How to Print Orders in WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide
Printing orders in WooCommerce is a fundamental task for any online store owner. Whether you’re picking and packing items for shipment, needing a physical record for accounting, or wanting to keep track of customer details, having a reliable way to print order information is crucial. This article will guide you through various methods to easily print orders in WooCommerce, from simple built-in options to more advanced solutions.
Why Printing WooCommerce Orders is Important
Efficient order management Explore this article on Woocommerce How To Protect Downloadable Products is essential for running a successful e-commerce business. Printing orders contributes significantly to this efficiency by:
- Facilitating Order Fulfillment: Printed orders provide a clear, tangible reference for warehouse staff when picking and packing items.
- Streamlining Accounting: Printed records allow for easier reconciliation of sales and inventory.
- Improving Customer Service: Quickly accessing order details helps in answering customer inquiries and resolving issues promptly.
- Creating Physical Backups: Having physical copies of orders can be a lifesaver in case of system failures or data loss.
- This method relies on your browser’s print settings. You may need to adjust margins and scaling to get a presentable printout.
- It prints the entire page, including the admin panel elements, which you might not want.
- This is best suited for printing single orders occasionally.
Methods to Print WooCommerce Orders
Here’s a breakdown of the various methods you can use to print your WooCommerce orders:
1. Printing from the WooCommerce Admin Panel (Basic Method)
This is the most straightforward method, perfect for quickly printing individual orders.
#### Steps:
1. Log into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to WooCommerce > Orders.
2. Find the order you want to print and click on the order number or “View” to open the order details page.
3. In your browser, use the “Print” function (usually accessible via File > Print or Ctrl+P / Cmd+P).
#### Considerations:
2. Using the “Print Order” Button (Built-in Functionality – Enhanced)
While WooCommerce doesn’t explicitly have a “Print Order” button, you can easily add one using a simple code snippet in your theme’s `functions.php` file or via a code snippets plugin.
#### Code Snippet:
/**
function add_print_order_button_order_list( $order ) {
$order_id = method_exists( $order, ‘get_id’ ) ? $order->get_id() : $order->id;
$print_url = admin_url( ‘admin-ajax.php?action=print_order&order_id=’ . $order_id );
echo ‘Discover insights on How To Properly Configure Coinbase Api For Woocommerce . $print_url . ‘” target=”_blank”>Print Order‘;
}
add_action( ‘wp_ajax_print_order’, ‘print_order_ajax’ );
function print_order_ajax() {
if ( ! isset( $_GET[‘order_id’] ) ) {
wp_die( ‘Order ID not provided.’ );
}
$order_id = intval( $_GET[‘order_id’] );
$order = wc_get_order( $order_id );
if ( ! $order ) {
wp_die( ‘Order not found.’ );
}
?>
body {
font-family: sans-serif;
line-height: 1.6;
}
h1, h2, h3 {
margin-bottom: 0.5em;
}
.order-details {
margin-bottom: 1em;
}
Order #get_order_number(); ?>
Billing Information
Name: get_billing_first_name() . ‘ ‘ . $order->get_billing_last_name(); ?>
Address: get_billing_address_1(); ?>, get_billing_city(); ?>, get_billing_state(); ?> get_billing_postcode(); ?>
Email: get_billing_email(); ?>
Phone: get_billing_phone(); ?>
Shipping Information
Name: get_shipping_first_name() . ‘ ‘ . $order->get_shipping_last_name(); ?>
Address: get_shipping_address_1(); ?>, get_shipping_city(); ?>, get_shipping_state(); ?> get_shipping_postcode(); ?>
Order Items
Read more about How To Set Up The Checkout Page In Woocommerce<?php
foreach ( $order->get_items() as $item_id => $item ) {
$product_name = $item->get_name();
$quantity = $item->get_quantity();
$price = $order->get_item_total( $item, false, false );
?>
<?php
}
?>
| Product | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
window.onload = function() {
window.print();
}
<?php
wp_die();
}
Important: Back up your `functions.php` file before adding any code. Use a child theme to avoid losing your changes when updating your theme. This code dynamically generates a print-friendly version of the order.
#### Steps:
1. Add the code to your `functions.php` file or using a code snippets plugin.
2. Go to WooCommerce > Orders. You should see a “Print Order” button in the “Actions” column.
3. Click the “Print Order” button. A new tab will open with a streamlined print-friendly view of the order.
4. Use your browser’s print function to print the order.
#### Benefits:
- Dedicated button for printing.
- Print-friendly view, avoiding unnecessary admin panel elements.
- Relatively simple to implement.
#### Considerations:
- Requires code modification.
- Basic styling. You may need to customize the styling further to match your brand.
3. Using WooCommerce Plugins for Printing
Several WooCommerce plugins offer more advanced printing features, including:
- Print Invoice & Packing List for WooCommerce: This popular plugin allows you to generate and print invoices, packing lists, and dispatch labels. It also supports bulk printing.
- WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips: Another excellent option for creating and managing PDF invoices and packing slips. It provides templates and customization options.
- Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce: While primarily for exporting order data, many export plugins also allow creating detailed PDF reports that can serve as printable orders, often with enhanced formatting.
#### Steps:
1. Install and activate your chosen plugin from the WordPress plugin directory.
2. Configure the plugin settings according to your needs, including choosing a template, adding your company logo, and selecting which information to include.
3. Print orders directly from the WooCommerce Orders page using the plugin’s integrated features. Often, a new “Print” or “Download PDF” button will appear alongside each order.
#### Benefits:
- Feature-rich, offering advanced customization and functionality.
- Supports bulk printing and PDF generation.
- User-friendly interface.
#### Considerations:
- May require a premium license for advanced features.
- Can add to your website’s plugin bloat if you only need basic printing functionality.
4. Creating Custom Print Templates
For ultimate control over the print layout and content, you can create custom print templates. This requires more advanced coding knowledge.
#### Steps:
1. Create a custom template file (e.g., `print-order.php`) in your theme or child theme.
2. Use WooCommerce functions to retrieve and display the order information you want to include.
3. Add CSS styling to format the printed output.
4. Create a function to load the custom template when a “Print” action is triggered (similar to the code snippet in Method 2, but loading your custom template instead of the inline HTML).
#### Benefits:
- Complete control over the print layout.
- Tailored to your specific business needs.
#### Considerations:
- Requires significant coding expertise.
- Time-consuming to set up and maintain.
Conclusion: Choosing the Right Printing Method
The best method for printing WooCommerce orders depends on your specific needs and technical expertise.
- For simple, occasional printing, the basic browser-based method (Method 1) might suffice.
- For a slightly more streamlined experience without needing complex plugins, the “Print Order” button code snippet (Method 2) is a great choice.
- For advanced features and bulk printing, a dedicated WooCommerce printing plugin (Method 3) is recommended.
- For complete customization and control, creating custom print templates (Method 4) is the most powerful, but also the most complex option.
Regardless of the method you choose, always test your printing setup to ensure it produces clear, accurate, and professional-looking order printouts. By selecting the right approach, you can significantly improve your order management process and streamline your WooCommerce operations.
