Cannot Change Background Color of Column Headers on a Custom Estimate Template

Hi there, @praetorian75. 

Thanks for voicing out your concern here in the Community. The Layout Designer is being used if you have freeform design skills. 

You can use the Basic Customization option instead to personalize fonts and colors for some details used in the form, such as your company name, labels, and data. Here are the steps: 

1. Choose Estimate under Templates from the Lists menu. 
2. Select the Formatting tab, then click Manage Templates.
3. Select a template to preview, then select OK to edit the template.
4. Use the basic customization window to change the fonts and colors of the column headers. 
5. Select Additional Customization to add or remove the items from the header, columns, or footer. Then, select the Layout Designer to move or resize items on the form.
6. Select OK, click Print Preview to see your form. If everything looks good, select Close.
7. Click OK.

For future reference, you can also import your designed customized templates in QuickBooks Desktop. 

Feel free to message again if you have additional questions. We're always here to help. 

I've tried four times to post a reply. Your website won't allow it. "An Unexpected Error has occurred."

I'm not trying again.

In the attached file (the only one I could attach because of your website limitations), you'll see on the right side that I've gone into Layout Designer and changed the background on the column headers to match the rest of the document.

That color change is the only thing I want to do to this template.

On the left side of that image is what I see when I Print Preview the doc after making the changes in Layout Designer and clicking Ok twice to get back to the main Template menu.

I do not, at any time, or in any window, see a "Formatting" tab.

I do not, at any time, see any option in the "Basic Customization" window to change the color of the column headers. I can only assume the Basic Customization you refer to is what I see when I select Lists | Templates and then double-click the Estimate template I'm trying to change - an assumption because there's nothing on the window that indicates that. I do not have a Lists | Templates | Estimate option as you seem to want me to click on in your instruction #1. There is no submenu for Templates.

Additional Customization allows me to choose the Header fields (such as Due Date), but has no option to change anything about the formatting. The tabs on the Additional Customization window are Header | Columns | Footer | Print.

I have "freeform design skills" - that's what my company does, and I spend most of my day in InDesign or Photoshop. I know how to lay out a document. Your "Layout Designer" is near-useless because it's so small and the window cannot be resized.

The link you provided is equally useless, as I've mentioned to two support personnel - both of which abandoned the chat, one after 20 minutes of saying exactly nothing. I cannot change the column header background through a new custom template or by copying an existing one (like my Invoice template which works fine).

Changes to the column background header in Layout Designer do not save and are discarded by the program. There is no other way available to change the background color of the column headers that I can find.

For reference, again, I am using Desktop Pro 2018 on Windows 10.

I've tried four times to post this reply. Your website won't allow it. "An Unexpected Error has occurred."

I'm not trying again.

In the attached file (the only one I could attach because of your website limitations), you'll see on the right side that I've gone into Layout Designer and changed the background on the column headers to match the rest of the document.

That color change is the only thing I want to do to this template.

On the left side of that image is what I see when I Print Preview the doc after making the changes in Layout Designer and clicking Ok twice to get back to the main Template menu.

I do not, at any time, or in any window, see a "Formatting" tab.

I do not, at any time, see any option in the "Basic Customization" window to change the color of the column headers. I can only assume the Basic Customization you refer to is what I see when I select Lists | Templates and then double-click the Estimate template I'm trying to change - an assumption because there's nothing on the window that indicates that. I do not have a Lists | Templates | Estimate option as you seem to want me to click on in your instruction #1. There is no submenu for Templates.

Additional Customization allows me to choose the Header fields (such as Due Date), but has no option to change anything about the formatting. The tabs on the Additional Customization window are Header | Columns | Footer | Print.

I have "freeform design skills" - that's what my company does, and I spend most of my day in InDesign or Photoshop. I know how to lay out a document. Your "Layout Designer" is near-useless because it's so small and the window cannot be resized.

The link you provided is equally useless, as I've mentioned to two support personnel - both of which abandoned the chat, one after 20 minutes of saying exactly nothing. I cannot change the column header background through a new custom template or by copying an existing one (like my Invoice template which works fine).

Changes to the column background header in Layout Designer do not save and are discarded by the program. There is no other way available to change the background color of the column headers that I can find.

For reference, again, I am using Desktop Pro 2018 on Windows 10.

I appreciate the details and the screenshot you've provided, praetorian75.

