Document containers are where your firm's letterhead and letter structure are set up. They apply to all your letters, giving them a consistent and professional look.
Any changes you need to make to the letterhead only need to be made on the document container.
The Letter document container
The Letter document container is your main document container. It consists of the following information from your firm, usually placed in the header and/or footer of your letter:
- Logo
- Firm name
- Address(es)
- Email address(es)
- Phone number(s)
In your Letter document container, you can also set your letters' font type, font size and letter structure.
Below is an example of a Letter document container that displays both the header and footer:
This middle section contains the letter structure:
Learn more about the structure of the Letter document container.
Your Letter document container is set up at the same time as your Smokeball account, allowing you to create a letter as soon as you begin using Smokeball.
Other types of document containers
During your account set-up, the following document containers are also created:
- Letter, No Footer - This is used with specific precedents that will have additional text after the sign off of the letter, for example, an acknowledgement of receipt of the letter.
- Email -This is used when you would like a precedent to be sent as an email and would like a structure different to that of a letter.
- Blank -This is used for your blank documents.
Where can I find my document containers?
To access your list of document containers:
- Select the gear icon on the top-right corner of the Smokeball desktop app.
- Select document containers from the left panel.
Setting up default document containers
If your firm needs more than one type of document container (i.e. your firm has separate logos for separate divisions, or you have more than one office), you can set the most used document container as a default. This means you only have to select a different document container when necessary.
Defaults are available for the following document containers:
- Letter
- Letter, No Footer
- Blank
To set a document container as a default, right-click on the container and select Rename / Change Type.
From the options, you can then select the Default Container Type from the drop-down options.
Where are document containers used in Smokeball?
Document containers are used in three places:
- in a Matter, when creating a letter/fax or document from your matter
- in the Precedent Library, when a document container is linked to an existing precedent
- in a contact card, when creating a letter, fax or document from a contact.
Next Steps
Refer to our other articles below to learn more about customising document containers.