This blog post provides a step-by-step guide on how to print packing slips in WooCommerce. Learn how to automatically create packing slips and attach them to WooCommerce order emails.
Packing slips are documents that specify what’s inside a package, including the products, the quantity of each product, and their weight. This helps reduce misdelivery and ensure accuracy in order fulfillment, providing both the seller and the customer with a clear record of what was shipped.
In this article, we will show you how to create and print packing slips for your WooCommerce with no effort. We will be using the WebToffee WooCommerce Address Labels for this purpose.
Having said that, let’s get started.
Key Takeaways:
- Packing slips are essential documents that include the details of a package.
- Attaching packing slips with eCommerce packages ensures transparency and accuracy in the fulfillment of orders.
- With the WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips plugin and the Remote-print addon, you can automate the creation and printing of packing slips in WooCommerce.
A packing slip is a document included with a shipment that provides a detailed list of the items inside the package. It outlines the products, their quantities, and their weights, ensuring transparency and accuracy in the order.
Typically, the seller prints the packing slip and places it inside the package or attaches it externally in a protective pouch. Customers use the packing slip to verify that their complete order has been delivered correctly.
Some eCommerce stores don’t use dedicated packing slips and instead rely on invoices to include packing information. However, to enhance your store’s efficiency and avoid cluttering your invoices with shipping details, it’s best to use dedicated packing slips for your WooCommerce store. This keeps your documents organized and ensures a smoother fulfillment process.
Depending on the specific business and product or service, a packing slip may contain different information. It might contain details on the product, such as the number of pieces, the SKU, the size and weight, any special instructions from the buyer, and more. As long as you have the perfect WooCommerce plugin, you may quickly customize these parameters to meet your needs.
The following is a sample of a packing slip document:
Why You Should Have Packing Slips on Your WooCommerce Store?
Packing slips are used in the order fulfillment process as a way to provide a summary of the items included in a package. Packing slips can serve several important purposes, including
1. Fast Order Processing
Order processing includes selecting, packaging, and delivering packaged products to a shipment or delivery carrier. If you own an online store, you may also be responsible for what occurs between the time when an order is placed and the time it reaches the shipper.
To help staff pick and pack products more quickly, a packing slip condenses information and provides it in written form. The purchase price, VAT, and customer information are not included because they are not necessary for the staff to carry out their job. Instead, it only contains the information they need.
2. Bookkeeping
Packing slips are a useful resource not just for picking and packaging but also for monitoring inventory and sales. Although invoices and receipts are the key records that reveal and explain a business’s transactions, packing slips can be used in addition to those records or as a backup in case the primary records are lost or misplaced.
3. Ensure Timely Order Delivery
Even though we’ve already discussed this, it needs reiterating. Packing slips provide company staff with clarity and eliminate the possibility of delivering an incorrect order or missing items. Packing slips can be used to compare the actual delivery and the order placed in the event of any issues.
4. Customer Communication
Packing slips can include important information about the order, such as order numbers, contact details, and promotional offers, improving customer engagement.
5. Returns and Exchanges
Packing slips typically include return instructions, making the process easier for customers and minimizing potential issues.
How to Create and Print WooCommerce Packing Slips?
As you are already aware, WooCommerce does not offer packing slips by default. Thankfully, with the right set of tools, you can create and print packing slips for your WooCommerce orders.
Follow the below steps to create and print packing slips in WooCommerce:
Step 1: Install WebToffee PDF Invoices Plugin
Firstly, you need to install and activate the free version of the WooCommerce PDF Invoices plugin.
- From your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
- Search for the “WooCommerce PDF Invoices” plugin by WebToffee in the search bar.
- Install and activate the plugin on your website.
- Then, install the premium version of the WooCommerce PDF invoice and packing slips plugin and the invoice remote print addon to automate the printing of WooCommerce packing slips.
Once you have installed the required plugins, proceed to the next step.
Step 2: Connect PrintNode to Your Store
- Go to Invoice/Packing > General Settings > Remote print (PrintNode) from the WordPress dashboard.
- Enter the API Keys from the PrintNode dashboard.
- Click on Test Connection to test the API connection.
Step 3: Enable Automatic Printing of Packing Slips
To enable automatic printing:
- Select ‘Yes’ for the option Enable automatic printing.
- Choose whether the admin should receive automatic notifications for this.
Step 4:Choose When to Print Packing Slips
- Select the order status from the drop-down menu for which you want the packing slip to print automatically.
- After all necessary edits, click on the Update Settings button.
Verify that a default printer is set up to handle this activity. Since PrintNode is a quick remote printing service, it can send printing tasks to any printer and get them over firewalls and the Internet to print the documents of your choice. Additionally, it is possible to enable email notifications for any printing errors
The WooCommerce PDF Invoice plugin makes it simple to print customized packing slips automatically. As your business grows, you can increase printing tasks in response to an increase in customer orders since it adapts to your business needs.
PrintNode is a cloud printing solution that facilitates remote printing of various documents across a network. You can integrate PrintNode to manage the automated printing of invoices, packing slips, shipping labels, and other necessary documents for your WooCommerce store.
Packing slips are essential for verifying the contents of a shipment, reducing errors, and simplifying returns or exchanges. They also help businesses manage inventory and maintain accurate shipping records.
No, a packing slip is not considered proof of purchase. It is simply a record of the items shipped, whereas an invoice or receipt serves as proof of purchase for the customer.
A packing slip typically includes the customer’s name and address, order number, a list of items in the shipment, quantities of each item, and sometimes the weight of the products.
To bulk print WooCommerce packing slips, follow these steps:
> Install and activate WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices and packing slips plugin.
> Configure the packing slips for your WooCommerce store and choose an order status to generate the packing slips.
> Then, go to the WooCommerce Orders and select the orders for which you want to print packing slips.
> Select Print Packing Slips from the Bulk actions dropdown.
> Click Apply to print packing slips.
Wrapping Up
The plugin makes it simpler to manage the automatic printing of your shipping documents like packing slips. Additionally, it will give your clients a more professional impression.
Use the Remote Print add-on and the WooCommerce PDF invoices plugin if you’re looking for a solution to grow your company.Hope you have enjoyed reading the article.
