Purchase Order Generator

What a purchase order is for

A purchase order (PO) is the document a buyer sends to a vendor to order goods or services: what is needed, how many, at what price and on what terms. It gives both sides one number to follow the order by. The vendor confirms the PO, delivers against it and puts the PO number on the invoice, so you can match each bill to an order you approved. A PO is not an invoice and does not ask anyone for payment.

The editor above starts with a sample: your business as the buyer, a vendor, PO number PO- with the year and 001, and a respond-by date 14 days after the order date. The item prices start at zero. You do not need an account.

How to create a purchase order

1. 1

   Enter the buyer and the vendor

   Your business goes under From and the supplier under To. On the PDF the supplier's name and address print under Vendor.

2. 2

   Set the PO number and dates

   Type the PO number and the order date. Respond by is the date you want the vendor to confirm the order by.

3. 3

   List what you are ordering

   Add one line per item or service with a unit, the quantity and the agreed unit price, for up to 30 lines. Amounts and the total update as you type.

4. 4

   Add discount, tax and shipping

   Enter a discount or tax as a percentage or a fixed amount with your own label, and any shipping charge. Tick Taxable if the tax applies to shipping too.

5. 5

   Add delivery details, then download

   There is no separate ship-to field: write the delivery address, the date you need the goods and your payment terms in Notes or Terms. Then press Download PDF, pass the security check and save the file.

What the PDF shows

• PURCHASE ORDER at the top, which you can rename under Document title, and your PO number
• Your name and address, with your logo if you add one
• The supplier's name and address under Vendor
• Order Date and Respond By
• A table with Description, Unit, Quantity, Unit Price and Amount
• Subtotal, then the discount, tax and Shipping / Expenses lines when they are above zero, and Total Amount
• Your notes, payment details and Terms & Conditions, when you fill them in
• A short notice that the document is a purchase order, an offer to buy rather than an invoice, asking the vendor to confirm in writing and to quote the PO number on invoices and shipping documents

The settings hold your logo, accent color, currency (eight listed, or type any symbol), paper size and the footer credit.

The PDF file

• It is rendered on our server over an encrypted HTTPS connection, from the same layout as the preview.
• Paper sizes: Letter or A4, plus Legal, A5, A3 and Tabloid / Ledger (11 × 17 in). Tick Fit everything on one page to keep a long order on a single sheet.
• File name: purchase-order- plus your PO number, for example purchase-order-PO-2026-001.pdf.
• A one-line "Created free with makeinvoicepdf.com" credit is on by default; one checkbox in the settings turns it off.
• Your draft is saved in this browser until you reset it.

Blank purchase order template: PDF, Word or Excel

For a PO you fill in by hand or keep in Office, download the blank template. Each file has the PURCHASE ORDER heading, lines for the PO number, order date and deliver-by date, blocks for the buyer and the vendor, an item table, and Subtotal, Tax (where it applies) and ORDER TOTAL. The PDF and Word files add a line for the ship-to address and delivery terms. The Excel file works out each line, the subtotal, the tax at the rate you type (it starts at 0) and the order total. The PDF and Word pages are A4.

Related tools

• Quotation Generator: the price a vendor sends before you place the order.
• Free Invoice Generator: the bill a vendor sends after delivery.
• Proforma Invoice Generator: a seller's advance invoice when payment comes before shipping.