our contact form.
3. Archive the old template:
   Once the new template works as expected, return to the PDF template list and archive the outdated template to prevent accidental use. To do that, click on the Active status indicator on the template row and change the status to Archived.
   

Updating default PDF templates for Customer Portal

If you’re using the Customer Portal, you also need to update the PDF template choice for the portal. Navigate to Settings > Site settings > Customer Portal > Settings and select new templates from the dropdown list. This ensures the Customer Portal documents use the most up-to-date version of the template and there are no issues with displaying the PDFs. 

Updating the PDF template choices for your scheduled invoices

If a scheduled invoice uses an outdated PDF template, invoices generated from that scheduled invoice will no longer be sent after the old generator is deprecated. To ensure that scheduled invoices will reach your client, update the PDF template used for your scheduled invoices. You can quickly do this in bulk from the scheduled invoice list view:

1. Select the scheduled invoices you want to update.
2. Select a new template from the Change PDF template dropdown field and confirm your choice.