Tutorials
How to Create Invoice PDFs from Notion on Automation
A comprehensive step-by-step guide to setting up a fully automated invoicing system in Notion using PDFOutput — generate professional invoice PDFs in one click, forever.
By Sanat Biswal · 2026-06-02 · 14 min read
Notion has been a transformative tool for many businesses, yet one of the most simple processes which remains underutilized is the power of automation when it comes to creating Invoices in Notion.
Let's face it — Invoices are one of the most frequently and regularly generated documents, yet businesses spend a lot of time manually formatting each invoice, putting in the client details, calculating the total amount, and more.
This process is error prone, results in payment delays from the client, and leads to stagnation in business growth.
Today, we are going to set up an invoice automation system in Notion, and make this process 100% automated forever.
For this, we will require the help of the following 4 databases interconnected with each other through relations and rollups:
- Invoices Database — Serves as the main hub which allows tracking invoices and their details.
- Clients Database — Stores client details serving as the master contact list.
- Products / Services Database — Tracks the services offered or the products delivered in each invoice.
- Line Items Database — Keeps track of the items that will be part of the deliverables for the invoice created.
- Create high-quality, professional-looking Invoice PDFs based on your brand.
- Fetch data from Invoices, Clients, and Products / Services databases to generate PDFs automatically forever.
- Save hours and reduce manual work every time.
- Create accurate Invoices (PDFs) by eliminating manual data entry errors.
- Google Document
- Word File
- PDF File
- Selecting a pre-defined template already available
- Invoices Database
- Clients Database
- Products / Services Database
- Click on New Connection to set up a new connection (e.g., Invoices Automation).
- Click on Connect Notion to initiate a new Notion connection.
- Click on Select Pages to select the Notion page to add the database.
- Search for Invoices_Dashboard_PDFOutput to find the Invoices Database.
- Click on Allow Access to grant access.
- Google Document
- Word File
- PDF File
- Selecting from a list of available templates
- Search for Invoice and you will find Invoice as one of the available templates in the list.
- Select the template and click on Continue.
- Select the primary database, i.e. DB_Invoices, in the list of Notion Databases shown under the Select Database section.
- Once selected, it will load all the properties of DB_Invoices, DB_LineItems, DB_Projects, and DB_Clients one below the other, which can be used for mapping to the template source.
- Click on Copy and then Paste (use Ctrl + V / Cmd + V) the properties onto the template source file.
- Click on Preview Output button once all the properties are added and mapped onto the template source file.
- Google Drive Folder — PDFs will be saved to this Google Drive folder.
- PDF File Name — PDFs will be named as per the selected field. > Example: If we select Invoice Number which has a value of INV-001, then the PDF generated will be saved with the name INV-001.pdf.
- PDF Attachment Field — PDFs will be saved to this selected field in the database.
- Drive Attachment Field — PDFs saved in Drive will be saved to this selected field in the database.
- Overwrite Files — This field will determine if the files generated are overwritten onto the existing files.
- Click on the 3-dots for the automation created in the dashboard.
- Click on Button Automation to show the steps for enabling button automation.
- Click on the GeneratePDF property for the specific record you want to generate as a PDF.
- Select the option Ready to Generate to convert the record to a PDF.
- Click on the 3-dots for the automation created in the dashboard.
- Click on Preview Output to generate the preview of the document inside the Notion Database.
- Click on the GeneratePDF property for the specific record you want to preview.
- Select the option Preview to convert the record as a preview document.
- Click on the 3-dots for the automation created in the dashboard.
- Click on Batch PDFs to generate the PDFs in batches (100 PDFs at a time) directly inside the Notion Database.
- Eliminates Errors — When you automate your Invoices, the data is directly fetched from your Notion Database, so it eliminates any form of error.
- Maintains branding and style — Each invoice is created with the same consistent look, so it appears the same every time it's created.
- Automation helps you get paid quicker — When you automate your invoices and generate them on time, you are able to send them to clients on time, leading to faster payment collection.
- Builds trust in your business — When you generate invoices in a timely manner, you develop trust with your client, leading to better business opportunities in the long run.
- Scales your process — Once your invoices are automated, it becomes easy to scale your process smoothly.
Setting up this automation will enable generating PDFs directly inside a Notion Database and will produce Invoices on the go.
