Use Excel for flexible table work
A spreadsheet suits a large assortment, custom formulas or data that another company needs to process. You can maintain internal costs, margins and supplier information in separate columns. Prepare a customer copy without internal notes, hidden sheets or private figures. Check formulas after adding rows: copied formatting does not prove the total includes every item. Agree how the recipient expects dates, decimals and currency to appear.
Use PDF for a prepared customer estimate
PDF keeps the project, quantities, prices, conditions and total in a consistent document layout. The customer does not need your spreadsheet software to review it. However, PDF is not a guarantee against editing, and a sent file cannot refresh its own prices. Treat it as a snapshot of the estimate at export time. Readability and version identification matter more than a decorative design.
Understand the online-editor approach
Invocket stores customer records, catalogue items and individual price lists in an account. You fill in structured fields instead of rebuilding columns and formulas. Labour and materials have separate groups, and totals follow the supplied prices, discount and VAT settings. This helps with repeat customer estimates, while a spreadsheet remains better suited to arbitrary calculations, large data transformations or a custom pricing model.
Check supported formats before starting
Invocket's price-list editor offers preview, PDF export and printing. It does not currently export XLSX or import an Excel table into the estimate. Enter items manually or choose saved catalogue entries. If your customer needs an editable spreadsheet for procurement, confirm that requirement first. A PDF can be the wrong deliverable when the next step depends on working with individual table cells.
Keep revisions clear
Use the document number and date to identify an estimate, and add price validity when relevant. After changing quantities or rates, export another PDF and tell the customer what changed. The old attachment in an email or chat will still contain the earlier figures. Keep the agreed version distinguishable from drafts rather than relying on the customer to infer which file is current.
Review the actual file, not just the editor
Open the exported PDF on a phone, inspect every page and check long descriptions, terms and contact details. Verify units, currency and the final amount against the scope. Make sure it is addressed to the right customer. Choose the format that supports the handover: an online estimate and PDF for a clear proposal, or a spreadsheet when the recipient needs editable data.
Create a price list online. From estimate to PDF.
Prepare a cost estimate for a specific customer. Separate labour and materials, enter quantities and prices, set your terms, and send a clear PDF.
Create a price list Price lists