Order Printer does exactly what its name says: it prints documents from order data. For many stores that is enough. It stops being enough at the moment a business customer asks for a proper invoice — because an invoice is not a layout problem, it is a numbering and tax problem.
What Order Printer does not do
It does not allocate invoice numbers
A template can print the order number. An invoice needs its own sequential number that is issued once and never reused. In Germany and most of the EU that sequence has to be gap-free and traceable; order numbers skip cancelled and draft orders, so they do not qualify.
It does not produce e-invoices
From 1 January 2025 every German business must be able to receive structured e-invoices, and from 1 January 2028 domestic B2B invoices must be issued that way. A printed PDF is not a structured e-invoice, however good it looks — the data has to travel with it.
It does not send anything
Printing is a manual act. If a customer should receive their invoice the moment they order, that is a different job.
What to look for in an alternative
- A real invoice sequence, gap-free, with the ability to continue the numbering from whatever app you used before — so your books do not restart at 0001.
- ZUGFeRD or XRechnung output, not just a PDF that mentions VAT.
- Automatic delivery, with a record of what was sent, to whom and when.
- Credit notes for refunds. An issued invoice must not be edited; a correction is its own document that references the original.
- An export your accountant can read — CSV or DATEV.
Where SayPDF fits
SayPDF Order Printer and Invoice issues numbered invoices from Shopify orders, emails them, embeds ZUGFeRD or XRechnung where you need it, turns refunds into credit notes and exports to CSV or DATEV. You choose when the invoice is issued — on order, on payment or on fulfilment — which matters if you sell on bank transfer or cash on delivery, where invoicing too early spends a number on a sale that may never happen.
What it does not do is bookkeeping. It produces documents and hands them to whoever keeps your books.
See what a ZUGFeRD invoice looks like
Upload any PDF invoice and convert it — free, no account. It is the fastest way to understand what European e-invoicing actually asks of you.
Convert a PDF to ZUGFeRDSelling into Germany? The e-invoicing guide for Shopify merchants covers the deadlines, and our German articles go deeper on ZUGFeRD versus XRechnung.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good alternative to Shopify Order Printer?
Order Printer prints templates from your order data. If you also need legally numbered invoices, EU e-invoicing formats such as ZUGFeRD or XRechnung, and automatic delivery to the customer, you need an invoicing app rather than a printing app. SayPDF Order Printer and Invoice covers that.
Does Shopify create real invoices?
Shopify produces order confirmations and packing slips. They are not invoices in the European sense: they carry no gap-free invoice number and no seller tax details, which is what German and EU law requires on an invoice.
Do I need e-invoicing for a Shopify store?
For sales to consumers, no. For domestic business customers in Germany, structured e-invoices become mandatory in stages, with no exceptions from 1 January 2028. If you sell B2B, plan for it.