Let customers download invoices as PDFs

Customer documents puts a download link in your order confirmation email. Your customer clicks it and gets their invoice as a PDF, made with the same template you print for that order. You can offer a return slip and a gift receipt too.

Customer documents works on every plan, and downloads never count toward your monthly order limit.

Turn on customer documents#

1. Open Settings and find Customer documents under Customers.
2. Turn on Let customers download documents.
3. Under Documents customers can download, choose what to offer: Invoice (on to start), Return slip and Gift receipt.

Changes in this card save automatically. One link covers every document you choose, so if you change the list later, your emails don't need editing.

If neither your default invoice nor an invoice picked by a Print Rule is turned on and set to Letter or A4 paper, the card says Customers can't download an invoice yet. In Templates, make a Letter or A4 invoice your default, or point an invoice Print Rule at one.

Add the link to your order confirmation email#

1. In the Customer documents card, click Copy code.
2. In Shopify admin, go to Settings > Notifications > Customer notifications > Order confirmation, then click Edit code.
3. Paste the code where you want the link, for example under the order summary, then click Save.

Example interface

Order confirmation email · Edit code

Your next order confirmation email includes the link. The code looks like this:

{% assign ap_sig = order.id | append: "" | hmac_sha256: "YOUR_KEY" %}
<p><a href="https://app.autoprinter.app/d/YOUR_STORE/{{ order.id }}?s={{ ap_sig }}">Download your invoice (PDF)</a></p>

Settings fills in your store and your private link key, so always copy the code from Settings, not from this page.

The words between > and </a> are the link your customer sees. They start out in your document language, and you can change them in the email editor. Leave the rest of the code as it is.

Shipping confirmation (optional). To put the link in your shipping emails as well, paste the same code into Shipping confirmation the same way.

Note: the code contains your store's private link key. Paste it only into your Shopify email templates.

See what your customers get#

Click Preview customer link in the card. It opens the download page for your most recent order in a new tab, so you can check it before you change any email.

The page shows your logo or store name, the order number and date, and a row for each document with Download PDF and View. It uses the language you chose in Settings → Language and format, like your printed documents.

If a PDF can't be made at that moment, your customer sees a page asking them to try again in a minute.

Which template customers get#

Customers get the template you would print for that order:

• Print Rules pick it. Your rules for that document are checked top to bottom and the first match wins. If no rule matches, customers get your default template for that document. The Print Station on a rule doesn't matter here.
• One document of each type. Even if your Print Chain prints every matching rule, customers get one of each document, from the first matching rule.
• Letter and A4 only. If the chosen template uses 4×6 label or receipt paper, customers get your default template when it is Letter or A4. Otherwise that document isn't offered for the order.
• Split orders get one document. An order that ships from more than one location gets one invoice, return slip or gift receipt for the whole order, even if you print one for each location. Rules that use Fulfillment Location match only orders that ship from one location.

If no document is available for an order, the page says so and asks the customer to contact your store.

See Print Rules to set up rules and test them on a real order.

Documents show the order as it is today#

Each document is made when your customer opens it, from the order as Shopify has it at that moment. If you edit or refund the order, the next download shows the change. The download page says so, and Autoprinter doesn't keep a copy of the document.

Older orders#

For now, Shopify lets Autoprinter read only orders from about the last 60 days. For an older order, the link opens a page that names your store and asks your customer to contact you for a copy. The same page appears if the order was deleted. We'll update this page if that changes.

Logos and images hosted outside Shopify#

Customer documents show only images stored on Shopify, such as a logo from your Shopify brand settings, a logo you uploaded to Shopify, and product images. An image hosted anywhere else, such as a logo on your own website or a QR code from an online generator, is left out of your customer's copy. Your printed documents are not affected.

Barcodes and QR codes made by Autoprinter's own template helpers are part of the document, so they always appear.

To show your logo on customer documents, use a logo stored on Shopify in Settings → Branding. Re-sync from Shopify brings in your Shopify brand logo. See Branding and tax ID.

Reset customer links#

If your code ends up somewhere it shouldn't, click Reset customer links at the bottom of the card, then Reset links.

• Download links in emails you've already sent stop working.
• Copy the new code and paste it into your order confirmation email again, and into any other email where you added it.

Turn it off#

Turn off Let customers download documents to stop all downloads. Links in emails you've already sent then open a page saying the link isn't valid. Turn it back on and those links work again, unless you reset your links in between.

To stop offering one document, uncheck it in the list. It disappears from the download page for every order.

If you uninstall Autoprinter, the links stop working.

Need help? Use Need help? inside the app or email support@autoprinter.app.