Which document do you need?
Most small-business paperwork follows one of three journeys: doing a job for a customer, buying from a supplier, or sending goods out and taking them back. Pick the journey, then use the document that matches the moment you are in. Each tool page explains its own fields with a worked example you can check by hand.
Three journeys, one document per step
- Doing a job for a customer. Start with an estimate that states what you will do and for how much. When the customer accepts, an accepted estimate becomes a work order or an invoice without retyping the client or the lines. If the scope changes after the work has started, record it on a change order, so the final invoice matches what was agreed. A payment receipt confirms money received, and a statement of account lists what a customer still owes.
- Buying from a supplier. A purchase order puts the items, quantities and agreed prices in writing and gives the supplier a number to quote. When the delivery arrives, check it line by line on a goods received note, with damaged and rejected units entered separately from accepted ones. From time to time an inventory count sheet compares what you counted with what you expected and suggests what to reorder.
- Sending goods out and taking them back. A pick list gathers several orders into one walk through the stock room. A packing slip travels in each box and shows what is in it, what shipped before and what is still on backorder. A return authorization approves goods the customer sends back and counts them against what was shipped.
Practical tips before you print
- Give every document a number that is never reused. Suppliers, customers and your own records all match paperwork by that number.
- Choose the same paper size in the editor as in your printer, and print at 100% (Actual size) instead of Fit to page, so nothing shrinks or gets cut off.
- Type a tax rate only if your documents need one. Tax starts at 0 and is never filled in for you; check the rules for your country or ask a local adviser.
- Keep item codes as text. A code such as 00412 stays 00412 when you import a CSV file, as long as the spreadsheet column was formatted as text before you saved it.
- Download the PDF for anything you send. If you want to carry a document forward, for example to ship the rest of an order later, tick the option to keep documents on this device or save a backup file.
Questions people ask
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-up. You fill in a document, check the preview and download a PDF or print it.
Is what I type sent anywhere?
No. Documents are built in your browser on your device. What you type, and any spreadsheet you import, is not sent to a server.
Are these documents legal or tax documents?
They are general business forms. They do not give legal advice, look up tax rates or produce the tax invoices or e-invoices that some countries require. Where a page touches on rules that differ by country, it says so.
Where do I start if I am not sure?
Open the workflow that matches what you are doing now and follow its steps from the top. The step-by-step guides cover importing a price list from a spreadsheet, shipping one order in several boxes and fixing printouts that are cut off.