Order printer apps vs invoicing apps: the split that matters is billing and records

Use an order printer app when you mainly need to format and print Shopify order data. Use an invoicing app when you need automatic issue, separate corrections, stored versions, or electronic invoicing. The label alone is unreliable. Check how the app handles changes, numbering, storage, delivery, and the documents your business needs.

What does an order printer app do?

An order printer app turns order data into a document you can print or save as a PDF. That can be enough for packing slips, pick lists, receipts, and simple invoices.

Shopify Order Printer is the clearest example. It is free. Shopify says it prints invoices, packing slips, and pick lists for up to 50 selected orders at a time. The browser handles printing or PDF saving.

Its template control is unusually broad for a free app. You can create up to 15 templates with HTML, CSS, and Liquid. That makes Shopify Order Printer a strong choice when you want full control over layout and are comfortable maintaining code. Our Docket vs Shopify Order Printer page covers that trade-off in detail.

What does an invoicing app add?

An invoicing app usually creates the document as part of an order or billing event, then manages what happens after issue. The useful additions may include automatic delivery, independent invoice numbering, credit notes, stored versions, translations, or electronic invoicing.

Those capabilities vary by app and plan. The current Sufio App Store listing says its Starter plan automatically creates and sends invoices. Credit notes from refunds, multilingual documents, VAT-number validation, and custom numbering appear on its Professional plan. Quotes and unlimited invoices appear on Premium.

Sufio also lists electronic invoicing through Peppol, ZUGFeRD, and Factur-X. That is a meaningful difference if your accountant says your business needs one of those networks. A printable PDF does not provide the same submission mechanism.

Which details matter more than the category name?

Start with the document lifecycle. Ask what triggers a document, whether an issued version can change, and whether a correction creates a separate record. If the app always renders current Shopify data, an old link may show something different after an order edit. A stored version avoids that problem, though the app still needs a clear correction process.

Then check the limits you will actually hit:

• Is use metered by Shopify orders, documents, or invoices?
• Are credit notes and quotes included on your plan?
• Can customers receive a link automatically, or must staff download and send each PDF?
• Does the app retain earlier versions, and what happens after cancellation or uninstall?
• Does it submit electronic invoices, or does it only produce PDFs?
• Can you edit template code, or only change named settings?

Do not treat an App Store category or a marketing label as proof of compliance. Invoice and record requirements depend on where and how you sell. Your accountant or tax adviser should tell you which rules apply. The app documentation should then show, concretely, how the product handles them.

Where does Docket fit?

Docket sits between a print utility and a broad invoicing product. It generates invoices, packing slips, credit notes, and draft-order quotes from supported Shopify events. Each generated version is stored as immutable PDF and HTML while Docket remains installed. Earlier versions stay in the archive instead of being overwritten. That is why an old invoice keeps its captured prices.

The product is narrower than Sufio. Docket v1 does not submit electronic invoices. Its authored document labels are English. It is narrower than Shopify Order Printer in a different way. Docket does not expose HTML, CSS, or Liquid, and it does not import Order Printer templates. You configure the logo, accent color, footers, numbering, VAT details, and other named settings.

Docket’s archive also has a hard boundary. Billing cancellation leaves stored documents available while the app remains installed. Uninstalling Docket deletes the archive and ends its public links. The document storage guide explains that behavior.

Which type should you choose?

Choose Shopify Order Printer when free, on-demand printing and code-level template control cover the job. Choose a broader invoicing app such as Sufio when you need its translation, B2B, or electronic-invoicing capabilities and the right plan includes them.

Consider Docket when you want event-driven PDF documents and stored versions, but do not need an electronic-invoicing network or translated labels. The Docket vs Sufio comparison lists the current plan limits and product gaps side by side. The current Docket pricing is $9.99 USD monthly or $99.99 USD annually for one Unlimited subscription after a Shopify-native 14-day trial. It is never metered by order count or document usage.