A packing slip is the sheet inside the box that lists what was shipped. The customer uses it to check the order, the person packing uses it to pick the right items, and your returns process uses it to match a parcel back to an order. This generator makes one in your browser as a PDF sized for a 4x6 label printer or a regular office printer.
How to make a packing slip
- Add your store. Upload a logo and enter the store name, return address, email, phone and website. Tick Remember on this device to keep them for the next order.
- Enter the order. Order number (such as #1187), order date, and optionally the ship date, shipping method and tracking number.
- Add the ship-to address. Tick Add a separate bill-to address if the buyer and recipient are different people.
- List the items. SKU, item and variant, quantity ordered and quantity shipped. If you ship fewer than ordered, a Backordered column appears and the slip explains that the rest will follow.
- Decide on prices. Prices are off by default. Tick Show prices to add unit prices, line totals and a subtotal of the shipped items.
- Add messages. Tick This order is a gift to add a gift message in a box. Gift mode hides every price and changes the title to Gift Receipt. Add a thank-you note and your return instructions.
- Pick a code and size. Choose a Code 128 barcode of the order number, a QR code (of the order number or a link such as your returns page), or no code. Then choose a 4x6 in label, US Letter or A4.
- Download or print. Download PDF gives you an exact-size file. Next order clears the customer and items, keeps your store details, note, return steps and settings, and moves the order number up by one.
What goes on a packing slip
| Part | Why it is there |
|---|---|
| Store name, logo and return address | Tells the customer who sent it and where returns go |
| Order number and barcode | Lets you scan or search the order when a return comes back |
| Ship-to address | Lets the packer check the slip matches the label |
| SKU, item, ordered and shipped | Shows exactly what is in this box and what is still to come |
| Units in this package | A quick count for the packer and the customer |
| Return instructions | Cuts down on "how do I return this?" emails |
| Note or gift message | A personal touch, or a message from the person who sent the gift |
Prices on a packing slip, or not?
Most stores leave prices off. A slip without prices works for gifts, for orders shipped to someone other than the buyer, and for partial shipments where a total would confuse the customer. Show prices when the slip doubles as a record for a business buyer or when you ship wholesale orders that the receiving team checks against an invoice. When prices are on, the subtotal counts only the units in this package: in the sample, 2 mugs at $34 and 1 tea towel at $18 make $86, while the backordered candle is listed at $0.00 for now.
Barcode or QR code
A Code 128 barcode holds letters, digits and common symbols, so "#1187" or "SO-2026-0412" both work. Any USB barcode scanner reads it into a search box, which makes processing returns and checking packed orders faster. A QR code is better for customers: point it at your returns page or order status page so a phone camera opens it. If you leave the QR link empty, it encodes the order number. Both codes are drawn as vector shapes in the PDF, so they stay sharp on thermal printers.
These codes identify your order. They are not product barcodes. For UPC or EAN labels on products, use the barcode generator.
4x6 label, Letter or A4
- 4x6 in: made for thermal label printers such as the ones many stores use for shipping labels. The PDF page is exactly 4 by 6 inches. Print at 100% (Actual size) on 4x6 labels. If the slip is long, for example with a gift message, a note and return steps, it continues on a second label.
- US Letter or A4: for inkjet and laser printers. Fold it in thirds and put it on top of the items or in a document pouch on the outside of the box.
Before you print a stack of slips, print one and check three things: the page is not scaled down (the barcode should be the same width as on screen at 100%), the barcode scans with a phone app or your scanner, and the return address is correct. Thermal printers have no ink, so a slip printed on a 4x6 label fades faster in sunlight than an office print. That is fine for a packing slip, but keep a PDF copy if you need a record.
Tip: If your slips list SKUs, keep the SKUs in your store clean and consistent first, so the picker and the customer see the same code. AM Jarvis Bulk Edit Pro edits product fields across a Shopify or WooCommerce catalog with a preview and one-click revert.
Split shipments and backorders
When one item is out of stock, many stores ship what they have and send the rest later. Enter the full quantity in Ordered and what is in this box in Shipped. The slip adds a Backordered column, shows the difference for each line, and prints a short note that the missing items will follow at no extra cost. When the rest ships, make a second slip for the same order number with the remaining quantities as shipped. The customer can then match both parcels to one order, and nobody emails you asking where the candle went.
Return instructions that cut support emails
Customers read the return section of a packing slip when they are already unhappy, so keep it short and concrete:
- How many days they have, counted from delivery.
- The first step, such as "Email us with your order number" or "Scan the QR code to start a return".
- Whether you send a label or they buy postage.
- What to put in the box, for example this slip.
Match the wording to your published refund policy. If you do not have one yet, the free refund policy generator writes one from a short form.
Packing slip, invoice or shipping label?
A shipping label goes on the outside of the box and is made by the carrier or your shipping app. A packing slip goes inside and lists the contents, usually without prices. An invoice asks for or confirms payment and always has prices and totals. If a customer needs a document with prices for their accounts, make an invoice with the invoice generator instead.
When Shopify's own packing slips are enough
Shopify prints packing slips from the order page, and you can edit the template under Settings > Shipping and delivery > Packing slip template. For orders that come through your Shopify checkout, that is usually the fastest route because it pulls the order data for you. This generator is for the cases Shopify does not cover well: orders taken by email, phone, social media DMs or at markets, wholesale orders, replacement and warranty shipments, split shipments, or a quick gift slip without editing Liquid code.
Limits
The tool makes one slip at a time and does not read orders from your store. The PDF uses the standard Helvetica font for Latin-alphabet text, so names in other scripts show "?" in the PDF; use Print and save as PDF from the print dialog for those. Customer addresses stay in your browser and are never uploaded. Your last slip is kept in this browser for convenience, so clear it with Next order on a shared computer.