Every WooCommerce store needs a reliable way to generate PDF invoices and packing slips.
Hand-typing order details into a Word template results in misspelled addresses, missing tax IDs, and a warehouse team guessing what goes in which box.
Setting up a proper WooCommerce PDF invoices and packing slips system instantly fixes that bottleneck.
The right plugin grabs the order data the second a customer pays and fires off a branded PDF receipt, while simultaneously dropping a clean packing list to your fulfillment team. Zero manual entry.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to choose and configure the best WooCommerce PDF invoice plugin, customize your packing slips, set up automatic email attachments, and avoid the common mistakes that trip up new and experienced store owners alike.
Table of Contents
- 1 What Are PDF Invoices and Packing Slips in WooCommerce?
- 2 How to Create WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips Without Code?
- 2.1 Step 1: Configure your invoice settings
- 2.2 Step 2: Configure the invoice PDF document settings
- 2.3 Step 3: Set the tax scheme and category (for UBL invoices)
- 2.4 Step 4: Customize the additional advanced settings
- 2.5 Step 5: Test the PDF Invoices and Packing Slips Generation in Your WooCommerce Store
- 3 Top 3 WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slip Plugins
- 4 How to Handle Tax Details on WooCommerce PDF Invoices?
- 5 7 Tips for Effective WooCommerce Invoicing & Packing Slip Usage and Management
- 6 Troubleshooting Common WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips Issues
- 7 Why You Should Create WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips?
- 8 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- 9 Set Up WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips in Your Store!
What Are PDF Invoices and Packing Slips in WooCommerce?
A PDF invoice is a billing document sent to your customer. It includes the buyer's details, product line items, prices, taxes, discounts, and payment information.
Invoices serve as proof of purchase and are essential for accounting, tax compliance, and customer records. In many jurisdictions, providing a proper invoice with every sale is a legal requirement.
A packing slip is an internal fulfillment document that travels with the shipment. It lists items in order, including the product name, SKU, quantity, weight, and other details, so your warehouse team can verify the contents before sealing the box.
Packing slips are the backbone of packing slip software for e-commerce operations, regardless of store size.
Beyond these two, WooCommerce stores often need related documents, such as credit notes for refunds, pro forma invoices for quotes or prepayment agreements, delivery notes that confirm shipment contents to the customer, and shipping labels for carrier-ready addressing.
Many of the plugins we'll cover handle multiple document types from a single dashboard, giving you a complete online store document management system.
Difference Between Invoices and Packing Slips in WooCommerce
No, packing slips and invoices are completely different. While they share some order data, their purpose is fundamentally different.
An invoice is a financial document that shows prices, taxes, and payment terms. It's meant for the customer and their accountant.
A packing slip is an operational document and tells the person packing the order exactly what goes in the box. Packing slips usually exclude pricing information deliberately, both for privacy (think gift orders) and because the warehouse doesn’t need it.
How to Create WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips Without Code?
Here, we will use the PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce plugin by WP Overnight.
This is the most widely used WooCommerce invoice plugin, with over 1,800 five-star reviews and support for more than 20 languages.
Make sure to install and activate this WooCommerce plugin on your WordPress website.
Follow the instructions to create your PDF invoices and packing slips.
Step 1: Configure your invoice settings
Next, navigate to WooCommerce ⇨ PDF Invoices and configure some basic settings.
You’ll be able to see the live preview of your template as you make changes to your invoice.
- Choose the invoice PDF template
Since we’re using the free version, there is only one simple template.
You can have different templates in the premium version of PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce.
- Add your business logo
Click on the ‘Set Image’ button and upload your business logo.
Once you’ve added your logo, you’ll be able to see a live preview of the logo displayed in your invoice and packing slip.
Additionally, configure the height of your business logo in units such as mm, cm, or in, and use a decimal point for decimals.
- Enter the name and address of your WooCommerce business
Next, enter your shop name, which will appear on invoices and packing slips.
