Let’s start by thinking about our online shopping experiences. You place an order, eagerly anticipating its arrival. But what if you need to double-check something later?
You’re stuck looking through a cluttered mail inbox, trying to find that order confirmation email. It’s frustrating, right? Well, the same can happen with your very own customers.
That is where PDF invoices come into play. They help your customers easily find their order details, make your store look more professional, and keep track of transactions. But, how to create PDF invoices in WooCommerce?
In this guide, I’ll show you the step-by-step process of creating PDF invoices in WooCommerce. Not just that, you will also get to learn about the key benefits and different tips for creating PDF invoices in WooCommerce. Let’s go!
Why Should You Create PDF Invoices in WooCommerce: 8 Key Benefits
In today’s world of online businesses, generating PDF invoices in WooCommerce offers different benefits for both merchants and customers. But, what are they? See for yourself.
1. Looks More Professional
PDF invoices make your business look professional. They help customers trust you more and feel good about buying from you.
Also, the invoices make transactions look neat and organized. It shows the customers that you are serious in what you do and makes shopping with you a better experience overall for them.
2. Less Work and Less Mistakes
This is one of the major benefits of PDF invoices.
Using PDF invoices in WooCommerce not only reduces manual work but also minimizes the likelihood of mistakes that can occur when creating invoices by hand.
With automated processes handling the invoicing tasks, you can focus your energy on growing your business and serving your customers better. This streamlined approach ultimately leads to increased efficiency and smoother operations overall.
3. Improved Record-Keeping
WooCommerce invoices serve as comprehensive records of transactions for both you and your customers. They make it easy to keep track of all your sales and purchases.
You can store them digitally or print them out if you need a hard copy. This helps you stay organized and makes it simple to find what you need when it comes to reviewing your finances.
4. Prevent Disputes and Chargebacks
Providing detailed PDF invoices can help prevent disputes or chargebacks by clearly outlining the terms of the transaction, including itemized lists, pricing, and payment details.
5. Improving the Customer Experience: This one is a no-brainer! PDF invoices play a crucial role in enhancing the overall customer experience.
By providing clear and detailed documentation of transactions, they ensure transparency and build trust between merchants and customers. It also enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty.
6. Tax & Other Legal Compliance
PDF invoices help businesses handle tax stuff more easily. They ensure you have the necessary records to comply with tax laws and other legal regulations.
7. Global Accessibility: Another benefit is that PDF invoices transcend geographical boundaries, making them accessible to customers worldwide.
This is particularly beneficial for e-commerce businesses catering to international markets.
8. Security and Reliability
PDF invoices are a safe and dependable way to share financial information. They can’t be messed with, so the details stay intact and nobody can change them without permission, which is super important for keeping sensitive data safe.
One more thing! You can digitally sign PDF invoices, kind of like putting your stamp on them. This extra layer of security assures everyone that the invoice is legit and hasn’t been messed with since it was made.
As you can see, using PDF invoicing in WooCommerce can bring lots of good stuff for your business. Now, let’s have a look at the process of generating PDF Invoices in WooCommerce.
How to Create PDF Invoices in WooCommerce: Mastering the Process
Among the ecommerce platforms, WooCommerce always stands out with its different free and premium plugins and extensions. And you will be shocked to know that WooCommerce is running around 30% of all online stores.
But unfortunately, there is no built-in feature that’d create and customize the important invoices in WooCommerce for you. So, what do you do?
Well, there are two ways. Have a look-
- Use a good WooCommerce PDF invoice plugin to generate PDF invoices automatically
- Create invoices manually
Now, I’d always advise you to go for the first option. But why, you ask?
Well, using a good Plugin will help you to save a lot of time, make no mistakes and allow you to use different kinds of features like adding CSS, signatures, background images and custom feature notes.
Which plugin should you go for that comes with so many benefits?
There are many plugins to go for, but I’d always suggest you use the Challan Plugin.
According to my experience, it is one of the best PDF invoice & packing slip plugins developed by WebAppick- a renowned eCommerce plugin development company. It is a plugin that will give you all the features and options you need to create excellent PDF invoices for your valuable customers.
Here’s the process of creating WooCommerce PDF invoices:
First, you need to install and activate the plugin. So, from your WordPress Dashboard, go to Plugins> Add new plugins.
Now, search for the ‘Challan’ plugin. When you find it, you need to install and activate it.
It’s time to do WooCommerce invoice customization and set things up according to your needs. To do that, you have to go to the Challan menu, from the left side of your WordPress Dashboard.
Now you will find multiple options for customizing PDF invoices. Let’s discuss the important ones starting with the first one which is the settings page.
