Printing & PDFs

This page gathers every "Print", "Download PDF" and "Export" button in Wattle into one place, shows you what each finished document looks like, and explains what a client actually receives when you email it.

There are three ways to get a document out of Wattle, and they do slightly different things:

Nothing here changes your records. Printing, downloading and exporting only ever read your data — you can't break or alter an invoice by printing it. Do it as often as you like.

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The two PDF routes (and why they look different)

This trips people up, so it's worth thirty seconds.

Download PDF builds a brand-new, designed document from scratch — clinic letterhead, a tidy line-item table, totals, and a notes footer. The text in it is real, selectable text (not a picture), so it stays crisp at any zoom. This is the one you'd send to a client or keep on file.

Print (or Cmd+P / Ctrl+P) takes the screen you're looking at and tidies it up for paper: it hides the sidebar, the toolbar buttons and other on-screen clutter, swaps in a clinic letterhead at the top, and prints just the document. In the print box you can pick a real printer, or choose "Save as PDF" as the destination to get a PDF that way instead.

Both are perfectly fine. If you want the smartest-looking file, use Download PDF. If you just need it on paper right now, use Print.

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Printing or downloading an invoice

Usually: front desk

You can only print or download an invoice once it's finalised (issued). A draft invoice is still a scratchpad — finalise it first so it has an invoice number. See Invoices for how to finalise.

Step by step

1. Open the invoice (Billing → Invoices, then click the one you want).
2. Make sure its status badge says Finalised (or Sent / Paid / Partial / Overdue) — not Draft.
3. In the top-right toolbar you'll see a row of small icon buttons.
4. For a polished file: click the Download icon (down-arrow). A PDF saves to your computer, named like INV-100002 — Luna.pdf (the invoice number and the pet's name).
5. For paper: click the Printer icon. Your browser's print box opens — pick your printer and print. (To get a PDF this way instead, choose "Save as PDF" as the destination.)

What the PDF looks like

• Your clinic's logo and letterhead at the top-left — practice name, legal name (if set), address, phone, email, and ABN.
• The word INVOICE and the invoice number top-right, with the Balance Due highlighted underneath.
• A Bill To block with the client's name and details, plus the patient (e.g. "Luna (Canine)") if one is linked.
• Issue date, payment terms (e.g. Net 14), and due date.
• A line-item table: number, item & description, quantity, unit price, discount, and amount.
• Totals: subtotal, any discount, GST, the grand total, and the balance due.
• Your invoice notes at the foot, if you added any.

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Printing or downloading an estimate (quote)

Usually: front desk or vet

Estimates work exactly like invoices. Finalise the estimate first (it then has an estimate number), and the same Download / Print / Send icons appear in the toolbar. See Estimates (quotes).

Step by step

1. Open the estimate (Billing → Estimates → click one).
2. Check the badge reads Finalised (or Converted / Declined / Expired), not Draft.
3. Click the Download icon for a PDF (named like EST-100004 — Luna.pdf — the estimate number and the pet's name), or the Printer icon for paper.

What the estimate PDF looks like

• Same clinic letterhead as the invoice.
• The word ESTIMATE and the estimate number top-right.
• Bill To block and patient line.
• Created date and Valid until date (instead of a due date).
• The line-item table and totals — plus an estimated range line (e.g. "$540 – $660 (±10%)") if you set a range percentage.
• Your notes at the foot.

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Printing an account statement

Usually: front desk

A statement is a summary of a client's account over a period — invoices, payments and the running balance — rather than a single bill. It opens in a dialog where you choose what it covers, then you print it.

Step by step

1. Open the Account Statement for a client (from the client's account area).
2. Choose the Patient (or "All patients") and optionally a From and To date to set the period.
3. Click the Printer icon at the top of the dialog. The filter controls hide automatically and just the statement prints, with your clinic letterhead at the top.
4. To save it as a PDF instead, choose "Save as PDF" in the print box.

