To create an invoice PDF, fill in an invoice in an invoice generator and download it as a PDF, or write it in a word processor and export it as a PDF, or open it in your browser and choose Print, then Save as PDF. All three are free. A generator is the quickest, because it also numbers the invoice and does the arithmetic.
Why send invoices as PDFs
- It looks the same everywhere. A PDF keeps its fonts and layout on any computer or phone; a Word file or a spreadsheet may not.
- It is hard to change by accident. Neither you nor the client can nudge a figure while reading it.
- It is what finance teams expect. PDFs file neatly, forward cleanly and are accepted by every invoice portal.
- It is small. A typical one-page invoice PDF is well under a megabyte, easy to attach to an email.
With an invoice generator
- Open the generator. Folio’s invoice generator runs in your browser; there is nothing to install and no account.
- Fill in the invoice. Your details, the client, the line items, tax and payment details. The preview beside the form shows the finished page as you type.
- Check the preview. Look at it as your client will: names, dates, each line and the total.
- Download the PDF. Choose Download PDF. The file is created in your browser and named for you, for example Invoice-INV-0042-Harbor-Pine-Bakery.pdf.
- Send it. Attach the file to an email to your client. See how to send an invoice.
Folio produces a true vector PDF with the typefaces embedded, so the text is sharp at any size and can be selected and searched. Long invoices continue onto further pages, with the table heading repeated and page numbers at the foot.
From Word or Google Docs
If you already have an invoice in a document:
- Google Docs: File → Download → PDF Document (.pdf).
- Microsoft Word (Windows): File → Save As, then choose PDF as the file type. Or File → Export → Create PDF/XPS.
- Microsoft Word (Mac): File → Save As, then choose PDF in File Format. Or File → Export.
- Pages (Mac): File → Export To → PDF.
The drawback is the arithmetic. A document doesn’t calculate totals, so every change means recalculating by hand, which is where most invoice errors come from. If you use a document, check every total before you export.
By printing to PDF
Any invoice you can open in a browser can be saved as a PDF through the print dialog:
| Where | How |
|---|---|
| Chrome or Edge | Print (Ctrl+P, or Cmd+P on a Mac), then choose Save as PDF as the destination |
| Safari on a Mac | File → Export as PDF, or Print, then PDF → Save as PDF |
| Firefox | Print, then choose Save to PDF as the destination |
| Windows apps | Print, then choose Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer |
| iPhone or iPad | Share → Print, then share the print preview and choose Save to Files |
Printing to PDF from a web page sometimes includes the page’s menus and margins. Folio’s Print button sends only the invoice itself, so Save as PDF from its print dialog also gives a clean page.
Naming the file
Name invoice PDFs so they make sense in someone else’s downloads folder:
- Good: Invoice-INV-0042-Harbor-Pine-Bakery.pdf
- Less good: invoice.pdf, Invoice final v2.pdf
Include the word Invoice, the invoice number and the client. Keep the same pattern every time, so your own files sort in order too.
Before you send it
- Open the PDF itself, not just the preview, and read it once on a phone.
- Check the client’s name and the total.
- Check the due date and payment details are on it.
- Check the file name.