Scroll down and enter the business address in the ‘Shop Address’ field.
You can also add your business's VAT or Chamber of Commerce Number, which will appear on UBL invoices. However, this is a premium feature.
- Add footers like terms & conditions, policies, etc.
You can also add footers to your invoices, such as customer care number, terms and conditions, privacy policy, etc.
- Enable extended currency symbol support
Turn on the extended currency symbol support if the currency symbol is not displaying correctly in your invoices.
Click on ‘Save Changes’ when done.
Step 2: Configure the invoice PDF document settings
Configure the following document settings:
- Enable PDF and attach it to emails
Enable the PDF and check the ‘New order (Admin email)’ and ‘Processing order’ emails.
You can disable invoice emails for specific order statuses.
- Display customer information
Check the option to display relevant customer information, such as their shipping address, email address, phone number, or customer notes, on invoices or packing slips.
- Generate and display invoice numbers
Scroll down and enable the display invoice number option.
You can even set the custom numbers for your next invoices. Enter the number format next to the prefix, suffix, or padding.
Furthermore, it enables you to reset the invoice number annually. But we recommend keeping this setting disabled.
- Log invoice number generation
Enable the invoice number generation logs to help debug the numbering issue.
- Allow customers to download their invoices
Locate the ‘Allow my account invoice download’ settings and set it to ‘Only when an invoice is already created/emailed’.
In addition, there are many other settings to enable invoice numbers from your WooCommerce orders list.
You’ll find options such as enabling the invoice number and invoice date columns, enabling invoice number search, disabling invoices for free orders, and more.
Be sure to save the changes before proceeding.
Step 3: Set the tax scheme and category (for UBL invoices)
This WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips plugin automatically fetches all the tax rates from your store.
You can set the tax scheme and tax category from the UBL section:
Click on 'Save Changes' when done.
Step 4: Customize the additional advanced settings
Configure advanced settings such as:
- Document link access type
- Document access denied, redirect page
- Enable debug output
- Enable semaphore logs, and more.
Make sure to save the changes when done.
Step 5: Test the PDF Invoices and Packing Slips Generation in Your WooCommerce Store
Now it's time to test the WooCommerce checkout process and see if it accurately generates PDF invoices and packing slips.
To do that, add an item to your shopping cart and head to the checkout page.
Enter your test payment information, then place the order.
Note: This checkout page below is made using a prebuilt template by FunnelKit Funnel Builder.
FunnelKit Funnel Builder is one of the most powerful sales funnel builder plugins for WooCommerce and WordPress.
Once your order is placed, you’ll be directed to the thank you page.
Next, head to WooCommerce orders and click the ‘PDF Invoice’ and ‘PDF Packing Slip’ buttons to download them.
You’ll be able to see the full PDF invoice:
The PDF format lets you download or print these documents.
Well done! This is how you can test and verify the WooCommerce PDF invoice and packing slip generation process in your store.
Guide: Refer to our guide on how to test WooCommerce checkout to provide an optimized shopping experience to your customers.
Top 3 WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slip Plugins
As mentioned earlier, WooCommerce doesn't provide an option to generate PDF Invoices and Packing slips. However, there are several PDF invoices and packing slip plugins for WooCommerce, each with its own set of features and benefits.
Here are three top plugins recommended by our experts:
1. PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce by WP Overnight
This WordPress plugin by WP Overnight automatically adds a PDF or UBL invoice to order confirmation emails after a customer places an order.
It has many templates that you can customize or create your own.
In addition to that, you can even download or print invoices and packing slips from the WooCommerce order section.
Let’s explore some of its features:
- Templates - This plugin offers a variety of invoice templates that can be customized using simple HTML/CSS. You can even create templates from scratch.
- Bulk invoices - Generate PDF invoices and packing slips in bulk.
- Sequential invoices - This plugin supports a system for generating invoices with unique, sequential numbers.
