A document template controls what your printed disbursement documents look like: the layout, the fixed wording, your logo, and the payment data that gets pulled in automatically for each payment. You build it once in Design Studio and reuse it across your payment runs.
If you are creating a checkbook to be filled out by hand, see Create a Checkbook Template instead.
Before you begin
You need Design Studio permissions to create or edit templates. If you do not see Design Studio in the left sidebar, ask your account Owner or Admin to update your role.
Start a new document
Select Design Studio from the left sidebar and open the Documents tab. Click New Document to start from scratch, or click Edit on an existing document to change one you already built.
When you click New Document, choose the Document Template option.
Set up your document
The Document Setup panel at the top of the Document Editor defines the paper your document prints on and where the document sits on the page. Fill this in before you start placing elements, because the design area resizes based on what you choose here.
General information
Document Name: the name you will use to find this template later, for example Check Design 2026 or AP Remittance. Choose something your team will recognize in a dropdown list.
Non-Negotiable label: the wording printed on the non-negotiable copy of the document, for example Invalid Check or Void. This makes it clear the copy cannot be cashed.
Both fields are required and marked with an asterisk.
Paper configuration
Paper Type: choose LETTER or LEGAL.
Overflow Page: choose Yes or No. Choose Yes when a payment can carry more invoice lines than fit on one page, so the extra lines continue on a second page instead of being cut off.
Document configuration
Checks per Page: choose 1, 2, or 3. Check this against the pre-printed stock your team loads in the printer before you finish the design.
Document Position: choose Top, Middle, or Bottom to set where the document sits on the sheet.
Templates: if you already saved a template, select it here to start from that design instead of a blank page.
Set MICR Line: selected by default. Leave it selected when the document is a check that needs a machine-readable MICR line at the bottom. The MICR line appears in the design area so you can see the space it occupies.
Save Document as Template: select this if you want the finished design to be reusable as a starting point for future documents.
Build your design
The design area shows a ruler in millimetres and the message Place the check elements within this area. Anything you place outside that area will not print.
Use the toolbar above the design area to work. The zoom dropdown changes your view only and has no effect on what prints. The undo and redo arrows step back and forward through your changes. The X and Y fields show the exact position of the element you have selected, so you can line something up precisely instead of dragging it. Upload background places a custom background image behind the whole design.
To add content, open Add element and choose what you need:
Barcode: choose between Code 39, Datamatrix, Postnet, and QR.
Image: upload your own image, such as a company logo.
Invoice Table: a line-item table for remittance detail. You choose which columns appear from the invoice variable list.
Line: a divider you can size, position, color, and set to horizontal or vertical.
Signature: places a signature field on the document.
Second Signature: places a second signature field. A template supports two signatures at most.
Table: a general-purpose table. You choose which columns appear from the standard table variable list.
Text: a text field with its own font, size, and position. Text is the element you use for everything from fixed wording to payment data.
đĄ To keep in mind: anything that changes from payment to payment should be a mapped variable, not typed text. Typed text prints exactly the same on every document.
Map a text element to a variable
A variable is a placeholder that fills in real data at print time. Add a Text element, then map it to a variable so each document shows that payment's own values.
Select the text element, open the variable list, and pick the variable you need. You can type into the search field to find one quickly, for example typing bank or account.
Some variables have extra settings that appear once you map them:
Amount in Words: choose the language, either English or Spanish. English is selected by default. You can also choose the filler that follows the amount: filler text, currency code, currency name, both, or none. If the amount cannot be rendered in the language you chose, the field prints blank rather than showing an error.
Bank Account Number: choose how much of the number to show. Last 4 digits displays the number as **1234 and is selected by default, which protects you from printing a full account number by accident. Full account number displays the complete number as stored. If no bank account number is available for a payment, the field prints blank.
Payment Amount: choose whether to show the currency symbol, whether to show decimals, and whether to add filler.
Payment Date: choose the date format, for example MM-DD-YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY.
â ď¸ Important: Full account number prints the complete bank account number on every document produced from this template. Only choose it when your audit or remittance process requires it, and check who receives the printed output before you do.
Variable reference
Variables belong to the element you place them on. Barcode, Image, Line, Signature, and Second Signature do not use variables.
Text element variables
Amount In Words, Bank Account Nickname, Bank Account Note 1 to 4, Bank Address 1, Bank Address 2, Bank Addresses, Bank City ST ZIP, Bank Name, Bank Account Number (full or last 4 digits), Check Description, Check ID, Concept 1 to 3, Currency Code, Payee Account Number, Payee Addresses 1 to 4, Payee Addresses Country, Payee City ST ZIP, Payee Email, Payee ID, Payee Name, Payee Name 2, Payee Routing Number, Payee Tax ID, Payment Amount, Payment Date, Payment ID, Payment Reference Number, Payor Address 1, Payor Address 2, Payor Addresses, Payor City ST ZIP, Payor Country, Payor Name, Payor Phone Number, Signer 1 Name, Signer 1 Role, Signer 2 Name, Signer 2 Role, Transit Fraction 1 & 2, Transit Fraction 3, Barcode Code.
Table element variables
Bank Account Number, Bank Address 1, Bank Address 2, Bank City ST ZIP, Bank Name, Check Description, Currency Code, Date Disbursed, Payee Address 1 to 4, Payee City ST ZIP, Payee ID, Payee Name, Payee Name 2, Payee Tax ID, Payment Amount, Payment Date, Payment Number, Payor Account Number, Payor Address 1, Payor Address 2, Payor City ST ZIP, Payor Name, Transaction Reference, Payment Decimals, Barcode Code.
Invoice Table element variables
Check ID, Document Number, Date Disbursed, Invoice Date, Invoice Description (up to 3), Invoice Discount, Invoice Discount Total, Invoice Gross, Invoice Gross Total, Invoice Net Amount, Invoice Net Amount Total, Invoice Number, Payment Date, Payment ID, Payor Name, Stub Date, Stub Date 2, Vendor Account Number, Vendor Address 1, Vendor Address 2, Vendor City ST ZIP, Vendor Name, Vendor Name 2, Vendor Number, Payment Decimals, Reference Number.
Save your document
Click Create Document to save. Your document is then available to view and edit under Documents in Design Studio.
If you selected Save Document as Template, the design also appears in the Templates dropdown, so you can start your next document from it rather than from a blank page.
When you duplicate a template, the variable settings carry over with it, including the Amount in Words language and the Bank Account Number display format. Look over the duplicate before you use it, since those settings are easy to overlook once the design looks right.
đ Note: creating the document is not the last step. To start producing documents from it, assign the template to an Output. See our Workflows documentation.
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