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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.paperlink.online/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

An estimate is a document you send to a client before doing the work — it shows what you plan to deliver and at what price. Clients can review it, and once they accept, you convert it to an invoice with a single action. Paperlink keeps a bidirectional link between the estimate and the invoice so you can always trace where an invoice came from.

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Estimate status lifecycle

Estimates move through a defined set of statuses that reflect where the approval stands.
StatusMeaning
DraftThe estimate is being prepared. All fields are editable.
SentYou have sent the estimate to the client.
ViewedThe client has opened the estimate via the shareable link.
RejectedThe client has declined the estimate.
AcceptedThe client has approved the estimate. Ready to convert to an invoice.
Draft is always the first status and Accepted is always the last. You can add custom statuses in between — for example “Under Review” or “Awaiting Signature” — to match your approval process. See Invoice and Estimate Status Workflows for details.

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Create an estimate

Creating an estimate follows the same steps as creating an invoice. The form has the same five sections: Basic Information, Document Information, Line Items, Financial & Payment, and Notes & Legal.
1

Open Estimates

Click Estimates in the sidebar.
2

Start a new estimate

Click New Estimate in the top-right corner.
3

Fill in the form

Select a client and company, add line items from your product catalog, and set the issue date and payment terms. All the same fields and rules apply as on an invoice.
4

Save

Click Save. The estimate is saved with Draft status.
You can leave the estimate in Draft while you are still working out the scope or pricing. Move it to Sent only when you are ready for the client to see it.

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Share the estimate with your client

Paperlink generates a shareable public link for every estimate. Your client can open the link in a browser to view the estimate as a PDF — no login required. When they open the link, the estimate status automatically updates to Viewed.
The public PDF link is read-only. Clients cannot edit the estimate — they can only view and download the document.

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Convert an estimate to an invoice

Once a client accepts an estimate, you can convert it to an invoice in one step.
1

Open the accepted estimate

Find the estimate in your list and open it. The status should be Accepted.
2

Convert to invoice

Click Convert to Invoice. Paperlink copies all the estimate data — client, company, line items, dates, payment terms, discount, and notes — into a new invoice.
3

Review and adjust

The new invoice opens in Draft status. Review the details, adjust any dates or payment terms if needed, and save.
After conversion, Paperlink creates a bidirectional link between the estimate and the invoice. You can navigate from the invoice back to the source estimate, and from the estimate forward to the invoice it produced.
Converting an estimate does not change the estimate’s status. The estimate remains Accepted, and the new invoice starts as Draft. Both documents exist independently after conversion.

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Kanban board view

Your estimates appear on a Kanban board organized by status column. Each card shows the estimate name, client, and total amount. You can drag cards between columns to update the status, or open a card to edit the estimate details. The Kanban board gives you a visual overview of where all your estimates stand in the approval process — how many are waiting for a client response, how many have been accepted, and how many need follow-up.

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Next steps

Create an invoice

Learn the full invoice form — line items, discounts, and payment details

Status workflows

Customize the estimate approval workflow with your own statuses

Clients and products

Set up clients and a product catalog to use on estimates