NCR Books, Invoice Pads and Carbonless Forms: A Guide for Melbourne Tradies and Small Businesses

27 October 2026 · 5 min read · Colorbourne Graphics, Melton

Plenty of businesses still write invoices by hand on site, and for good reason: the customer signs it, keeps a copy, and the job is done before anyone has found a charger. A carbonless book is the tool for that. Set it up well and it serves you for years of reorders; set it up badly and you discover the problem at book twenty. Here is how to get it right the first time.

Duplicate or triplicate

Duplicate books have two sheets per set: one for the customer, one that stays in the book. Triplicate adds a third, usually for the office or the accountant. If one person does the work and the books, duplicate is enough. If someone else does the invoicing or you want a copy in the van and a copy in the file, triplicate pays for itself the first time a copy goes missing.

Colours and order

Convention is a white top copy for the customer, then yellow, then pink, and following it means anyone who has used an invoice book before knows which copy is theirs. Our carbonless book product page shows the colour options; the authority form variant has the white and yellow set already.

Numbered or not

Invoices and receipts should be numbered: your bookkeeper will thank you and so will the tax office. Quote books and job sheets often do not need it. Numbering is printed in sequence on every set; give us the starting number and each reorder continues from the last book.

Glued or wrap-around

A glued book has its sets bound at the top or side and a cardboard back so you can write on your knee. A wrap-around cover folds behind the current set so the pen does not go through to the set below; if you have ever found yesterday's invoice ghosted onto today's, that is what the wrap-around prevents. For a book that lives in a ute, take the wrap-around.

What to print on it

Business name, ABN, phone, email and address, so every copy is a complete tax invoice.
The words "Tax Invoice" if you are registered for GST, and a GST line in the totals.
Your payment terms and bank details on every set, not just the cover; the customer copy is the one that gets paid from.
Enough lines. Count the items on your longest typical job and add a few.
A signature line. A signed invoice settles most disputes before they start.

Size

A5 fits a glovebox and most jobs; A4 gives room for long item lists and larger writing. If the book will be filled out standing up, go bigger than you think.

Ordering

There is no minimum quantity on our books, so a sole trader can order one and a fleet can order fifty. Send your details and we set up the form, send a proof by email and print from it; reorders are one email. For related paperwork, notepads for quotes and job notes, booklets for terms and manuals, and letterheads print from the same artwork so the set matches.

Quick answers

What does NCR stand for?

No carbon required. The paper is coated so that pressure from a pen transfers the writing to the sheet below without a carbon sheet between them. Carbonless and NCR mean the same thing.

Is there a minimum order?

No. One book is a valid order with us. Most sole traders start with one or two and reorder from the same artwork.

Can the books be numbered?

Yes. Sequential numbering on every set is standard for invoices and receipts; tell us the starting number so a reorder continues the sequence.

Pages mentioned in this article

Need a quote? Call 1300 722 583, email sales@colorbourne.com.au or use the contact form.

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