Settings Option
The main things are done in the settings option. The first thing you should do is to enable invoicing in the settings option. Then there are a couple of other things as well such as-
Download Invoice From My Account– In this part, you can choose when your customers can get their invoices and credit notes from their My Account page.
Invoice Attach to Email- This option lets you decide which emails should include the invoices. I have selected the new order, processed order, completed order and refunded order.
Pretty impressive right? Well, there’s way more.
In this WooCommerce invoice plugin settings option, if you scroll down a little bit you will find the Barcode generation and Pagination settings.
There, you can enable BarCode and QRcode. Also, there are multiple other options as well.
Not just QRcodes, want to enable page numbers?
Well, down below in the pagination settings, you have the option to add the page numbers.
Bonus tip: Although it is not mandatory, you should try to add page numbers. It always creates a positive impression among the customers.
That’s not it!
Below, you’ll discover advanced customization settings, such as configuring the PDF CSS Style. These WooCommerce invoice settings can significantly improve the impression left on your customers.
It’s time to move on to the next one which is the ‘invoice’ settings.
Invoice Settings
As you can see you have the option to set up your invoice template. Let me explain it a bit.
- Select Template: Here, you can choose the type of your invoice from the followings-
- Paper Size- There’s option available for you to select the paper size from the following options-
There are different sizes but I have opted for A4.
Bonus tip: Test out multiple templates to see which one goes perfectly with your products and your special customers.
What else, you might wonder?
Go down below and you will get the options to enable the ‘paid’ stamp, and upload your signature and background images.
Next up, in the ‘order info’ part, you can set up your invoice numbers sequentially and add custom prefixes and suffixes.
The “product info” feature lets you customize various details about your products and how they appear. Here, you can choose the number of products per page, adjust the title length, specify product columns, and more.
For example– in the product title length section, if you enter 5, the invoice will display only the first five characters of the product title. This feature comes in handy, particularly for lengthy product titles.
Bonus Tip– Select the most important items in the product column section. Especially the ones that customers want to see in the invoices at first glance.
So as you understand, the more info you provide the more in-depth invoices it generates for you.
These are the most important options you need to set up. But wait, there are some other features that might come in handy for your business. See for yourself.
Below the invoice settings, there is the option to set up Packing Slips.
Packing Slips
Just like the previous part, you get to set up background images, product info and order info in here as well. As you can see, I have set a maximum of 6 products per page and the paper size is A4.
There’s an option to display product images or product categories as well.
Static Files
This section is available for Premium or Pro users only. Here, you can upload static files like terms & conditions to accompany your PDF invoices.
You can upload a maximum of three files here. Once uploaded, Challan will automatically include these files in the order confirmation email, along with your invoices.
That’s not it! It’s possible to upload your own font file in Challan to customize your PDF invoice template.
It’s time for one of the most important features of this plugin which is setting up seller and buyer info.
‘Seller & Buyer’ Settings
There are two sections available here.
- Seller Info
- Buyer Info
Let’s get into each of them in detail.
1. Seller Info- In the seller information you should upload the company logo and set up the company name. It will help you to create a professional brand image for your company.
You also need to enter company details like address, phone number, email, and so on.
Bonus tip: In the footer section, you can input custom texts, links, or personal notes. I often set up a ‘reach us out’ option here.
2. Buyer Info
In the buyer info section, you get to set things up like- enabling or disabling the shipping address, phone number or email address. Do it according to your preference.
Both of the information is really important. So, take your time and set them up carefully.
Bulk Download
Another great feature is the Bulk Download feature of this plugin.
This cool feature lets you download invoices for a certain time period, and you can choose the type of order you want. Oh, some good news! This feature is completely free.
Ready to give it a go? Let’s try it out!
Suppose you want to generate the invoices from 1st February 2024 to 1st March 2024. So here’s how it’s done.
1. Bulk Type: You should set the bulk type to ‘invoice’.
2. Date From: The starting date should be 1st February 2024.
3. Date To: The last date can be 29th February 2024 or 1st March 2024 according to your will.
4. Order Status: You can go for any type of order. If you want the completed status only then select it as ‘completed’.
5. Click on the ‘Download’ button from below and it will generate all the completed order invoices from 1st February 2024 to 1st March 2024.
Let me guess, are you considering adding shipping labels along with invoices and packing slips? Don’t worry, it’s possible as well.
Shipping Label
A shipping label can greatly help you to improve the entire shipping process. Here, you get to generate a number of columns and rows according to your needs. Also, as you can see there’s an option to put up the paper size accordingly as well.
