How You Can Use Zapier to Automate Your Business

6 Minutes Read

Zapier connects your business apps and automatically moves information between them. By adding PDF.co to a Zap, you can generate, modify, extract data from, and secure PDF documents without processing each file manually.

Here are five practical ways to automate PDF workflows with PDF.co and Zapier.

IN THIS TUTORIAL

Add Pages to Documents or Contracts

Populate PDF Certificates and Forms

Extract Data From Invoices and Other PDFs

Secure Private Documents

Convert Business Files to PDF

Step 1: Add Pages to Documents or Contracts

Supporting pages, exhibits, and attachments often need to be combined with an existing contract or document.

Use the PDF.co Merge PDF action in Zapier to combine multiple PDFs, images, or supported documents into one PDF. Arrange the source files in the order they should appear in the finished document.

For the available settings, see the Merge PDF documentation.

Step 2: Populate PDF Certificates and Forms

You can automatically populate certificates, applications, agreements, and other fillable PDFs with information received from a form, CRM, spreadsheet, or database.

Add PDF.co to your Zap and select the PDF Filler action. Provide the source PDF and map the incoming values to the corresponding form field names. The action supports text fields, checkboxes, combo boxes, and radio buttons.

Learn more about the PDF Form Filler API and the PDF Filler action for Zapier.

Step 3: Extract Data From Invoices and Other PDFs

Manual data entry from PDFs can be slow and prone to errors. PDF.co can extract structured information and pass it to another application in your Zap.

For invoices, use the AI Invoice Parser. It detects invoice layouts and extracts standard invoice details and line items without requiring a document parser template.

For forms, statements, purchase orders, and other documents with repeatable layouts, use PDF.co Document Parser. The extracted data can be sent to Google Sheets, accounting software, a CRM, or another connected application.

Step 4: Secure Private Documents

Use the PDF.co PDF Security action to add password protection and document permissions before distributing a PDF.

You can configure a user password for opening the document and an owner password for controlling operations such as printing, copying, and modification. After PDF.co processes the document, another Zapier action can save or email the protected file.

See the PDF Security documentation for the available settings.

Step 5: Convert Business Files to PDF

PDF.co can convert spreadsheets, documents, HTML, webpages, and images into portable PDF files.

Choose the PDF.co conversion action that matches your source format, provide the source file or content, and map the generated PDF to the next application in your Zap. For example, you could convert a completed spreadsheet into a PDF and automatically save it to cloud storage or attach it to an email.

Explore the supported formats and conversion options on the PDF Converter page.

Creating a Basic PDF.co Zap

Most PDF.co workflows follow the same structure:

Choose an application and event that will start the workflow, such as a new Google Drive file, spreadsheet row, form submission, or email attachment.
Add PDF.co as the action application and select the appropriate PDF operation.
Connect your PDF.co account when prompted.
Map the source file and other required values from the trigger.
Test the PDF.co action and confirm that its output is correct.
Add another action to save, email, or process the resulting file or extracted data.
Publish the Zap.

With PDF.co and Zapier, recurring document tasks can run automatically while the resulting files and data continue to the applications your business already uses.