In this comprehensive detailed guide, we will learn how to create Invoices automatically fetching the data directly from Notion using PDFOutput — a no-coding automation platform for everyone.
By the end of this guide, we will create a fully automated invoicing system that helps you to:
Prerequisites for using PDFOutput
In order to automate the process of generating Invoices in Notion, we will use PDFOutput which will help create professional-looking Invoices (PDFs) for your business.
The automation process requires setting up 3 things to generate PDFs:
1. Adding a Template Source
!PDFOutput Template Source options
In this step, we will add a template source which defines the design and format of how the invoice will look.
A template source can be added in one of the following 4 ways:
For this demonstration, we will add an invoice template from the predefined template source already created for Invoices.
!Selecting the Invoice predefined template.png)
2. Adding a Notion Database
!Connecting a Notion Database in PDFOutput.png)
!Notion Database connection screen.png)
In this step we will connect the 3 Notion Databases mentioned earlier:
For this demonstration, I have created Invoices_Dashboard_PDFOutput which contains the 3 other connected databases mentioned above.
!Invoices Dashboard PDFOutput in Notion.png)
Once the databases are connected, we will be able to map the properties (copy and paste) one by one from the Invoices Database onto the Template Source added earlier.
> Note: Mapping the properties is a one-time process — once it's mapped, it can generate PDFs forever.
3. Mapping the Fields
The last and final requirement is the mapping of Notion properties onto the template source file, which will then be converted to a PDF file.
This requires a simple copy + paste of the Notion properties onto the template source. The PDF is then generated with the properties replacing the mapped placeholders.
Once the elements are mapped properly and everything looks great, we can preview the output once and set up the automation to start producing PDFs forever within the Notion Database.
> Best part: Once the automation is set up correctly, you don't need to juggle between PDFOutput and the Notion Database again and again to generate PDFs. Everything happens live inside the Notion Database.
How to Set Up PDFOutput Automation to Generate Invoices (Step-by-Step Guide)
Here's a step-by-step guide on how PDFOutput works to set up Invoices:
Step 1 — Connect Notion Database (or Datasource)
The first step to use PDFOutput is to connect the Notion Database (or Datasource) that will fetch the properties to generate the PDFs.
To connect a Notion Database, follow these steps:
!New Connection setup in PDFOutput
!Searching for Invoices database
Once access is granted, it's time to connect a template source.
Step 2 — Connecting Template Source (Select a Template)
!Template Source selection screen
A template source can be added in one of the following 4 ways:
For this demonstration, we will add the template by selecting a template from the available list of templates.
!Searching for Invoice template in predefined list
This will take you to the mapping section where we will map the properties fetched from the Invoice database onto the Template Source to generate the PDFs.
Step 3 — Mapping Notion Properties (Provide Data)
The final step of the automation process is mapping the properties onto the template source.
When we click on Continue, we proceed to the Provide data step where we are able to map the Notion properties one by one.
Here are the steps to map Notion properties and create a preview output of the document:
!Selecting DB_Invoices as primary database
This will proceed to the Preview Output step (final step) where we can set up the automation.
Additional Settings
But before proceeding to the Preview Output step, we have a few additional settings which we can configure for the automation:
Once all the properties are mapped, here's a quick preview of how the mapped document looks:
!Mapped invoice template preview.png)
Step 4 — Setting Up the Automation (Preview Output)
!Preview Output final step.png)
When we click on Preview Output it takes us to the final step, where we can set up the automation to run forever.
Once the preview output is generated (created for the first record from the database only), we will be able to set up the automation.
!Setup Automation button.png)
Click on Setup Automation and it will set up the automation to trigger PDF generation forever.
Once the automation is set up properly, it's time to generate the PDFs from the Notion Database.
How to Generate Invoices on Automation in PDFOutput
There are several ways to generate PDFs on automation in PDFOutput from a Notion Database:
1. Using Button Automation (Recommended)
This is the recommended method to generate PDFs directly inside the Notion Database in one click.
!Button Automation option in PDFOutput dashboard
Follow the steps below to set up button automation inside the Notion Database (one-time setup):
!Three-dot menu on automation card
!Button Automation setup guide
Follow the step-by-step guide displayed in the steps and set up the button automation inside the Notion Database (in this case it's the DB_Invoices primary database).
