Resources
Zemam guides & articles
Practical, screenshot-driven guides written from inside the product itself — not marketing copy.
Barcode printing: which printer to buy and how to use itA practical guide: Zemam prints barcode labels on a thermal roll or A4 sticker sheets with any driver-equipped printer, supports CODE128 and EAN-13, and scans them at the point of sale.Zemam AcademyThe barcode names the product — not its pricePrinting the price inside the barcode is the old way: any price change = reprint every sticker. The right way is the barcode identifies the product while the price lives in the system — change it once, with wholesale, offers, and correct VAT.Zemam vs Odoo — an honest ERP comparison for EgyptPoint by point: Arabic, ETA e-invoicing, real cost, speed to go live, and customization — and who each system honestly fits.Zemam vs Daftra — an honest ERP comparison for EgyptBoth Arabic & cloud — so the difference is depth: Daftra's maturity and user base vs Zemam's accounting core and operational depth.Zemam vs SAP Business One — an honest comparisonTwo systems for two sizes: SAP for large, complex enterprises with a budget; Zemam for SMBs wanting speed and a clear price with no implementation project.Zemam vs ERPNext — an honest ERP comparison for EgyptReady cloud vs open-source: real cost, customization, Arabic & ETA e-invoicing, and speed & support — and who each system honestly fits.Zemam vs Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central — an honest comparisonTwo systems for two sizes: Dynamics for firms invested in the Microsoft ecosystem with a budget and a partner; Zemam for SMBs wanting Arabic, e-invoicing, and a clear price with no implementation project.Accounting software or ERP? When you need an ERP in EgyptWhen accounting software (QuickBooks, Zoho, Excel) is enough vs when you need a full ERP — inventory, POS, e-invoicing, and a real balance sheet.Accounting, inventory, invoicing & installments: separate tools or one system?Separate tools don't talk to each other, so you enter data twice. What to verify in each function — especially installments, the one basic software most often lacks.Connect Zemam to Claude & ChatGPT — ask your books yourselfAsk “who do I chase today?” or “review my month” — the AI reads your actual books under your permissions and answers with an action plan, and even turns an invoice photo into a draft you confirm.How does Zemam's financial management help improve your performance?From a ledger you glance at month-end to a live decision tool: a real-time dashboard, cash & collection control, spend controls, true profit & margin, and tax compliance — all tied to real accounting.Zemam AcademyHow to write off materials in accounting softwareWriting off damaged or expired goods = a stock adjustment decrease: DR inventory loss at cost / CR inventory. The correct entry, why it's at cost not selling price, and the steps in Zemam.Zemam AcademyWhat are the elements of a quotation-comparison template?The request details, each supplier's price, lead time, quantity and validity, the best price per item, and the awarded winner — all these elements in Zemam's supplier-quote (RFQ) comparison, with one-click convert to a PO.Zemam AcademyGoods-receipt note vs receipt voucher — the differenceA receipt voucher records money received and affects the treasury; a goods-receipt note records goods received and affects inventory. A comparison table, the entries, and how Zemam separates them into two documents.Zemam AcademyStore issue note vs payment voucher — the differenceA store issue note records goods leaving the warehouse and affects inventory; a payment voucher records money leaving the treasury and affects the treasury. A comparison table, the entries, and how Zemam separates money from goods.Zemam AcademyDrawing a cheque vs cashing it — the differenceDrawing a cheque = writing and issuing it (a promise to pay, the bank isn't debited yet); cashing it = actually clearing it at the bank (money moves). A comparison table, the entries, and how Zemam tracks each stage with a status and an accurate bank balance.Zemam AcademyThe different types of warehouse-management softwareThe types of warehouse software (manual/Excel, standalone WMS, ERP-integrated inventory, barcode apps), what to look for, and why ERP-integrated inventory wins for most businesses — because the movement itself is the accounting entry.Zemam AcademyWhat to check before choosing accounting softwareThe difference between personal and company needs, and a full pre-purchase checklist: real double-entry, Arabic, e-invoicing, permissions, integration, live reports, cloud, clear pricing, and no data