Payments and invoicing

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Can I change or unpost a document after I have posted it?

A: No. Once you post a document, you can no longer edit or unpost it. The system does not allow you to undo a posting.
If you need to correct a posted document, create a cancellation document to cancel the original one. After that, you can create a new document with the correct information.

Why doesn’t “Copy Prices and Text” copy all price list data?

A: Missing data after copying a price list is typically caused by mismatched rows or columns.
To prevent incomplete price list copies, first add or remove rows and columns using the [+] and [–] buttons so both price lists match exactly. To copy an entire price list at once, including all rows and columns, use Edit > Copy instead.

How do I associate General Ledger accounts, tax rates, or revenue categories with my media items?

A: You can assign GL accounts, tax rates, and revenue categories to each media item so the correct financial data is captured at the time of sale.
A media item includes any licensed media file, such as JPEG, PSD, MPEG, or PDF files.

To efficiently apply this financial data, you can batch‑process multiple media items at once:

  1. Go to Finance > Settings > Media Items.
  2. Select all media items that should share the same financial settings.
  3. Choose Edit > Batch Process.
  4. On the General tab, select the appropriate Tax Rate and click Save.
  5. On the Financial Data tab, use the [..] buttons to assign the relevant General Ledger accounts and Revenue Categories, then click Save.

This ensures consistent and accurate financial reporting across all selected media items.

Can I delete an invoice after creating it?

A: You can delete an invoice only if it is unposted and the most recently created.
Invoices are official financial documents with fixed numbers, so the system restricts deletion to keep invoice numbering correct and consistent.

To delete unposted invoices, first sort them by invoice number (newest first). Start with the most recent invoice, select it, and choose Edit > Delete.

Important: You can delete only unposted invoices (Posting Status: Not Posted). You may edit an invoice until you post it; after posting, you can no longer edit or delete it.

Can I invoice a file in a Media Processing folder?

A: No. You can only invoice published files in the Archive.
Files that are still in Upload or Editing folders are considered in progress and cannot be invoiced because they are not yet visible to customers.

If I change an image’s metadata or a customer’s address, will related invoices update automatically?

A: No. Existing invoices do not update automatically after they are created.
The information (such as image metadata and customer address details) is copied into the invoice once and does not change later, even if you update that information somewhere else.

How do I invoice a file that isn’t in Backstage?

A: You can invoice an external file by using a placeholder image.
To invoice files that are not stored in Backstage while keeping financial and royalty data accurate:

  1. Upload a placeholder image to Backstage.
  2. Apply a batch restriction so the placeholder is not visible to customers.
  3. Assign an author code to each placeholder. This ensures that any sale correctly generates a royalty for the associated photographer.
  4. Insert the placeholder image into the invoice like a regular media item.

Can I post multiple financial documents at once and check required fields first?

A: Yes. You can post financial documents in bulk and validate required fields before posting.
This helps prevent posting errors, for example, ensuring that every line item includes a price or that required document‑level fields (such as Subject) are filled in.

How bulk posting with required field checks works:

  1. Go to Finance > Open Item Management > Open Items and Payments.
  2. From the Edit menu, select Post Financial Documents as Open Items.
  3. Choose the financial document type you want to post (for example, Invoice), or enable All Financial Document Types.
  4. Enable Activate check of required fields.
  5. Choose the mandatory fields you want the system to validate:
    • Line item fields (Documents | Line Items), for example, Price
    • Document‑level fields (Documents), for example, Subject
  6. Select the documents you want to post.
  7. Click Post.
    • Documents with all required fields completed are posted automatically.
    • If any required information is missing, you’ll see a list of documents that need to be corrected before they can be posted.

How can I see which items in a settlement run were not settled due to minimum or partial payments?

A: After a settlement run finishes, any items that were not settled, for example, because the payment amount was too low or only part of the amount was paid, appear in the bottom panel of the settlement screen (“View the current media files and payments available for this Settlement Run”).

If you leave the screen and want to view the same items again:

  1. Select the Settle already‑settled suppliers again checkbox.
  2. Click View Selection.

The system will show the items that were not successfully settled for the selected settlement period.

If you do not select the Settle already‑settled suppliers again checkbox, the system will not display items from the suppliers that were already settled for the selected settlement period.

Why do images show as “Not Available” after importing a sales report into an invoice?

A: If an image thumbnail displays “Not Available” after you import a sales report, it means the system can’t locate the image linked to that item’s Media Number.

You can quickly resolve this by resetting the Media Number field:

  1. Click into the Media Number field for the affected item.
  2. Delete the entire value in the field and press Enter to reset the field.
  3. Click back into the Media Number field, re‑enter the correct Media Number, and press Enter again.

Once updated, the system refreshes the linked data and the image thumbnail should display correctly.

In which field of a sales report can I find payout details?

A: Within a sales report, the royalty percentage shows in the “Payout in %” field and the royalty amount shows in the “Sum EUR” field.

What is the Acquire Document Number field?

A: The Acquire Document Number field displays the original financial document from which a line item was sourced.
This is a read-only field. The system automatically populates this field when you do a Settlement Run, or when you use the “Transfer” function to transfer an item from one financial document to another.

Can we arrange for customers to pay by credit card?

A: Yes, credit card payments are possible. Please note that additional payment provider fees apply. Contact us for more information on the available options and costs.

Can I email documents out of Backstage?

A: Yes. This feature is available upon request. Once enabled, you’ll find the Email option in the Edit menu of your financial documents. Contact us to activate the feature.

An Invoice is being printed in the wrong currency. How can I change this?

A: When you first create an invoice, the currency that’s associated with a customer’s Master Data record is pulled into the invoice. If it’s wrong:

  1. From within the invoice, select Fast Functions > Master Data Record.
  2. This opens the corresponding customer record.
  3. On the Finance Data panel, change the selected currency.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Click Back to Overview.
  6. To make sure the updated currency is pulled in, click Update Master Data.
  7. Click Save, and the currency will update. You can click into the Details tab to double-check, and you can reprint the invoice.

Can I change an exchange rate from within an invoice?

A: Yes. To change the exchange rate in an invoice:

  1. From the Fast Functions menu, select Change Currency Rates.
  2. Enter the updated currency rates and click Save.
  3. Select Yes to recalculate any existing amounts in your invoice.

What is the "Financial Accounting Warnings" panel on documents?

A: The Financial Accounting Warnings panel shows notes from a customer’s account that are relevant for financial handling.
You enter these notes in the customer’s Master Data, in the Finance subtab (for example, to indicate overdue payments). The system then automatically displays this information on related documents so your team is informed.

These warnings are for internal use only and do not appear on printed documents.

How can I see which photographers have a billing limit without opening each record?

A: You can see which photographers have a billing limit (limit settlement) in a single overview. Here is how:

  1. Go to Purchasing > Authors or Purchasing > Partners.
  2. Right-click the overview table header and unhide the Minimum Amount column.
  3. If the Minimum Amount column contains a value, a billing limit (limit settlement) is set for that photographer or partner.