Step 1: Open HIP, then go to Report Settings/Cover Page Designer.

Step 2: You can take a look at our default Cover Page layouts by clicking on Import Layout from file. There are two types, Cover Design 1 Variations and Cover Design 2 Variations. Design 1 has sharp edges, while design 2 has curvy edges. The colors listed are hard set in the images used as the layouts and cannot be edited.

Step 3: You can use the Objects checkboxes for the Cover Photo, Company Information, Inspection Details/Agent Information, Cover Company Name, Report Title, Inspector Signature, Agent Photo, or Inspector Initials. I did leave out the Company Logo checkbox as we suggest adding that as an image now, which I will cover later in more depth.

The Cover Photo is usually a landscape photo of the front of the property being inspected. This photo is taken in the Client Info tab of the Mobile App and will always be the first photo in the Add/Review Photos tab 1 slot 1 of the Software.

One thing to note is the information that comes with Company Information and Inspection Details/Agent Information is not editable. If you are wanting to have specific information you’ll need to create a Text Box with variables, I’ll cover this more later.

The Cover Company Name will be what is set up as your company name. You can find information on editing this here.

The text that shows in the Report Title checkbox can be edited by going to Report Settings/Options/Layout under the Cover Page Title:

Using the Checkboxes for Signature and/or Initials, you can add them to the Cover Page. You can find an article on how to do that here.

Step 4: For the Company Logo, we no longer suggest using the Report Settings/Company Logo, as it doesn’t allow for a crisp image and all the sizing that might be desired. Instead, we recommend using the Add Image button in the middle area. This will open the Open As window, browse to where you have your logo file stored. The best files to have are .gif/.png/.jpg/.jpeg. PNG files are the best as they preserve transparency, allowing the logo to blend into the background.

Once you add the logo, you can move it around by selecting it and dragging it to where you want it.

You can also resize the image by moving the slider side to side.

Or you can use these buttons.

With the other buttons you can move it to one of 9 spots on the page, or Left, Right, or Center justify the image.

Step 5: To add custom text boxes or to edit existing ones, you use the Add/Edit Text button. If you are editing the existing text, make sure it is selected first. Remember that information provided by the checkboxes is not editable from the Cover Page Designer.

You can type in this box anything you need and also use a list of variables that will grab the information from various places, like Company Information and Client Info.

Below is a list of the available variables in the Cover page Designer.

You can edit the Alignment or Justification of the text with the Text Alignment buttons left/right/center.

You can also edit the color, size, and type of the font, with the Font Settings Button. There are a lot of options for picking the color, the screens for each are shown below.

There are also many font types already loaded with HIP and will work on either Windows or Mac. Other fonts can be added, but may not always work, as fonts are not always compatible with all systems.

Also, the Font Size can be changed to any size between 8 and 72.

If the Show Actual Font Size button shows, it is showing the Scaled font size to fit on the screen. If the Show Scaled Font Size button is showing, the Actual font size is being shown it will match what will be seen on the PDF.

You can also add a Page Border in the center section, which you can resize with the size bar and buttons like with images or move around by dragging it around or using the movement buttons.

Another part of the Cover Page Designer is the Layer area. This area allows you to move the different components of the cover page backwards and forwards. You would select the item you want to move either to the front or back, then use the arrows at the bottom to move them. The Top item is the most forward item, the bottom item the most back.

An alternative to the Cover Page is Stationary, this is a PDF that is set up with the exact layout you want to show on the Cover Page. The Custom Cover Page and Cover Page Stationary cannot be used at the same time.

There is also All Other Pages Stationary, this is also a PDF that has specific information on it for all of the other pages, besides the cover page. This can have a watermark of the company logo or anything you can imagine.

These are added in Report Settings/Stationary.

If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call at (800) 750-4777, or you can email us at [email protected] or open a chat in the bottom right corner of our main website or HIP Office!