Upload Fonts
Are you worried about the fonts? Well, don’t be. There’s another option for WooCommerce PDF invoice customization and that is you will have the option to upload custom fonts in the invoices as well. But how?
Go to the ‘Upload Fonts’ option and you will find the option to upload your desired fonts.
One important thing! After changing the settings, remember to click ‘save changes’.
That’s it, your job is pretty much done.
Now, from your WooCommerce orders, you can select an order’s invoice icon to get your desired invoice.
By doing these simple tasks, I have generated an invoice for a valuable order.
Now that you have got an in-depth idea on producing PDF invoices have a look at some of the best tips and practices.
7 Best Tips and Practices to Create WooCommerce PDF Invoice
Now you know about creating WooCommerce PDF invoices and the benefits of it. However, there are some tips and practices that you can follow to get the best out of these invoices. Give it a glance.
1. Use a Reliable Plugin: This one is a must. You know that you cannot generate invoices manually all the time because it being time-consuming and one can make a mistake at any time.
That’s why try your best to choose a reputable WooCommerce plugin specifically designed for generating PDF invoices. The plugin I’ve shown you will almost get all of your jobs done very easily. So, you can use it or any other reliable plugin you have in your mind.
2. Customize Invoice Templates: Customize your invoice templates to include your business logo, contact information, and any other relevant branding elements. This helps reinforce your brand identity and professionalism.
3. Include Essential Information: Ensure that your PDF invoices contain all necessary information, such as
- itemized lists of products or services,
- pricing,
- taxes,
- shipping details,
- and payment information.
But why should you?
Well, it’s because clear and detailed invoices minimize confusion and disputes. The more detailed and important information you show in your invoices, the more customer satisfaction you’ll achieve.
4. Provide Order Numbers and Dates: Clearly display unique order numbers and dates on your invoices for easy reference and tracking. Why, you ask?
This will help both you and your customers identify and manage transactions efficiently. Some people don’t do it, but it can highly impress your customers and help them contact customer support or track their order status whenever they need.
5. Offer Multiple Languages: If your business serves customers from diverse backgrounds, consider providing multilingual invoices.
This shows that you care about everyone, not just English speakers. It makes it easier for them to understand and makes their shopping experience better.
6. Test and Review: Before implementing PDF invoicing on your WooCommerce store, thoroughly test the invoice generation process to ensure accuracy and compatibility with your website theme.
Review sample invoices to verify that all information is correctly displayed and formatted.
7. Stay Updated: Regularly update your WooCommerce plugins and invoice templates to ensure compatibility with the latest WordPress and WooCommerce versions. Why, you ask? Staying updated helps prevent compatibility issues and security vulnerabilities.
By following these tips and best practices, you can create professional, accurate, and user-friendly PDF invoices in WooCommerce, enhancing the overall shopping experience for your customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is it necessary for an invoice to be a PDF?
Answer: An invoice is an official document that asks customers for payment after they’ve received services or products. In today’s world, PDFs are the usual choice for sending invoices.
2. Is Challan free to use?
Answer: You will be glad to know that Challan is a Freemium plugin. Most of the time, you will be able to make invoices using the free features. But, if you decide to go for the premium features, you can have a look at the price-
| Sites | Yearly | Lifetime |
| Single Site | $29 | $119 |
| Five Sites | $59 | $229 |
| Ten Site | $129 | $457 |
3. Can you add VAT, SSN and order notes to an invoice?
Answer: Yes, you can. But how, you ask?
Well, enabling VAT ID or SSN on invoices is a premium feature of Challan – PDF Invoice & Packing Slip for WooCommerce. To activate this feature and display the VAT ID or SSN field on the checkout page and invoice, follow these steps:
- Go to your WordPress Dashboard and navigate to Challan Invoice > Settings.
- Click on the Invoice tab.
- Look for the VAT ID & SSN sub-section.
- Toggle the “Enable VAT ID” or “Enable SSN” options, or both, based on your preference.
4. What are the components of a WooCommerce Invoice?
Answer: There are many different things which you should include in your WooCommerce invoice. However, here are the most important components:
- Buyer Information
- Seller Information
- Company Logo
- Order details
- Product Details
- Total Price
Final Thought
Creating PDF invoices in WooCommerce is essential for running a professional and efficient online business. I hope you have a clear idea of how to create PDF invoices in WooCommerce by now.
Go through the process again, then use the plugin properly to generate the PDF invoices in the best way possible. Try your best to utilize the tips and get the best of benefits. That’s all for today. Enjoy your ecommerce journey!