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Generating a patient history PDF

Usually: vet, nurse or front desk

A patient history PDF is the animal's full history pulled into one document — handy for a referral vet, an owner changing clinics, or an insurance claim. It's a true, designed PDF (clinic letterhead, real selectable text), built straight to a file — you don't go through the print box.

Step by step

1. Open the patient (Patients → click the animal).
2. Click the ⋯ (more actions) menu at the top right and choose Generate history PDF.
3. In the dialog, tick which sections to include — Summary, Consultation notes, Vitals, Medications, Financials. Optionally set a From / To date range to limit the period.
4. Choose how billed items show — with prices, without prices, or exclude them. Use with prices for an insurance claim.
5. Click Download PDF. The file saves to your computer.

The history reads reverse-chronologically — most recent visit first — with your clinic letterhead, the same polished quality as an invoice. Full walkthrough in Patients & Records → Generate a patient history PDF.

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Payment receipts (PDF)

Usually: front desk

A receipt isn't printed from a list — it's produced when you record a payment and choose to send it. After taking a payment on an invoice, a Send Receipt option appears; this builds a receipt PDF automatically and attaches it to an email. See Taking payments.

What the receipt PDF looks like

• Clinic letterhead, with RECEIPT and a receipt number (e.g. RCT-100001) top-right.
• A Received from block with the client and patient.
• Date, payment method, and any reference.
• A large Amount Received box.
• What it was applied to (e.g. "Invoice INV-100002") and the remaining balance.
• A "Thank you for your payment" footer.

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Schedule 8 register reports (CSV)

Usually: vet or nurse

The controlled-drug register is the one place that exports CSV instead of PDF. CSV files are spreadsheets — they open in Excel or Numbers — and are meant for compliance records and hand-entry into a paper register, not for handing to clients.

Step by step

1. Go to Schedule 8 in the sidebar, then the Reports tab.
2. Pick a report type from the dropdown — by date, drug, patient, supplier, or authorised person.
3. Set the From and To dates (these default to the last 30 days, so change them if you need a different period).
4. The table updates on screen.
5. Click Export CSV. A file downloads, named automatically like s8-by_date-2026-06-02-to-2026-06-02.csv.

Want a printed copy instead of a spreadsheet? Open it on screen and press Cmd+P (Mac) or Ctrl+P (Windows). The browser prints the page with the sidebar hidden. There's no dedicated PDF button for register reports — CSV (for records) and browser print (for paper) cover it.

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Using Cmd+P / Ctrl+P anywhere

Cmd+P (Mac) or Ctrl+P (Windows) is your browser's universal print shortcut, and it works on any page in Wattle — not just billing screens.

When you print a document page (an invoice, estimate, or statement), Wattle automatically:

• hides the sidebar and the mobile top bar,
• hides toolbar buttons, dialogs and other interactive controls,
• swaps in a clean clinic letterhead at the top, and
• collapses side panels (like the payment-history column) so the document fills the page.

On other pages, Cmd+P / Ctrl+P still prints, but those screens aren't specially designed for paper — you'll get a reasonable printout of what's on screen. For a polished invoice or estimate, prefer the Download PDF button.

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What the client receives when you email a document

Usually: front desk

When email is enabled, the Send icon on finalised invoices and estimates becomes active. Clicking it opens an email composer with:

• the client's email already filled in,
• a sensible subject already written (e.g. "Invoice INV-100002"), and
• the PDF already attached — generated for you automatically. You don't attach anything by hand.

The client receives a normal email from your clinic with that designed PDF attached — the same polished document you'd get from Download PDF (letterhead, line items, totals). They can open it on a phone or computer, print it, or save it. See Emailing clients for the full send flow.

Step by step

1. Open a finalised invoice or estimate.
2. Click the Send (envelope) icon.
3. Check the recipient and subject; edit the message if you like.
4. Click Send. The PDF is built and attached, and the email goes out.

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Quick reference: every print / PDF surface

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See also: Invoices · Estimates (quotes) · Taking payments · Emailing clients · The Schedule 8 register · Exporting & backing up your data · Buttons & symbols cheat sheet