- Supports multiple languages - It is compatible with Italian, English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Russian, and more.
The PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce plugin by WP Overnight is available for free with limited features.
You can upgrade to the premium version for €59 annually, applicable to one website.
2. WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips by Acowebs
This PDF invoice plugin generates custom-designed invoices for orders placed in your WooCommerce store.
In addition to invoices, this plugin lets you generate packing slips, shipping labels, and delivery notes for WooCommerce orders.
Take a look at its features:
- Automatic Invoice Generation - This plugin supports generating invoices, packing slips, dispatch labels, delivery notes, and shipping labels. It automatically generates the invoices and sends them to customers via order emails.
- Customization - It offers numerous options to customize your store logo, name, address, and more on your WooCommerce PDF invoices and packing slips.
- Extensive options - This plugin offers extensive functionality that allows specific roles to access invoices, display or hide free line items, disable invoices for free orders, and more.
The PDF Invoices and Packing Slips for WooCommerce plugin, developed by Acowebs, is available for free in the WordPress repository. Its premium version will cost you $43 annually for a single website.
3. WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, and Credit Notes by WebToffee
This WooCommerce invoice plugin auto-generates PDF invoices, packing slips, and credit notes.
It allows you to send your customers PDF invoices and packing slips via order emails.
Key features of this plugin:
- Ready-to-use templates - Use customizable, pre-designed templates for creating invoices, credit notes, and packing slips.
- Download or print invoices - This plugin lets you download and print invoices and packing slips separately or in bulk. You can even allow customers to print or download invoices from your WooCommerce store.
- Add custom fields to invoices - This plugin lets you add custom fields, such as VAT, GST, ABN, and other tax-related information, to your invoices. You can even add fields for payment information, tracking details, etc.
You can get the WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, and Credit Notes plugin at $69 annually for one website.
How to Handle Tax Details on WooCommerce PDF Invoices?
Incorrect or missing tax details create compliance issues and erode customer trust, especially for B2B transactions and cross-border sales.
Therefore, getting tax information right is the most critical aspect of WooCommerce PDF invoices.
- VAT and GST configuration: Most WooCommerce PDF invoice plugins generate tax data directly from your WooCommerce tax settings. Make sure your WooCommerce tax rates are configured correctly under WooCommerce tax settings before generating invoices.
- Tax registration number: Add your VAT, GST, ABN, or other tax identification number in the invoice plugin’s general settings. This makes the VAT number or other tax data appear in the invoice header or footer alongside your company details.
- Tax breakdown per line item vs. summary: Some jurisdictions require a per-line-item tax breakdown showing the tax rate and amount for each product. While others only require a summary total at the bottom. The WP Overnight Business template and WebToffee’s advanced templates support both formats.
- Reverse-charge invoices for B2B: If you sell to businesses in other EU countries, you may need to issue reverse-charge invoices, in which the buyer is responsible for reporting the VAT. This requires collecting the buyer’s VAT number at checkout and displaying a reverse-charge notice on the invoice.
- Multiple tax rates on one invoice: Handle products with different tax rates in the invoice total, such as standard-rated and reduced-rated items.
7 Tips for Effective WooCommerce Invoicing & Packing Slip Usage and Management
Let’s look at 7 effective tips to enhance your invoicing and packing slip generation process:
1. Optimize your checkout process
If your WooCommerce store isn’t optimized for conversions, setting up invoices and packing slips will be pointless.
That’s why you should optimize your WooCommerce checkout process.
Our experts recommend using FunnelKit Funnel Builder. It has the most advanced WooCommerce checkout manager functionality.
You can create one-page checkouts, order forms, Shopify-style checkouts, multi-step checkouts, and more.
With its editor, you can easily modify your checkout form fields by simply dragging and dropping.
Additionally, you can optimize your checkout for quick conversions.
