As the header on a document file, the header of an invoice is the space at the top of the invoice. In many cases, you want to have the word ‘invoice’ written boldly on the header of an invoice. This technique allows anyone that comes across the document to know that the material is an invoice. As such, it simplifies document filing and general procurement processes.
PDF.co Web API provides nice templates for your invoices!
You may want to include your company’s information alongside the word ‘invoice’ on the header. Nowadays, almost all companies use specialized software to edit and create unique headers as preferred. As such, it is wise if you can use such a type of software.
Table of Contents:
- Why is PDF Invoice Better
- Types of Invoice Header
- Invoice Header Details
- How to Create a PDF Invoice
Why is PDF Invoice Better
Here are just a few points why PDF format for invoices is way better than other formats:
- PDF offers a great layout of the documents – how they were initially designed to be seen. This includes font preferences, necessary spacing & images, etc.;
- PDF is very manageable and can be easily converted to other formats;
- PDF is a trusted and secure format. All the changes made stay recorded in the PDF file;
- PDF visualizes your initial file and has a significantly smaller size;
- PDF can be protected with a password if needed to keep your data private;
- PDF supports hyperlinks, markup, and commenting which makes it really powerful!
Types of Invoice Header
The header of an invoice is created in several different formats. These formats are given as follows.
Type 1
For this type, you would write the word ‘invoice’ within the header. You will immediately write the name of your company below with its various addresses, telephone numbers, fax, email address, and other contact information. A wide range of companies commonly uses this format. Usually, you would center your company’s information in the middle of the invoice. Depending on your preference, you may choose to include your company logo.
Type 2
The type 2 header usually contains the logo and the company’s information on the header of the invoice. You would often input your company’s logo to the left, while its information is aligned to the right. You would usually find the word ‘invoice’ written in the middle. The company information typically includes company name, address, and contact details.
Type 3
The type 3 header is similar to the type 2 invoice. The main difference between the two is that you input the logo to the right, while the company’s information is written to the left. As usual, the word ‘invoice’ is written at the center.
Invoice Header Details
Irrespective of the header format you choose, the data and information you include in the header must be accurate. A third party should be able to read and understand it easily and be able to verify it if necessary.
In that regard, here is an overview of the details commonly included in the invoice header.
Invoice Number
An invoice number is a unique number on the invoice header, often matched with a purchase order. You can use it to identify an invoice that you have issued to your customers, as well as for accounting purposes.
You can generate it automatically using invoicing software such as ours, or generate it manually. What is important is that no two invoices from your business should have identical invoice numbers.
External Reference Number
This can be a number that a customer sent you when ordering a product or service. This number is often important when you contact the customer about issues related to that invoice.
It can be manually generated or automatically generated. Some invoices will have an external reference number, in addition to the Purchase Order number. You cannot change this number.
Invoice Date and Time
This is the date and time that you generated the invoice, and it’s best practice not to change. Instead, you can create an updated invoice with a new date, and add a description of the changes made, in the body of the invoice.
Last Print Version
You can have a “Last Print Version”, to indicate the date that you sent a manual copy of that invoice.
Invoice Type
An invoice can be created by the supplier or by the customer. If the business creates it, its type is just “invoice”. However, if the customer creates it, it becomes a “Self-billing” type of invoice.
As a business, a customer can only send you a “Self-billing” invoice, if you have agreed to such a business arrangement.
Group
You can group your invoices into group categories for easy management. If you do, then you can specify the invoice’s group in the header. Group the invoices helps to sort and invoices, especially for large businesses, that handle millions of sales daily.
Acceptance Status
Often a customer may reject or accept an invoice, at any point of the invoice status. The acceptance status is indicated as either “Accepted” or “Rejected”.
Invoice Status
The status of the invoice indicates the accounting stage of that invoice. This can be as simple as “Viewed”, “Partial”, or “Paid”. If the customer has paid for the goods or services, the invoice status is “Paid.”
“Viewed” is when the customer has only viewed the invoice but hasn’t paid for it, while “Partial” is when the customer has paid in part for the invoice. You can use automated invoicing tools such as ours, to create invoice status.
Validation
You can have a validation status on the invoice header. It’s best practice to have an invoice validation mechanism. That protects your customers from receiving invalid invoices from scammers.
Having that information on the header also helps your fraud department to stop invoicing fraud in its early stages.
PDF.co Web API converts from HTML to PDF, and provides nice templates for your invoices!
How to Make an Invoice
Creating an invoice has never been as simple and fast.
In this tutorial, we will show you how to create an invoice from text and images using our integration. In order to get this done, you will be required a PDF.co account and a Zapier account.
1. Get Your API Key
The first step is to create a free account with PDF.co and get your API key in your dashboard.
2. Create Your First Zap
After you’re done with all the signups, you can proceed to the task.
You can find the Zap creation button in the top-right corner of your Zapier dashboard.
Please choose PDF.co as the App and PDF Filler as the Action Event. Check the screenshot below:
3. Configure PDF Filler
It’s time to configure PDF Filler with your Invoice data. You can do it easily by using PDF Viewer tool. It helps you drag the coordinates of the spot where you want to locate your images and text in the PDF file.
Please check the screenshot with the configuration done.
If the Source PDF field is empty, you can make the Invoice from a clean slate.
The Text objects field includes the coordinates, page text, number, font name, color & size in the following format: x;y;page;text;fontSize;fontName;fontColor.
The Images field includes the coordinates, page number, image URL, width, and height in the following format: x;y;page;urltoimage;;width;height
4. Test & Review Your Action
After running the Zap successfully, you will get the link to view your generated PDF invoice. Let’s check it out.
In this tutorial, you’ve learned how to create a business invoice using a simple integration between Zapier & PDF.co
You can check out more tutorials on how to create invoices as well as using various HTML Templates such as Invoice Template Sample 1, Invoice Template Sample 2, and Invoice Template Sample 3.
NOTE: You can keep your PDF Invoice in Google Drive or Dropbox by adding another step easily.
