JoomInvoice - PDF Generation

JoomInvoice generates professional PDF invoices and quotes that you can download, email to clients, or let clients download from the frontend.

Downloading a PDF

From the Admin Panel

• Click the PDF icon next to any invoice or quote in the list.
• Or open the invoice and click the PDF download button.

From the Frontend

Clients can download PDFs when viewing their invoices online, either as a logged-in user or through a secure guest link (auth code).

How PDFs Are Generated

JoomInvoice uses the dompdf library to convert HTML to PDF. Each template has a separate PDF layout (the "PDF Template" field) that is specifically designed for PDF output.

Why a Separate PDF Layout?

The PDF engine has different capabilities than a web browser:

• No flexbox or grid - Use <table> elements for layout instead.
• No JavaScript - All data is replaced server-side using placeholders.
• Limited CSS - Inline styles work best. The template's Styles field provides CSS for the PDF.
• No external stylesheets - Only the CSS in the Styles field is used.

Because of these differences, the PDF layout is typically simpler and more table-based than the online layout.

Company Logo in PDFs

To include your company logo in PDF invoices:

1. Upload your logo image to media/com_joominvoice/ (via FTP or Joomla Media Manager).
2. Open your template in Settings > Templates.
3. Enter the logo filename in the Company Logo field.
4. In the PDF template HTML, use: <img src="/{company_logo}" width="300" />
5. Save the template.

Set an explicit width on the <img> tag for consistent sizing in PDFs.

Language Per Document

Each invoice has its own language setting (e.g., English, French, German). When a PDF is generated, JoomInvoice loads the correct language file so that all labels and translated text appear in the document's language - not the admin's language.

This means you can send a French invoice to a French client even if your admin panel is in English.

Character Encoding

Special characters like currency symbols (€, £, ¥) are automatically converted for PDF compatibility. You do not need to do anything special to use these characters in your templates.

Paper Size

All PDFs are generated in A4 format.

PDFs as Email Attachments

When you send an invoice by email with PDF attachment enabled:

1. The PDF is generated and saved temporarily to the configured folder (default: pdfinvoices/).
2. The PDF is attached to the email.
3. The temporary file stays on disk. You may want to clean this folder periodically.

Configure this in Configuration > E-mail > Attach PDF invoice in email and Folder for tmp PDF creation.

Tips for Better PDFs

• Use tables for layout instead of divs with float or flexbox.
• Use inline styles for the most reliable rendering.
• Set explicit widths on table cells and images.
• Use pt units for borders (e.g., 0.5pt solid #ddd).
• Test your templates after changes by downloading a sample PDF.
• Keep it simple - the PDF engine handles basic CSS well, but complex layouts can produce unexpected results.