lock-in.Zemam AcademyWhat is the best accounting app for Android?What to look for in a mobile accounting app: real accounting behind it, Arabic RTL, a live dashboard, offline operation, and e-invoicing — and how to run your whole business from your phone with the Zemam app.Zemam AcademyProfit vs profit margin — the differenceProfit is an amount; margin is a ratio = profit ÷ revenue. The difference with an example, gross vs net margin, markup — and how Zemam computes them from the books per product and category.Zemam AcademyHow to set up an accounting system for a retail shop — principle, steps & rolesFour loops tied to one ledger: sales (POS), purchases, expenses, and stock count. The principle, setup steps, and roles — and how Zemam implements them in one system.Zemam AcademyHow to create a sales invoice in accounting softwareThe steps (customer, items, discount, tax, confirm) — and the key: at confirm the entries post, stock is deducted, and it's submitted to e-invoicing, all from one action.Zemam AcademyThe customer account statement: what it is and how to read itThe chronological record of every dealing with one customer: opening balance, movements (debit/credit), and closing balance. Its parts, how to read it, and why every figure must trace to a real journal entry — not a manually stored balance.Zemam AcademyManaging a product with colors & sizes — variants & templatesOne product in colors and sizes: define it once as a template with its attributes, and the system generates all the SKUs at once — each a separate item with its own stock, barcode, and price, plus multiple units.Zemam AcademyMake or buy? How to decide with numbers (Make vs Buy)The make-or-buy decision with numbers: Zemam compares your actual make-cost vs your actual buy-cost per item, and computes the saving and margin at selling price under both — built on your real costs.Zemam AcademyInvoice date vs. entry dateEvery invoice has two dates: the invoice (document) date and the entry (system) date. The entry posts to the invoice date's month, not the entry day, and closed periods are protected — how to record a back-dated invoice correctly.Zemam AcademyTypes of promotions & discounts in POSPercentage, special price, fixed amount, buy-X-get-Y, bundles, mix-&-match, and spend-threshold — scoped to item/category/brand/supplier/season. And how Zemam's engine applies them automatically at the POS and on invoices, even offline, with correct accounting.Zemam AcademyTax invoice vs. simplified tax invoice — the differenceWho you sell to decides which invoice you owe: the full tax invoice (B2B) on the e-invoicing system, and the simplified one (B2C) on the e-receipt system — the difference and the data each needs.Zemam AcademyWhat are the steps to close a fiscal year?From recording transactions, reconciling accounts, and counting inventory, to depreciation and financial statements, to locking the year and carrying balances forward — step by step for the owner.Zemam AcademyWhat is a journal entry vs. the general ledger?A journal entry records an operation as it happens (debit and credit); the ledger groups entries per account and shows its balance — the difference, and how they connect all the way to the financial statements.Zemam AcademyHow to produce a year-end trial balanceThe trial balance step by step, and the difference between the old closing-entry method and the modern IFRS-compatible pre-closing approach Zemam follows — net profit flows to equity with no closing entry.Zemam AcademyWhat are the types of debt in accounting, and how do they affect your business?Receivables and payables, short- and long-term, performing and bad — the types of debt, their effect on your cash flow, profitability, and growth, and how to stay on top of them.Zemam AcademyWhat is a payment voucher?What a payment voucher is, how it differs from a receipt voucher, what it must contain, and the common types — and its role in proving and approving money going out.Zemam AcademyWhat's the difference between the Trading Account and the P&L Account?The Trading Account produces gross profit and the P&L Account produces net profit — and how the modern IFRS-compatible method merges them into a single income statement.Zemam AcademyWhat's the difference between the Income Statement and the Trading Account?The Trading Account stops at gross profit; the Income Statement continues to net profit — so the Trading Account is the first part of the Income Statement, and the statement is the complete picture.Zemam AcademyWhat's the essential difference between the Income Statement and the Balance Sheet?The Income Statement measures performance over a period (did you profit?); the