# Generating PDFs

Generate professional PDF invoices from any draft order with complete pricing, properties, and branding.

### Methods to generate PDFs

#### From the Draft Order Magic editor

The primary method:

1. Open a draft order in the Draft Order Magic editor
2. Ensure the draft order is complete (customer, items, pricing)
3. Click **Download PDF** or **Generate PDF** button
4. PDF generates and downloads to your computer
5. Open the PDF to view, print, or share

\[Video: Generating PDF from editor - 25 seconds]

{% hint style="success" %}
Generate the PDF after finalizing all details. While you can regenerate if something changes, it's more efficient to finalize first.
{% endhint %}

#### From Shopify admin draft order

Alternative method via admin extension:

1. Go to **Orders → Drafts** in Shopify admin
2. Open the draft order
3. Click **More actions** (three dots menu)
4. Click **Print PDF**
5. PDF generates and opens in new tab or downloads

\[Screenshot: Shopify admin "More actions" → "Print PDF"]

{% hint style="info" %}
The "Print PDF" option only appears if:

* Draft Order Magic is installed
* PDF generation is enabled in Print Settings
* The draft order has at least one line item
  {% endhint %}

#### From Draft Order Magic homepage

Quick access method:

1. Open Draft Order Magic
2. Find the draft order in the list
3. Click the **PDF icon** or **Actions → Generate PDF**
4. PDF downloads automatically

### What's included in the PDF

Every PDF invoice contains:

#### Header

* Your business logo (from Print Settings)
* Business name
* Contact information (phone, email, website)
* Business address
* Invoice title (e.g., "Quote", "Invoice")
* Draft order number
* Date generated

#### Customer section

* Customer name
* Email address
* Shipping address
* Billing address (if different from shipping)

#### Line items table

Each product row shows:

* Product name and variant
* SKU
* Quantity
* Unit price (including custom pricing)
* Line total
* Line item properties (if added)

\[Screenshot: PDF line items table with properties highlighted]

#### Totals

* Subtotal (sum of all line items)
* Shipping charges
* Taxes
* **Grand total**

#### Footer

* Custom notes (from Print Settings)
* Page numbers (for multi-page invoices)

### PDF file details

**File format:** PDF (Portable Document Format) **File name:** Usually `draft-order-[number].pdf` (e.g., `draft-order-1234.pdf`) **Page size:** Letter (8.5" × 11") or A4 (depending on your region) **Color:** Full color (prints well in black and white too)

### Regenerating PDFs

If you need to update an invoice:

1. Open the draft order in Draft Order Magic editor
2. Make your changes (pricing, items, properties, etc.)
3. **Save** the draft order
4. Generate PDF again
5. New PDF reflects all changes

{% hint style="warning" %}
Regenerating creates a new PDF with a new timestamp. The old PDF doesn't update. Make sure customers know which version is current.
{% endhint %}

### PDF file size

Typical PDF sizes:

* **Simple order** (5 items, no logo): \~50-100 KB
* **Medium order** (20 items, logo): \~200-300 KB
* **Large order** (50+ items, logo): \~500 KB - 1 MB

Multi-page invoices are larger but still under 2-3 MB usually.

{% hint style="info" %}
These sizes are small enough to email easily. Most email systems allow attachments up to 10-25 MB.
{% endhint %}

### Viewing PDFs

PDFs open in:

* Web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
* PDF readers (Adobe Acrobat, Preview on Mac, etc.)
* Mobile devices (iOS, Android built-in viewers)

All platforms display PDFs consistently.

### Troubleshooting

#### PDF won't generate

**Check:**

* Draft order has at least one line item
* Customer is assigned to the draft order
* PDF generation is enabled in Print Settings
* Browser allows downloads (check popup blockers)

**Try:**

* Refresh the page
* Try different browser
* Check browser's download settings
* Generate from Shopify admin instead

#### PDF downloads but won't open

**Solutions:**

* Download a PDF reader (Adobe Acrobat Reader - free)
* Try opening in different program
* Check file wasn't corrupted during download
* Regenerate the PDF

#### Logo missing in PDF

**Fixes:**

* Go to Print Settings
* Verify logo is uploaded
* Re-upload logo if needed
* Generate new PDF

#### Information missing in PDF

**Check:**

* Business information filled in Print Settings
* Customer assigned to draft order
* All line items have prices
* Draft order was saved before generating

#### Custom pricing not showing

**Verify:**

* Prices were set in Draft Order Magic (not just Shopify)
* Draft order was saved after setting prices
* You generated a NEW PDF (old ones won't update)

[More troubleshooting →](https://github.com/horselditty/draft-order-docs/blob/main/support/troubleshooting/pdf-generation-issues/README.md)

### What's next?

Configure branding and business info Set prices that appear in PDFs Add details that show in PDFs Send draft order invoices


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