Entity-Specific Branding
Every PDF opens with a letterhead: logo, company name, address, tax identifier. That block belongs to the entity — the legal company issuing the paper — not to any template. Configure it once per entity and every document that entity ever generates is correctly, legally, its own. In a group like Meridian's, that's four letterheads maintained in four places, mixed up never.
Access you'll need. Setting up entity branding requires the Accounting Admin v2 or Accounting Controller v2 permission set. The Accounts Payable v2, Accounts Receivable v2, and Read Only v2 sets can view entities but not change them.
The letterhead fields (on the Entity)
| Field | On the PDF |
|---|---|
| Logo URL | The logo, top-left. Must be a publicly accessible image URL (a Salesforce file public link or your CDN). A template can override it for special paper. |
| Company Name (PDF) | The printed name — use it when the legal printing name differs from the entity's record name; blank falls back to the entity name. |
| Company Address (PDF) | The address block, line breaks preserved — registered office, exactly as it should print. |
| Tax Identifier | Printed as entered — so type the full line: "GSTIN: 27AAHCM8756Q1Z5" or "Tax ID 87-4412906". Jurisdictions that mandate registration numbers on invoices are satisfied here. |
On the paper, the letterhead card reads top to bottom: logo, printed company name, the template's tagline (when one is set), the address block, then the tax identifier — and the layout keeps the logo to letterhead proportions no matter how large the source image is. The customer's side is handled too: their Tax Registration Number and Taxpayer ID — maintained on the customer's account — print under Bill To. A GST/VAT invoice needs both parties' numbers, and gets them (a template's Show Tax Identifiers toggle can suppress both sides where registration numbers don't belong on the paper).
Two more ways the entity shapes the paper
- The discount column earns its place. Invoice PDFs show discount columns and the discount total row only when the entity has a Sales Discount GL Account configured — an entity that never discounts never prints empty discount columns, on any invoice.
- The currency code is automatic. Amounts carry the document's own currency in multi-currency setups, and otherwise the entity's currency code — Meridian's US paper reads USD, its UK paper GBP, with nothing to configure per template.
Entity vs template: who owns what
A clean division worth internalizing:
- Entity branding = identity. Who is issuing this paper — logo, name, address, registration. Changes when the company changes.
- Template = presentation. Colors, fonts, taglines, payment instructions, sections. Changes when design or policy changes. (PDF Template Configuration.)
- Even with no template at all, entity branding renders — identity is never optional.
New-entity branding checklist
Fill the four letterhead fields
Logo URL (test it opens in a private browser window — public means public), printing name, address, tax identifier line.
Generate one document and read it like a regulator
Post a test invoice (or pick a posted one), Generate PDF, and check: right logo, right legal name, right address, registration number present and correct.
Then layer the template
Brand colors, tagline, payment details, terms — the entity's paper is functional from step 2; the template makes it yours.
Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| A Logo URL that needs a login to view | An image only you can reach won't load for the PDF or the customer — paper goes out logo-less | Use a genuinely public link (a Salesforce file public link or your CDN) and test it in a private browser window |
| Typing only the bare number into Tax Identifier | It prints exactly as entered — an unlabeled "27AAHCM8756Q1Z5" means nothing to the reader or the regulator | Type the full printed line: "GSTIN: 27AAHCM8756Q1Z5", "Tax ID 87-4412906" |
| Skipping entity branding because "the template handles design" | Templates style; they don't identify. Without the entity fields, even beautifully styled paper lacks the issuer's legal name, address, and registration | Fill the four letterhead fields first; layer templates second — the checklist above, in that order |
| Expecting the Bill To tax numbers to come from your entity | They never will — the buyer's numbers live on the customer's account, and blank stays blank | Maintain Tax Registration Number and Taxpayer ID on customer accounts, especially in GST/VAT jurisdictions |
| Fixing a wrong address by editing an already-sent PDF's document | Old files are the record of what was issued; the error is in the entity, and every future document repeats it | Correct the entity's Company Address (PDF), then regenerate what still needs sending |
Where to go next
- PDF Template Configuration — the presentation layer.
- Template Hierarchy — how entity and regional templates interact.
- Understanding Entities — the records all of this lives on.
Frequently asked questions
The PDF constrains logos to a sensible letterhead size; supply a reasonably sized, crisp image (wide rectangular logos render best). If it looks wrong, the source image is usually the culprit — swap the URL and regenerate.
No — generated files are historical records and stay as issued. New generations (and regenerations) pick up the new branding immediately.
Whoever maintains entity records — in practice your Accounting Admin. Treat the tax identifier with respect: it prints on legal documents exactly as typed.
The discount column and total appear only when the entity has a Sales Discount GL Account configured (and the template isn't hiding the discount row). If your entity never discounts, the clean, column-free invoice is the intended result.
Per document, no — but per template, yes: a template's Logo URL Override replaces the entity logo for everything that template dresses. Point the special document at that template and you have your different logo.
On the customer's account — the Tax Registration Number and Taxpayer ID fields. The entity's own identifier is separate and prints in the letterhead. If both are filled and still nothing prints, the template's Show Tax Identifiers toggle is off.
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