2. Include essential information
Ensure that your invoices and packing slips contain all the crucial information.
This information can include order details (items, quantities, and prices), customer information, payment method, shipping address, and any relevant notes or messages associated with the order.
3. Set up email delivery
Configure your plugin to automatically email your customers PDF invoices and packing slips attached after they place an order.
This provides customers with a digital copy of their order details, enhancing communication and transparency.
Our experts recommend you send your WooCommerce emails through an SMTP server to ensure their deliverability.
Integrate your WooCommerce store with an SMTP plugin, such as WP Mail SMTP, which reconfigures the default wp_mail() function and resolves email delivery issues.
4. Make sure the invoice looks professional and on-brand
Customize the appearance of your invoices and packing slips to align them with your brand identity.
Add your business logo, adjust layouts, and choose colors that reflect your brand.
The premium version of the WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips plugin unlocks various other templates.
5. Use sequential invoice numbering with a clear format
Keep your invoices organized and easily trackable with sequential numbering.
This helps you maintain systematic invoice ordering and simplify overall record-keeping and accounting.
6. Provide clear instructions
Use clear and concise language in your invoices and packing slips to avoid confusion and misunderstandings.
Double-check shipping addresses and order details to prevent errors and delays before generating these documents.
7. Monitor feedback from your customers
Always pay attention to customer feedback on the usefulness of invoices and packing slips.
Use this feedback to continually improve the design and quality of your documents, ensuring they meet customer expectations.
Troubleshooting Common WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips Issues
Even a well-configured PDF invoice plugin can run into issues. Here are the most common problems store owners encounter and how to fix them.
- Logo not appearing on the invoice
First, check if the 'Embed images' option is enabled in the plugin's advanced settings. If the logo still does not appear, verify that the image file is hosted on the same server as your WordPress installation.
Externally hosted images may be blocked by the PDF generation library. Re-uploading the logo through the plugin settings often resolves the issue.
- The invoice is not attached to the order emails
Verify that you have selected the correct WooCommerce email type in the "Attach to" setting under the Invoice tab.
Also, check for conflicts with email customization plugins or SMTP plugins that may interfere with email attachments.
Temporarily deactivate other plugins and switch to a default theme, such as Storefront, to isolate the issue.
- Packing slip missing product attributes or custom fields
This is a common frustration, especially for stores with variable products. WooCommerce hides product attributes from order item meta if they are already part of the product name.
To force all attributes to display, add the filter add_filter( 'woocommerce_is_attribute_in_product_name', '__return_false' ); to your child theme's functions.php file.
For custom meta fields, you will need to edit the packing slip template to include the relevant meta keys.
- PDF showing incorrect fonts or broken characters
If your store serves customers who use non-Latin scripts such as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, the default PDF font may not support those characters.
WP Overnight offers free extensions for RTL support (mPDF extension) and CJK fonts (mPDF CJK extension) that resolve this. Install the appropriate language extension for your customer base.
- Invoice numbers have gaps or duplicates
Gaps usually occur when orders are cancelled or deleted after an invoice number has been assigned.
Most plugins assign invoice numbers sequentially and do not reuse numbers to maintain audit integrity.
If you need to reset the invoice number sequence, look for a reset option in the plugin’s numbering settings. Be cautious with this, as resetting numbers mid-year can create accounting complications.
PDF generation fails with a blank page or a PHP error
This is typically caused by a PHP memory limit that is too low or a conflict with another plugin. Increase your PHP memory limit to at least 256MB in your server configuration.
If the issue persists, enable the “Suppress errors” option in the plugin’s advanced settings to prevent PHP warnings from breaking the PDF output.
Why You Should Create WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In this section, we've answered some of the common questions our users asked about WooCommerce PDF invoices and packing slips.
To customize a PDF invoice in WooCommerce, install and activate the PDF Invoice and Packing Slip plugin. After that, go to WooCommerce > PDF Invoices. Configure settings such as adding a logo, entering the business name and address, setting the footer, adding any custom fields (if you want), enabling details you want to display, setting a custom invoice number, etc.
