ERPNext Print Formats: Custom Invoices, Receipts, Delivery Notes and Purchase Orders

Print formats are one of the most visible parts of an ERPNext implementation. A customer may never see your Chart of Accounts or stock ledger, but they will see your Sales Invoice, receipt, quotation, delivery note or purchase order. A poorly designed invoice can create confusion; a missing VAT number can delay payment.

ERPNext gives businesses flexible tools to customise print formats using standard formats, Print Format Builder, custom HTML/Jinja formats, letterheads, print headings, terms and custom fields.

1. Why Print Formats Matter in ERPNext

Print formats affect customer trust, supplier communication, VAT compliance review, payment speed, delivery accuracy, brand consistency and document professionalism. A good format answers: who issued this, who is it for, what is included, what is the amount, what VAT applies, what are payment terms and what should the recipient do next?

If the document is unclear, users may create workarounds outside ERPNext. Print formats should be part of implementation, UAT and go-live readiness.

2. Common ERPNext Documents That Need Custom Print Formats

Sales, buying and stock documents

• Sales: Quotation, Sales Order, Sales Invoice, Payment Receipt, Credit Note, Statement of Account
• Buying: Purchase Order, Purchase Receipt, Purchase Invoice, Supplier Payment Receipt
• Stock/delivery: Delivery Note, Packing Slip, Stock Entry, Return Note, Goods Received Note
• Project/service: Job Sheet, Service Report, Timesheet Invoice, Maintenance Visit Report

3. ERPNext Print Format Options Explained

4. ERPNext Custom Invoice Format

The Sales Invoice is usually the most important print format. A UK ERPNext Sales Invoice should include company logo and legal name, address, company registration and VAT numbers, invoice number and date, supply date where required, customer billing address, customer VAT number, PO reference, item description, quantity, unit price, discount, VAT rate and amount, net and gross totals, payment terms, due date, bank details and contact details.

The invoice should be clear enough that the customer can approve and pay without asking for clarification.

5. UK VAT Invoice Considerations

A VAT invoice should include unique invoice number, supplier and customer name and address, invoice and supply dates, description of goods or services, amount charged, VAT amount, total owed, VAT registration number and VAT rate or breakdown. ERPNext stores VAT through tax templates and invoice tax tables—but print format design must make VAT information visible and understandable.

6. Custom Receipt Print Format

• Include: receipt number and date, customer name, amount received, payment method, reference, linked invoice, currency, outstanding balance
• Especially useful for recruitment, travel, retail, training, rental and membership businesses
• For part payments and deposits: show total invoice, previous payments, current payment and balance remaining

7. Delivery Note Print Format

• Delivery Note number and date, customer name, shipping address, Sales Order and PO references
• Item code, name, description, quantity ordered and delivered, UOM, serial/batch numbers, warehouse
• Package count, driver details, signature section, delivery instructions
• Should be simple and practical—warehouse staff should not need to read a complicated document while handling goods

8. Purchase Order Print Format

• PO number and date, supplier name, address and contact, delivery address, required delivery date
• Item code, supplier item code, description, quantity, UOM, unit rate, discount, tax treatment, total
• Payment and delivery terms, purchase terms and conditions, authorised by, notes
• A clear PO reduces supplier misunderstanding—wrong quantities, items or invoices

9. Custom Credit Note Format

Credit Notes should include credit note heading, number and date, original invoice reference, customer details, reason for credit, item details, quantities credited, net/VAT/gross amounts and total credit. For UK businesses, VAT treatment on Credit Notes should be reviewed carefully and made clear on the print format.

10. Statement of Account Format

A good customer statement includes company logo, customer name and address, statement date and period, opening balance, invoice/credit note/payment lists, outstanding balance, ageing summary, payment instructions and contact details. A clean statement format can improve collections and reduce customer confusion.

11. What Makes a Good ERPNext Print Format?

• Should be: clear, professional, accurate, consistent, easy to read, suitable for PDF/email/print, tested with real data
• Avoid: tiny fonts, unclear totals, missing VAT or bank details, broken table rows, logo distortion, poor page breaks, hard-coded company details
• Print formats should be designed for the recipient, not just internal users

12. ERPNext Letterhead Best Practices

• May include logo, company name, address, phone, email, website, VAT and company registration numbers
• Keep header clean; use high-quality logo files; avoid oversized logos; use consistent margins
• Test PDF, printed and email attachment output; each company in multi-company setups may need its own letterhead

13. Custom Fields in Print Formats

Custom fields such as Customer PO Number, Project Code, Site Address, Job Number, Booking Reference or Serial Number can appear in print formats. Before adding them, ask: does the recipient need this? Is it always filled? Is it internal-only or customer-facing? Do not print every custom field—only print what improves clarity.

14. Conditional Display in Print Formats

• Show VAT number only if VAT registered; customer PO only if entered; bank details only on unpaid invoices
• Serial numbers only for serialised items; batch numbers only for batch-tracked items
• Reverse charge wording only when relevant; different footer text for different companies
• Conditional display keeps formats cleaner—users should not see blank sections or irrelevant wording

15. Table Columns: What to Show

A finance document needs amounts and taxes. A warehouse document needs quantities and delivery details. A supplier document needs purchase details and delivery requirements.

16. Payment Details on Invoices and Receipts

• Invoices: bank name, account name, sort code, account number, IBAN/SWIFT if international, payment reference, due date, payment terms, online payment link
• Receipts: payment method, reference, amount received, date, invoice reference, remaining balance
• Missing or unclear payment details cause delayed payments or wrong references

17. Branding and Design Considerations

Print formats should match brand, but readability matters more than decoration. Consider logo placement, font size, table spacing, page margins, colour use and page break behaviour. Avoid image-heavy documents—a customer should quickly identify document type, amount due, due date, payment method and contact details.

