Quotation and Estimate PDF Generator

A quotation is often the first document a customer sees from your business. It tells them what they will get and for how much, and if it is vague, they will ask questions or go elsewhere. If it is clear, it can become the basis of the agreement, so it should say what is included, what is not, when the price expires, and what happens next. This page builds a clean PDF quotation from a few boxes, and keeps the arithmetic right.

What the page asks for

Your business name and details, with an optional logo. The customer’s name and address. A quote number and two dates, the quote date and the date it is valid until. A project or reference line. Then the items, each with a description, a quantity and a rate. Below that are the tax name and rate, an optional discount and shipping, notes and terms. The currency, paper size and accent colour are at the end.

How the totals are worked out

Every line is quantity times rate rounded to the cent, and the subtotal is the sum of the rounded lines, so the printed figures always add up. A discount, fixed or a percentage, comes off the subtotal, and tax is charged on what is left. Shipping is added after tax. The page shows the totals as you type, so you can see the effect of a change before you download. A discount larger than the subtotal is capped, and negative values are ignored.

A worked example

Press Sample for a design studio quoting a coffee roaster. The three lines are 24 hours of brand and layout design at 65, which is 1,560.00, a website build at 1,800.00 and a photography licence at 250.00. The subtotal is 3,610.00, VAT at 20% is 722.00 and the quote total is 4,332.00. The quote is dated today and valid for 30 days. The terms say that work starts after written acceptance and that payment is 50% on acceptance and the balance on delivery. At the foot are two signature lines, “Prepared by” and “Accepted by (signature and date)”. Switching the currency to rupees and the paper to Letter changes the symbol and the page size without changing the figures.

The details that matter

Put the scope in the descriptions: “Website build (5 pages)” is better than “Website”. State what is not included in the notes, and what you will charge for extras. Give an expiry date, because costs and availability change. Make the next step obvious, with an acceptance line or a request to confirm by email. And include the details a customer will need for a purchase order: your registered name, address and any tax number.

Quote or estimate

A quote is a firm price for a defined piece of work. An estimate is a best guess that may change. Both can be created here; the difference is in the words, so say in the notes which one it is and under what conditions the price can change. If the final cost is likely to differ, an estimate with a stated range is more honest than a quote you will have to revise.

Edge cases

A line with no description and no rate is left out of the PDF. A tax rate of 0 hides the tax line. Quantities can be decimals, such as 7.5 hours. Long descriptions wrap onto several lines. The business details, logo, tax settings and the next quote number are remembered in this browser, while the customer details and the lines are not.

Limits

Whether a quotation is binding, and what it must say, depends on the country and the type of work. The page does not give legal advice, does not apply different tax rates to different lines and does not keep a record of quotes you have sent. Keep a copy of every PDF you issue, and of the customer’s acceptance.

Related tools

• Invoice Generator bills the work once the customer has accepted the quote.
• Proforma Invoice Generator prepares a preliminary invoice when payment is needed first.
• Purchase Order Generator is the document a customer may send you in reply.
• Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator sets the rate that goes into the lines.