Did you know that there's a standard for invoices? This standard is called ZUGFeRD, and it combines best practices from the EDI world with the qualities of the PDF/A standard to introduce industrial-strength invoice processing without degrading the user experience for those who deal with invoices manually. The human-oriented representation using PDF and the machine-oriented EDI information stored within the PDF are the key strengths of ZUGFeRD.

This powerful combination has many benefits. It doesn’t matter whether you’re sending or receiving ZUGFeRD invoices: every party benefits. 

• Sending ZUGFeRDinvoices saves time and money. From printing, envelopes and posting, only a single output format is required for customers who process invoices by manual or automated means. Payments are received in a timely, reliable way. SMBs can meet the requirements of large corporations without any agreement.
• Receiving ZUGFeRD invoices enables companies to implement fully automatic, error-free Accounts Payable (AP) workflows. Mail clients can automatically detect incoming messageswith a ZUGFeRD attachment. Electronic banking services can be used to transfer invoices directly into payment orders.
• All parties save on storage space and paper. When archiving, sharing or reproducing invoices,the cost of book keeping and auditing may be dramatically reduced, with fewer errors for senders and receivers. 

These are only the mosttrivial benefits. Imagine the positive effects on international trade if ZUGFeRD were adopted on a world-wide scale. World-wide implementation of the ZUGFeRD standard could yield financial, technical and operational benefits across the entire economy, regardless oforganization size or nationality.

In this book, you'll find a series of examples that explain step by step how to create ZUGFeRD invoices that conform to the Basic or the Comfort profile.