Creating WooCommerce PDF invoices and packing slips serves several important purposes for your business:
- Professionalism - Providing well-designed invoices and packing slips enhances your business's professionalism. It shows customers that you take their orders seriously and care about presenting a polished brand image.
- Order accuracy - Invoices, packing slips, delivery notes, and shipping labels are important documents for order fulfillment. Automatically generating them reduces the risk of errors and ensures that the order details are correctly recorded and communicated.
- Customer communication - Sending invoices and packing slips to customers keeps them informed and reassured about their purchases. It contains important information such as item details, quantities, prices, and shipping information.
- Legal compliance - Providing invoices is a legal requirement for businesses in many jurisdictions. Generating WooCommerce PDF invoices and packing slips for each order helps ensure compliance with these requirements.
- Efficiency - Automatically generating invoices and packing slips saves time and reduces the need for manual intervention. This enables you to focus on other aspects of your business while maintaining a high level of service to your customers.
- Branding - Customizing invoices, packing slips, and shipping labels with your business logo, colors, and branding elements reinforces brand recognition. This helps you strengthen your brand identity with customers.
Yes, you can print packing slips on WooCommerce. All you have to do is go to a WooCommerce order and download the packing slip. You can print your packing slip once you’ve downloaded it to your device.
You can download all your invoices from WooCommerce using the bulk feature. Just select all orders and choose PDF Invoice from the bulk action. Once all the invoices are opened in a new window, download them to your device from there.
In eCommerce, invoices and packing slips serve different purposes. An invoice outlines the sale or transaction between a seller and a buyer. It contains information about order details (item name, quantities, prices, and total amount), customer information (name and shipping address), payment method, and more.
A packing slip accompanies a shipment of goods from a seller to a buyer. It contains information such as the item name, quantities for each item, a brief description or SKU, and any special instructions or delivery notes related to the shipment.
Yes, the core plugin by WP Overnight is completely free and available on WordPress.org. The free version includes automatic PDF invoice and packing slip generation, email attachment, custom branding with your logo, a professional template, and e-invoicing support for UBL, Peppol, and ZUGFeRD formats. Premium extensions for credit notes, proforma invoices, bulk export, cloud storage upload, and additional premium templates are available separately or as part of the WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips Plus Bundle.
Yes. Most WooCommerce PDF invoice plugins are compatible with subscription plugins and generate a new invoice for each renewal order, just like a regular purchase.
Yes, you could use a PDF library such as TCPDF or Dompdf in a custom WordPress plugin to generate invoices programmatically from WooCommerce order data. For this, you would need to handle template rendering, email attachment, invoice numbering, storage, and tax calculations yourself. For most stores, a dedicated plugin is far more practical and maintainable.
WooCommerce itself does not natively support e-invoicing formats. However, WP Overnight’s free plugin supports multiple structured electronic invoicing formats, including UBL 2.1, Peppol BIS 3.0, CII D16B, Factur-X 1.0, ZUGFeRD 1.0, and ZUGFeRD 2.0. YITH’s plugin also supports the Italian Agenzia delle Entrate XML format for compliance.
Set Up WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips in Your Store!
Incorporating PDF invoices and packing slips into your WooCommerce store offers numerous benefits, including improved professionalism and enhanced customer satisfaction.
By seamlessly integrating the PDF Invoices & Packing Slips plugin, you can simplify the automatic generation of customized invoices and packing slips.
However, optimizing your online store goes beyond order management and invoice generation.
Once your invoicing is set up, we recommend looking at the rest of your post-purchase experience as well.
FunnelKit Funnel Builder helps you optimize your checkout page, add one-click upsells, and build automated email sequences that turn every completed order into the start of a longer customer relationship.
So why wait? Take your WooCommerce business to new heights today!
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