Once the setup is configured correctly, click the button and it will allow generating PDFs directly within the Notion Database.
2. Using GeneratePDF Property in Notion Database
Using this option, we can generate PDFs by marking the required records from the Notion Database.
!GeneratePDF property in Notion database
By default, PDFOutput creates a property named GeneratePDF which helps to mark the records to be generated as PDFs.
> Note: This property can be changed to any name as per the requirement of the user.
Follow the steps below to generate PDFs directly inside the Notion Database using the GeneratePDF property:
!Clicking GeneratePDF property
It will change the status of the record from Ready to Generate → Processing… → Completed to mark the status of completion.
The PDFs generated will be stored in the PDFFiles (default property) field in the Notion Database.
3. Using Preview Output
If you want to just generate a preview of the output to check how the final output will be displayed, use the Preview option.
There are 2 ways to generate a preview document:
Option A — Using Preview button in the PDFOutput dashboard
!Three-dot menu on automation card
Option B — Using Preview selection in the Notion Database
!Clicking GeneratePDF property
It will change the status of the record from Preview → Processing… → Completed to mark the status of completion.
The preview document (Google Document) generated will be stored in the PDFFiles (default property) field in the Notion Database.
4. Using Batch PDFs
PDFOutput also allows producing PDFs in batches (100 PDFs at a time).
To proceed:
!Three-dot menu on automation card
Why Do We Need to Automate Invoices in Notion?
The answer is fairly straightforward — it saves time and helps your business grow by removing manual process-oriented bottlenecks.
Here are the other benefits associated with the automation of Invoices:
Who Can Use Notion Invoice Automation?
Anyone who needs to generate invoices regularly would benefit from an Invoice automation.
A freelancer, small business owner, or even an agency who requires generating invoices regularly can utilize Invoice automation in Notion to generate Invoices using PDFOutput.
What Is the Cost Involved for Using PDFOutput to Generate Invoices?
PDFOutput is an affordable platform which allows generating documents as per the selected pricing plan.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Base Plan | $19 / month | $190 / year |
| Pro Plan | Up to $99 / month | Up to $990 / year |
Start Automating Your Invoices from Notion Today
If you are consistently creating invoices manually — which takes a lot of your valuable time and is also error prone — it's high time to change your working style.
Setting up an automation workflow with PDFOutput helps you produce professional-looking Invoice PDFs on demand, right inside your Notion Database.
It will take you less than 10 minutes to set everything up one time — and then the automation runs forever.
If you have any questions, please reach out at notionformyuse@gmail.com for further assistance.
FAQs on Notion Invoice Automation with PDFOutput
Can I produce Invoice PDFs in batches at once?
Yes, you can produce Invoice PDFs in batches at once.
Click on the 3-dots icon next to the active automation on your dashboard and select Batch PDFs. It will start producing PDFs in batches of 100 PDFs at once directly inside the Notion Database.
Can I specify a custom name for the Invoice PDF files generated?
Yes, you can always define a field as a reference which will be used to name your PDFs.
> Example: If you have a field named Invoice Number (e.g., INV-001) and you select that field for naming the PDFs, it will produce the PDFs with the invoice number as the file name — e.g., INV-001.pdf.
Can I use multiple invoice template sources on the same database?
Yes, you can select more than one invoice template and set up automation on the same Database.
Each time a new automation is created with a different template, you will be able to select the template from the Choose Document field in the Notion Database. Selecting a particular template source will automatically generate the invoice as per that template.
Can I produce Invoice PDFs on demand?
Yes, PDFOutput allows you to produce Invoice PDFs on demand whenever required.
Simply set your record to "Ready to Generate" under the GeneratePDF field and it will start producing the PDFs on demand directly within the Notion Database.
If you want to create a Preview document before generating the final PDF, you can choose Preview and it will create a Google Document preview of the invoice inside the Notion Database as well.
Do I need coding knowledge to set up the automation?
No, PDFOutput is a no-code automation platform. You don't need any coding knowledge to set up the invoice automation. The entire process involves connecting your Notion database, selecting a template, and mapping fields using copy and paste — all within a simple interface.
Ready to automate your invoice generation? Get started for free and create your first automation in minutes.