18. PDF and Print Testing

• Test PDF output, browser print, email attachment, one-page and multi-page documents
• Test long item descriptions, many line items, discount rows, VAT rows, zero VAT, international addresses
• Test logo scaling, footer position, page breaks, table continuation and mobile viewing
• Do not approve based only on one sample invoice—use real business examples

19. Print Format Testing Checklist Before Go-Live

Sales Invoice, receipt, delivery note and PO

• Invoice: logo, company/VAT details, customer details, items, VAT breakdown, totals, bank details, terms—PDF and email tested
• Receipt: number, customer, amount, payment mode, invoice reference, balance—PDF tested
• Delivery Note: number, delivery address, SO reference, items, quantities, serial/batch, signature—PDF and print tested
• Purchase Order: supplier, delivery address, items, quantities, dates, prices, terms, authorisation—PDF and email tested

A print format should not go live until the department owner signs it off.

20. Common ERPNext Print Format Mistakes

• Hard-coding company details; missing VAT number, bank details or payment terms
• Showing internal fields to customers; hiding important delivery details
• Poor page breaks, logo too large, footer overlapping table, fonts too small
• Not testing multi-page invoices, email PDF, different VAT scenarios or multi-company letterheads
• Not involving finance, warehouse or purchasing in approval

21. Print Formats for Multi-Company ERPNext Setups

Each company may need different logo, address, VAT number, bank details, terms, footer and invoice wording. Multi-company formats should avoid hard-coded details—pull from Company master, Letter Head and linked records to reduce errors and ease maintenance.

22. Print Formats for Different Industries

23. When Print Format Builder Is Enough

Print Format Builder may be enough for simple layout changes, rearranging fields, hiding a few fields, internal documents or formats without complex conditions or advanced styling—simple PO, internal Stock Entry, basic Quotation or Payment Receipt.

24. When You Need Custom HTML/Jinja Print Formats

Custom HTML/Jinja is better for exact branding, professional invoice layouts, complex VAT display, conditional sections, different layouts by company, custom table logic, QR codes, barcodes, signature boxes, industry-specific documents and print formats deployed via custom app. Examples: UK VAT Sales Invoice, branded PO, multi-page Delivery Note, field service job sheet, recruitment payment receipt.

25. Should Print Formats Be Part of a Custom App?

For serious implementations, print formats may be included in a custom Frappe app for version control, repeatable deployment across dev/UAT/production, custom field dependencies and controlled releases. For small sites, UI-based editing may be enough; for professional implementations, app-based management is safer.

26. Print Format Governance

Each format should have a business owner, approved layout and wording, test examples, version history and go-live sign-off. No one should change customer-facing invoice wording without approval.

27. ERPNext Print Format Implementation Process

• Collect existing documents; identify required fields; review UK VAT and legal requirements with finance/accountant
• Design layout; build in Print Format Builder or custom HTML/Jinja
• Test with real data; department review; fix issues; UAT sign-off; deploy to production
• Monitor after go-live and fix small real-world issues

28. Print Format UAT Scenarios

• Invoice: normal VAT, zero-rated, discount, multi-page, long descriptions, part payment, credit note, foreign currency
• Receipt: full/part/overpayment, multiple invoice payment, cash/bank/card
• Delivery Note: full/partial delivery, serialised/batched items, different shipping address, return
• Purchase Order: local/foreign supplier, multi-page, different delivery address, discounted PO

29. Print Formats and Email Templates

Print formats often work with email templates for quotations, invoices, receipts, POs and statements. A good email includes clear subject with document number, customer/supplier name, amount and due date where relevant, short message, attached PDF and contact details. Test email templates with attachments before go-live.

30. Security and Sensitive Information

Print formats can expose sensitive information—internal margins, cost prices, supplier rates, customer balances, employee data, commission details and internal notes. Do not show internal-only fields on external documents. Review every format from the recipient's point of view: should the customer, supplier, warehouse or driver see this?

31. ERPNext Print Format Checklist

• General: correct title, logo, company address, contact details, footer, page size, margins—PDF, email and multi-page tested
• Invoice: number, date, supply date, customer/VAT details, items, VAT breakdown, totals, payment terms, bank details, due date
• Receipt: number, date, amount, payment method, invoice reference, balance
• Delivery Note: number, delivery address, SO reference, quantities, serial/batch, signature, instructions
• PO: number, supplier, delivery address, required date, items, prices, terms, authorisation
• Approval: finance (invoice), warehouse (delivery note), purchasing (PO), sales (quotation), accountant (VAT wording)

32. Why Work With Talpha Solutions?

Talpha Solutions helps UK and European businesses with ERPNext custom print formats—Sales Invoice layouts, VAT invoice formats, Payment Receipts, Delivery Notes, Purchase Orders, quotations, statements, letterheads, multi-company formats, Jinja/HTML development, PDF testing, email templates, VAT wording review, UAT and Frappe custom app development. We make sure formats support finance, operations, VAT review and day-to-day business use—not just appearance.

Final Advice

Print formats should be treated as part of implementation, not a last-minute design task. Before go-live, check branding, VAT details, company and customer/supplier details, payment terms, bank details, delivery details, item tables, totals, page breaks, PDF and email output, and department sign-off. A good print format builds confidence; a poor one creates confusion, delays and rework.

Call to Action

Need custom ERPNext invoices, receipts, delivery notes or purchase orders? Book a free ERPNext print format review with Talpha Solutions. We will review your current documents, VAT requirements, branding, custom fields, PDF output and go-live needs, then recommend the best ERPNext print format approach for your business.