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How to Send Automatic PDF Invoices on Shopify (2026 Guide)
Shopify doesn't email PDF invoices on its own. Learn what a proper invoice needs and how to send branded PDF invoices for every order automatically.
Invoicepak Team
8 min read
On this page
- Does Shopify send invoices automatically?
- What a Shopify invoice should include
- Three ways to create invoices on Shopify
- How to send automatic PDF invoices with Invoicepak
- Branded invoices build trust
- Bulk print and download invoices
- What it costs
- Frequently asked questions
- Start sending invoices on autopilot
Every order you take on Shopify ends with the same question from a growing number of customers: "Can I get an invoice for that?" Business buyers need one for their accounts. Shoppers in many countries expect one by default. And your own bookkeeping gets much easier when every sale has a numbered document behind it.
The catch is that Shopify doesn't send PDF invoices out of the box. This guide explains why that matters, what a good invoice should include, and how to send a branded PDF invoice for every Shopify order automatically, without copying order details into a spreadsheet ever again.
Does Shopify send invoices automatically?
Not as PDFs. When someone buys from your store, Shopify sends an order confirmation email. It's a useful receipt-style message, but it isn't a formal invoice:
- It isn't titled or laid out as an invoice, so customers and their accountants can't file it as one.
- There's no PDF your customer can download, forward to their accountant or file away.
- It doesn't show your tax or VAT registration number in the way many tax authorities expect.
You can build invoices by hand from the order page, but that means opening every order, copying details into a template, saving a PDF and emailing it. At five orders a week that's tedious. At fifty a day it's a part-time job, and it's where mistakes creep in: a skipped number, a wrong total, an invoice that never got sent.
What a Shopify invoice should include
Requirements depend on where you sell, but a professional invoice usually carries all of the following:
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Invoice number | A unique, sequential number, with no gaps or duplicates |
| Dates | The invoice date, and the order date if it's different |
| Your details | Business name, address, email, and your logo so the invoice is clearly yours |
| Tax ID | Your tax or VAT registration number, if you're registered |
| Customer details | The customer's name, billing address and, where relevant, shipping address |
| Line items | Each product, quantity, unit price and line total |
| Tax breakdown | The tax charged, shown separately from the net amount |
| Totals | Subtotal, shipping, discounts, tax and the final amount |
Why sequential invoice numbers matter
Tax authorities and accountants look for an unbroken sequence: INV-1001, INV-1002, INV-1003. A missing number raises the question of where that sale went. Numbering by hand is the fastest way to get this wrong, which is one of the strongest reasons to automate it. Invoicepak uses your Shopify order number as the invoice number, so order #1001 gets invoice #1001 and the sequence stays in step with your orders.
Three ways to create invoices on Shopify
There are three common approaches, and they suit different stages of a store:
- By hand. Copy each order into a document or spreadsheet template and export a PDF. Free, but slow, error-prone and impossible to keep up with as orders grow.
- Print on demand. Use a tool that turns an order into a printable page when you ask for it. Better, but you still have to remember to do it for each order and send it yourself.
- Fully automatic. Use a Shopify invoice app that creates the PDF the moment an order is placed and emails it to the customer for you. You set it up once.
If you sell more than a handful of orders a month, the third option pays for itself in the time you get back.
How to send automatic PDF invoices with Invoicepak
Invoicepak is a Shopify invoice app built for exactly this job. Once it's set up, every new order gets a branded PDF invoice, emailed to the customer automatically. Setup takes about five minutes.
Install Invoicepak and pick a plan
Install Invoicepak from the Shopify App Store and approve its permissions. It only asks to read your orders and customers, so it can put their details on each invoice. Then choose a plan. The Free plan includes 5 invoice emails per month, so you can try everything on real orders before you pay anything.
Choose your invoice template
Invoicepak adds six ready-made invoice templates to your store, with Minimal set as the default, so you're ready to send straight away. To make the invoice look like your brand, open the template editor and add your logo, change the accent colour and layout, and choose which fields appear. See Create and manage templates.
Add your business details and tax number
In Settings → Business details, enter your company name, contact details and your tax / VAT number. Your company name appears at the top of every invoice and as the sender name on invoice emails. See Business details.
Turn on automatic sending
Under Settings → Invoice automation, make sure Send invoices automatically is on (it is by default). From now on, Invoicepak emails a PDF invoice to the customer as soon as an order is placed. You can also write your own email subject and message. See Automation & email.
Send your first invoice
Place a test order, or open any existing order in the Shopify admin and choose More actions → Send invoice email. Check the inbox, open the PDF, and you're done.
Branded invoices build trust
An invoice is one of the few documents a customer keeps after buying from you. A plain, generic layout does the job; a branded one does it and reminds them who they bought from. With your logo, your colours and a clean layout, the invoice becomes part of the customer experience rather than an afterthought.
It also cuts support emails. Customers who get a clear PDF invoice automatically don't need to write in asking for one.
Bulk print and download invoices
Automation handles the day-to-day, but sometimes you need a stack of invoices at once: for your accountant at the end of the month, for an audit, or to slip into packages before they ship. Invoicepak lets you select up to 50 orders in the Shopify admin and print or download their invoices as one merged PDF, each invoice on its own page, instead of opening orders one by one. See Print invoices for several orders.
What it costs
Every plan includes automatic PDF invoices and the six starter templates. Plans differ by how many invoice emails you send each month and by branding and sending options:
| Plan | Price | Invoice emails per month | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5 | Automatic invoices, 6 starter templates |
| Basic | $9.99 / month | 300 | Full branding, custom email subject and reply-to |
| Pro | $19.99 / month | 600 | Everything in Basic, plus unlimited custom templates |
| Premium | $79.99 / month | Unlimited | Send from your own domain, priority support |
See Plans & billing for the full comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Can Shopify generate invoices without an app?
Shopify sends order confirmation emails, but not numbered PDF invoices. Without an app you'd need to create each invoice by hand from the order details.
Do invoices go out for orders placed before I installed the app?
Automatic sending covers new orders from the moment you install. For older orders, open the order in the Shopify admin and use More actions → Send invoice email to send its invoice.
Can I put my VAT number on Shopify invoices?
Yes. Add it under Settings → Business details and tick it under Invoice PDF → Show on invoice. It's printed as Tax ID followed by your number, and the invoice shows the tax charged separately.
Will my invoices match my brand?
Yes. Start from one of the six templates, then add your logo, set your accent colour, choose a layout and turn individual fields on or off in the template editor.
Is there a free Shopify invoice app?
Invoicepak has a Free plan with 5 invoice emails per month and all six starter templates. Upgrade when your order volume grows.
Start sending invoices on autopilot
Manual invoicing doesn't scale, and customers notice when an invoice is late or missing. With an automatic Shopify invoice app, every order gets a correct, numbered, branded PDF invoice without you lifting a finger.
Install Invoicepak for free, and send your first automatic invoice in about five minutes.