How to create WooCommerce PDF Invoices: Step-by-Step Guide

How to create WooCommerce PDF Invoices: Step-by-Step Guide

Invoices are vital for tracking sales, managing inventory, and maintaining professional relationships with customers. 


Without proper invoicing, the process can become chaotic, leading to errors, disputes, and a lack of transparency. So, when setting up WooCommerce on your WordPress site, every store owner searches for the options to create invoices.


But, can WooCommerce create invoices? 


Unfortunately, the answer is no. 


WooCommerce does not offer a default feature for generating invoices. 


So, what's the solution?


You need to use WooCommerce PDF invoice plugins. These plugins are designed to automate the invoicing process, ensuring that every order generates a detailed and accurate invoice. 


With the right plugin, you can also get advanced customization options for  your Woocommerce PDF invoices to enhance your brand's professionalism.


In this blog, I’ll go through all the necessary steps to create Woocommerce PDF invoices for you using the best free plugin. In fact, along with the steps, you’ll learn some best practices for creating invoices that perfectly reflect your brand image.

Why create invoices in WooCommerce: 8 key benefits

In today’s online business world, generating PDF invoices in WooCommerce offers various benefits for both merchants and customers. Here’s why:


  • Looks more professional


PDF invoices make your business look more professional, building customer trust and enhancing their buying experience. They make transactions look neat and organized, showing customers that you take your business seriously.


  • Less Work and Fewer Mistakes


Using PDF invoices in WooCommerce reduces manual work and minimizes errors that can occur with hand-written invoices. Automated invoicing allows you to focus on growing your business and better serving your customers, leading to increased efficiency and smoother operations.


  • Improved Record-Keeping


WooCommerce invoices serve as comprehensive records of transactions, making it easy to track sales and purchases. You can store them digitally or print them for hard copies, helping you stay organized and simplifying financial reviews.


  • Prevent Disputes and Chargebacks


Detailed PDF invoices help prevent disputes or chargebacks by clearly outlining transaction terms, including itemized lists, pricing, and payment details.


  • Enhanced Customer Experience


PDF invoices improve the overall customer experience by providing clear, detailed transaction documentation, ensuring transparency, and building trust. This leads to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.


  • Tax and Legal Compliance


PDF invoices help businesses manage tax requirements by ensuring necessary records are maintained for compliance with tax laws and other legal regulations.


  • Global Accessibility


PDF invoices are accessible worldwide, making them ideal for e-commerce businesses serving international markets.


  • Security and Reliability


PDF invoices are a secure and reliable way to share financial information. They can’t be altered without permission, keeping sensitive data safe. Digital signatures add an extra layer of security, confirming the invoice’s legitimacy and ensuring it hasn’t been tampered with.


Using PDF invoicing in WooCommerce offers numerous benefits for your business. Now, let’s look at the process of generating PDF invoices in WooCommerce.

What should a WooCommerce PDF invoice Include?


You want to create PDF invoices for your Woocommerce store, but do you know what exactly a professional Woocommerce PDF invoice requires?


Well, if not, don’t worry. Let’s talk about what should a accurate pdf invoice should include:


  • Company logo

  • Company details

  • Customer details

  • Invoice number

  • Order date

  • Payment method

  • Products purchased

  • Price and quantity

  • Tax details

  • Barcode/QR code

  • Refund policy

  • Customer notes

If you cover all the points listed out here, you’ll have the most expert level PDF invoice for your store. 


Now, let’s create one that fulfills all the requirements here.

How to create WooCommerce pdf invoices?


Though WooCommerce powers up all online stores with many by default features, unfortunately, there is no feature to create a woocommerce pdf invoice.


So, what do you do?


There are two options:


  • Use a WooCommerce PDF invoice plugin to generate PDF invoices automatically

  • Create invoices manually


I always recommend the first option. Why? Using a good plugin saves time, reduces errors, and offers features like adding CSS, signatures, background images, and custom notes.


But, what about the cost?


DOn’t worry. If you consider the cost of using a plugin, then, you won’t have to pay a single penny for this. Some plugins offer you to  create Woocommerce invoice free, but with very limited features.


So, here, I’m going to discuss a FREE Woocommerce PDF Invoice plugin-Challan that I personally use for my business. 


It’s because, the free features of this plugin not only create the invoice free, but also lets you do many advanced customization to make your invoice look more professional.


And, that’s why, according to many Woocommrce experts, it’s one of the best PDF invoice and packing slip plugins. 


Again, don’t worry about the service. This plugin is developed by WebAppick, a renowned eCommerce plugin development company. So, you’ll get dedicated support for any type of use using the plugin.


How to create Woocommerce PDF Invoice for Free?


Now, let’s jump into the steps on how you can generate Woocommerce pdf invoice for Free With Challan plugin. Here, I’ll do the steps with you from installation to advanced customization.


Here’re the steps of free generating PDF invoice in Woocommerce:


Step 1: Install and activate the plugin

Step 2: Customize your WooCommerce invoice settings

Step 3: Bulk download Woocommerce PDF Invoice


Now, let’s dive into the details of each steps.


Step 1: Install and activate the plugin


First, go to your WordPress Dashboard, navigate to the Plugins > Add New.



There, search for the ‘Challan’ plugin, then install and activate it.



After activating of the plugin, you’re all ready to create your own customized invoice.


Step 2: Customize your WooCommerce invoice settings. 