Balance Sheet measures position at a moment (what you own & owe) — and the bridge between them is net profit.Zemam AcademyWhat is accounting fraud? Types, red flags & how to protect your businessThe common types of fraud and their red flags — and how controls (an uneditable ledger, audit trail, segregation of duties, cash reconciliation, period locking) close most gaps and make any tampering leave a trail.Zemam AcademyWhat is a progress certificate? A simple contracting guideA progress certificate is a periodic claim for work executed on a project. Its definition, cycle (BOQ → measurement → certificate), and how the net due is computed with retention, advance recovery, and VAT.Zemam AcademyWhat are cost centers, and why do you need them?Know the profit of each project, branch, vehicle, or department — not just company-wide. Types, value, and how to start using them in Zemam (a P&L report per center).Zemam AcademyDoes reinvesting retained earnings reduce the account?A common misconception: retained earnings isn't a pot of cash. Reinvesting doesn't reduce it — it only drops on distribution to owners, a loss, or capitalization to capital.Zemam AcademyWhat are contra accounts?An opposite-natured account that reduces another without erasing the original (gross vs net) — its four types with examples: accumulated depreciation, sales discounts, owner drawings, and why we use it instead of subtracting directly.Zemam AcademyHow to prepare financial statements — the accounting cycle step by stepThe four financial statements and the accounting cycle that produces them: from entries, to ledger, to trial balance, to adjustments, to the statements — and how a system collapses most of the steps.Zemam AcademyWhy is the balance sheet presented before the income statement, though prepared after it?No contradiction: the preparation order is forced by data dependency (net profit first), the presentation order is a convention showing financial position first — “prepared after” isn't “presented after.”Zemam AcademyHow to prepare a balance sheet, step by stepFrom the trial balance, to classifying accounts, ordering assets and liabilities, computing equity, and verifying assets = liabilities + equity — with a full balanced example.Zemam AcademyPaying one branch's expense from another branch's bank — the entryThe entry two ways: a single entry in a unified ledger with a branch dimension, or two entries via the branch current account for separate books — plus the settlement entry.Zemam AcademyWhat is the branch current account in accounting?A reciprocal account between head office and branches — mirror images, eliminated on consolidation. And why one ledger with a branch dimension can make it unnecessary.Why does an employee attendance system matter for companies?It stops buddy punching, calculates hours automatically, and ends pay disputes — and most importantly, it's connected to payroll instead of a separate app you copy data from.Zemam AcademyWho is a chartered accountant? Qualifications & workThe independent licensed auditor: qualifications, duties (auditing statements, tax review, control assessment), how they differ from an in-house accountant — and how an organized system makes their job easier.How to connect Zemam to Egyptian e-invoicing (ETA)From registration credentials and EGS item codes to auto-submit and per-invoice status — step by step with screenshots.How to configure approval workflows in ZemamDecide who must approve each action — invoices, vouchers, stock transfers — with per-action approval levels.The cheque lifecycle — and what happens on a bounce?Custody, deposit, collection, bounces with correct reversals, endorsement to suppliers, and replacement.Bank reconciliation in Zemam — step by stepImport the statement, auto-match with suggestions, record fees in place, and finalize with a lock.Selling in dollars & FX gains — computed rightApproved, locked rates, a rate frozen on the invoice, and automatic FX differences per IAS 21.WAC or FIFO? Which costing method fits youThe difference with worked numbers, each method's effect on reported profit — chosen per item in Zemam.Why an invoicing app won't give you a balance sheetInvoicing app vs. a real accounting system — and why a balance sheet only comes from double-entry and a general ledger.The best system to run a grocery store — and the challengesHundreds of items, expiries, shrinkage, dropped internet — the grocery's biggest challenges and how to pick a POS and inventory system that solves them.How to configure notification rules in ZemamReal-time alerts for the events that matter — sales, low stock, due cheques — per channel and priority for each role.