I'll also take note of your experience and clear things up. The Formatting tab provided on the steps above can be seen when you open an estimate, invoice, or sales receipt.

Here's a sample screenshot for reference:

.  

With regard to the color change, make sure no color is selected from the Select Color Scheme drop-down in the Basic Customization window. Doing this helps apply the color changes in the Layout Designer.

I've got a sample screenshot to see what it looks like:

If you're getting the same result after viewing the template, you'll want to do the Verify and Rebuild Data. This will fix any data issues within a company file.

You can follow the instructions here: Verify and Rebuild Data in QuickBooks Desktop.

Please let me know in the comments if you need more help. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks.

Confirmed that we're talking about the same Basic Customization screen. Thanks for the screenshots for reference.

There is no color selected in "Select Color Scheme" (see attached).

I've also completed the Verify and Rebuild step you suggested. Quickbooks found no errors in my data.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks for getting back and keeping us updated, @praetorian75.

I appreciate you performing the steps provided by my colleagues above. I have another workaround so you can change the background color of Column Headers on your estimate template. 

Here's what you'll need to do:

1. On the Basic Customization window of the estimate template, click the Layout Designer... button at the bottom.
2. Tap the section of the column header. 
3. Hit Properties at the top. 
4. Go to the Background tab. 
5. Check the Fill Background box.
6. Select Background Color. 
7. Choose OK. 

Keep me posted how things go on your end. I want to ensure this resolved for you. Have a great day. 

I'd really appreciate if people who are trying to help read what I've already posted.

I did that. That's how I changed the background color in the original screenshot I posted.

The changes don't "stick" when leaving Layout Designer.

I make the change in Layout Designer, click Ok, then click Print Preview, and it shows the same grey background.

That's the whole point of my post.

Hello there, @praetorian75.

I appreciate all your efforts in following the resolution shared by my colleague and letting us know the result.

I replicated this on my end and the changes are shown on the estimate. When creating the transaction, check the template’s name and make sure you’re using the right one.

If it’s correct, we'll have to perform more in-depth troubleshooting. The Community is a public space, and I’m unable to collate personal data for security reasons.

I know you’ve already contacted our Technical Support Team about the issue. I still suggest reaching out to them again. One of our agents can take a look at the case number and review the notes you have from your previous chat to continue where the last agent left off.

Here’s how:

1. Tap the Help icon at the top menu bar to select QuickBooks Desktop Help F1.
2. Scroll down to choose the Contact us link.
3. This will display the Contact Us screen.
4. Go to the Tell us more about your question section to enter the issue or topic in the field box.
5. Hit the Search button to display the Get Phone Number or Start a Message button.

Let me share these links that cover all the details on how to tailor sales forms and troubleshoot templates problems.

• Use and customize form templates
• Fix common issues when you use and customize templates

Reach out to me if you have any other concerns or questions about QuickBooks. The Community has your back, and I’m here to assist further. Have a good one.

I called tech support. I was given two options: "Do It Yourself" - or pay to activate a Support Plan.

On a piece of software for which I already paid $299.

I chose "Do It Yourself."

I was told to download the QuickBooks Desktop Tool Hub.

I was told to run "Quick Fix my Program." It did not help.

I was told to run "Quickbooks Diagnostics." It did not help.

I was told to uninstall and reinstall Quickbooks.

I spent OVER AN HOUR removing everything labeled Quickbooks or Intuit from my computer, including the registry. This also included the QBDataServiceUser28 account, which was ridiculously difficult to remove.

I then reinstalled the program with as clean an environment as it is possible to get, short of a fresh install of Windows.

None of these steps made any difference. I still cannot change the background color of the column headers on a custom Estimate template.

Throughout these tortuous two days, I've been given the same useless link multiple times, given wrong and conflicting answers, provided no correct answers, and been abandoned on support lines twice.

I'm now looking for alternatives to Quickbooks. I can't believe that in 2020 I'm still having to use such an outdated interface for a program that does not work correctly and isn't even 64-bit. It's ridiculous, and I'm not going to spend any more time on this.

What a nightmare trying to figure this out but I was having the same issue. I found the answer. The layout designer screen will show the gray shaded rows but when you go to print the invoice or whatever template you customized uncheck the "Shade alternate table rows". The shading will not print and the template will update without the shading.

In order to get your background colors to "stick" you FIRST have to click on the "Additional Customization" button, and THEN click on the "Layout Designer" button. You can then edit the background colors and they will stick when you save them.