Now, you’ll find a dedicated challan menu at the left menu of your site. Simply, go to the Challan >> settings menu.




Once you’re there, you’ll find multiple customization options for your invoice. Let’s go through on by one. First, it’s the settings page.



  • Settings Option

On the settings tab, first, enable the invoicing with the toggle next to it. Then, set the document language for where you want to make your invoices. 



With Challan, you can download invoice and choose when your customers can access their invoices and credit notes.


But, how do you attach a PDF invoice to an email in WooCommerce?


Well, not only the download, you can also attach your invoices with emails. Again, you ca set which emails should include invoices (e.g., new order, processed order, completed order, refunded order).


It’s really impressive, right?


But, actually here’s many more. If you want, you can add barcode or QR code with your invoices. It will help your customers to find their products and also reflect your brand image with such a professional look.



Now, with a little bit of scrolling, you’ll find PDF CSS style section where you can customize your invoices with html.

There, you can adjust the color of the body, span or other things with the html template in CSS style.



And, you’re done with the basic settings and let’s move on to the Invoice.


Invoice Settings


In this invoice settings, you can make your own customize templates for your brand. 


Even better!


If you don’t have that much time to create a new template, Challan offers you 6 different PDF invoice templates to skip the hassle. All the templates are highly professional looking and reflect your brand image.



Then, you can also choose your invoice type and paper size. 



You can choose any, but I will set the size A4.


Bonus Tip:


Test out all the templates to see which one goes perfectly with your products and your brand image.


It’s not stop here, let’s do some more advanced customization like adding paid stamps and background images.


Now, if you scroll down, you will find options to enable the paid’ stamp, and upload your signature and background images.




Now, in the order info section, to track your invoices, you can set up the invoice numbers and again add custom prefixes or suffixes. Ahain, you can also display the shipping cost with tax or without tax to easily justify the total purchase.



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 is particularly useful 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 information you provide, the more detailed the invoices it generates for you.


Packing Slip:

As I’m talking about the invoice creation, so i’ll skip the packing slip section. However, if you’re also interested to create packing slip for your store along with invoices, you can easily customize your packing slip in this section.



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. 


What are the files?


Well, you can add your packing slip, shipping label to the invoice. Create the 3 files at once with Challan and upload all of them to the static files.


Once uploaded, Challan will automatically include these files in the order confirmation email, along with your invoices.


That’s not it! You can also upload your own font file in Challan to customize your PDF invoice template.


Seller & Buyer Settings

One of the most important features of this plugin is setting up seller and buyer info. There are two sections available here:


  • Seller info

  • Buyer info


Seller Info: Upload your company logo and set up the company name to create a professional brand image. You also need to enter company details like address, phone number, email, and more.



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.


Buyer Info: 


Enable or disable the shipping address, phone number, or email address according to your preference.


Both pieces of information are really important. So, take your time and set them up carefully.

There’s an option to upload custom fonts in the invoices as well. Go to the ‘Upload Fonts’ section and upload your desired fonts.


One important thing! After changing the settings, remember to click ‘Save Changes’.


That’s it, you're all done.


From your WooCommerce orders, you can select an order’s invoice icon to get your desired invoice.


Step 3: Bulk download Woocommerce PDF Invoice


Now, your invoice is all ready to send to your customers. But, what about if you have to track the invoices for your documentation?


Well, you can bulk download all of your invoices and keep the record of your sales management.


And to cover you up, another great feature of Challan is the Bulk Download. This cool feature lets you download invoices for a certain time period, and you can choose the type of order you want. 


So, Let’s try it out!


Suppose you want to generate the invoices from 1st January 2024 to 1st June 2024. Here’s how it’s done:


  • Bulk Type: Set the bulk type to ‘invoice’.

  • Date From: Enter the starting date as 1st February 2024.

  • Date To: Enter the end date as 29th February 2024 or 1st March 2024.

  • Order Status: Choose the type of order. If you want the completed status only, select ‘completed’.

  • Download: Click the ‘Download’ button, and it will generate all the completed order invoices from 1st February 2024 to 1st March 2024.


And, my professional invoice is all ready. Want to see how it looks like?


Now that you have an in-depth understanding of producing PDF invoices, let's look at some of the best tips and practices.


7 Tips for Effective WooCommerce Invoicing and Management


Now you know about creating WooCommerce PDF invoices and the benefits of them. However, there are some tips and best practices that you can follow to get the most professional invoices. Let’s check out the tips:


1. Use a Reliable Plugin


This one is a must. Generating invoices manually all the time is time-consuming and prone to errors. That’s why you should choose a reputable WooCommerce plugin specifically designed for generating PDF invoices. The plugin I’ve shown you will handle most of your tasks easily. You can use it or any other reliable plugin you have in 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. 


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. This helps both you and your customers identify and manage transactions efficiently. 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 improves their shopping experience.


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. 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.


Conclusion:


Though WooCommerce itself doesn’t offer built-in PDF invoice creation, with the help of plugins like Challan, you can easily organize your order documentation process. Not only the invoices, but also packing slips to credit notes, and shipping labels, everything can be managed in one place. Challan provides advanced customization features and allows you to include essential product information. This WooCommerce PDF invoice plugin ensures clear communication and a professional touch for your customers.


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Comments (1)

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Kitty Davidson

Nov 07, 2024

Awesome. Your instructions are very detailed and easy to follow. Thanks again for sharing this. Besides, if you like horror games, don't miss FNAF Games on my site.

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