Zapier integration

Generate invoices, packing slips, proposals, and other PDFs when something happens in another app. Add ShipPDF → Generate PDF to your Zap, map data into a published template, and pass the finished PDF to a storage or email step.

This example uses a Shopify order to create a packing slip. You can use the same approach with form responses, spreadsheet rows, or CRM records.

Before you start

You need a Zapier account, a ShipPDF workspace with API access and generation credits, and a published template. Your Zapier plan must support the apps and steps you choose.

Design the layout and define its input fields in ShipPDF first. For a packing slip, use fields for the order number, recipient, shipping address, and a collection of products. See Create your template if you need a starting point.

1. Connect ShipPDF

Open your ShipPDF workspace’s API keys page and choose Create key. Give it a name such as “Zapier”.
Enable projects:read, templates:read, documents:create, and documents:read, and allow access to the project or template you want to use.

ShipPDF Create API key dialog with key name, scope selection, resource access, expiry settings, and the Create key button — Name your key Zapier, select the four scopes listed above, and choose its resource access and expiry before clicking Create key.

In Zapier, add the ShipPDF app, choose Generate PDF, and connect an account.
Paste your complete ShipPDF API key into API Key and finish connecting.

The connection determines which workspace, projects, and templates your Zap can access. See Authentication for more about API keys and permissions.

2. Choose your trigger

Create a Zap with the app that supplies your data. For this packing slip example, choose Shopify → New Paid Order, connect your store, and test the trigger with a representative order.

Zapier workflow with a Shopify trigger and ShipPDF Generate PDF action, with the Shopify trigger event menu open — Choose your source app and trigger, then add ShipPDF → Generate PDF. This screenshot has New Fulfilled Order selected; use New Paid Order for the example here.

Use an order with multiple products so you can check that each product keeps its correct SKU and quantity. This example assumes the whole order ships together. For split shipments, supply the items and quantities for the actual package instead.

3. Select a template and map fields

In ShipPDF → Generate PDF, select your connection, Project, and Template. The action loads the input fields from the published template. Map each one to a value from your trigger or an earlier step.

ShipPDF Generate PDF settings in Zapier with a project, Shipping Slip template, and fields for order number, date, recipient, and items — Select your published template to load its fields, then map values from the source app. The screenshot shows the fields before mapping.

Template field	Example source
`order_number`	Order name or number
`order_date`	Order date
`recipient.name`	Shipping recipient’s name
`recipient.address`	Shipping address, with line breaks
`items`	Product line items
`customer_message`	Customer-facing note

Your field names depend on your template. Use the shipping recipient and address for a packing slip, and check that dates and numbers match the template’s expected types. Calculated fields are handled by the template.

Repeating items

For a collection such as items, choose its Input Method:

Map line items from another step: map product title, SKU, quantity, and other columns from the source step’s line items. Use this for a variable number of products.
Enter items manually: set a fixed Item Count, then fill or map the numbered fields for each item.
JSON (advanced): supply an array of objects using the collection’s field names.

Keep each product’s values together in one row. If fields do not update after changing the method or item count, use Zapier’s Refresh Fields control.

You can also use Template Data (JSON) for the complete data object. Enter the template’s input data directly, without an extra data wrapper. Explicit scalar field mappings override matching JSON values; the selected collection method supplies that collection.

4. Test generation

Set Idempotency Key to a unique reference for the intended document, such as shopify:ORDER_ID:packing-slip-v1, with the order ID mapped from the trigger. Reuse the key when retrying the same document; use a new key for an intentionally new or corrected PDF.

Test Generate PDF. A real test request uses a generation credit. In a live Zap, the action waits for generation to finish before continuing. The Zap editor’s test can return a queued document instead; use ShipPDF → Find Document with its document ID to check its status and retrieve the PDF when ready.

ShipPDF packing slip preview with three products, images, SKU barcodes, and quantities beside the sample input data — Check the layout with representative data. This is the template preview from the blog example; test your Zap too before publishing it.

5. Save or send the PDF

Add the destination action after Generate PDF. Map PDF Download URL into a file field in your storage or email app, and choose a recognizable filename such as packing-slip-ORDER_NUMBER.pdf.

Download links expire, so store the actual PDF file if you need a lasting copy. Find Document retrieves a fresh link for the same document without generating another PDF. Check that its status is completed before delivering it; the search does not wait for generation.

Test the complete Zap, check that the saved file opens and contains the right data, then publish it. Saving or sending a PDF does not start a physical printer; printing needs a separate step or service.

For the longer Shopify example, see Customize and automate Shopify packing slips with Zapier. For request schemas or a custom API workflow, see the API reference.