How to create a purchase order
Fill in your business — you are the buyer, so this is who the order comes from — and optionally add your logo. Enter the supplier under Vendor. If the goods should go somewhere other than your business address, such as a warehouse or a job site, fill in Ship to; leave it empty and it is left off. Add a line for each item with the quantity and the price you agreed, set a discount and tax if they apply, pick an order date and a delivery date, and put payment terms or delivery instructions in the notes. The total updates as you type.
Download as PDF or print
Click Download PDF to save an A4 PDF you can email to the supplier, or Print to print it or save it from your browser's print dialog. The PDF is built on your device by a self-hosted PDF engine — nothing is uploaded — and is named after the PO number, for example purchase-order-PO-0001.pdf. Your current purchase order is saved locally, so it is still here when you come back on the same device.
Purchase order, quote or invoice?
These three documents follow one deal from start to finish. A supplier may first send you a quote with their prices. You then send them a purchase order to place the order: what you are buying, how many, at what price, where to deliver and by when. Once they have delivered, they send you an invoice asking for payment, quoting your PO number so you can match it to the order. A good PO carries a unique number, the order date, both parties' details, a delivery address and date, an itemised list with quantities and unit prices, any discount and tax, the total, and your payment terms.
Purchase order generator: the specifics
| Feature | LK Forge Purchase Order Generator |
|---|---|
| Parties | Your business (the buyer), the vendor, and an optional ship-to address that is left off when empty. |
| Dates | Order date and delivery date; the delivery date defaults to two weeks after the order date. |
| Totals | Quantity × unit price per line, then a flat or percentage discount, then tax on the discounted amount, rounded to cents. |
| Currencies | 14 — USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, JPY, CNY, CHF, INR, SGD, ZAR, BRL, MXN. |
| Where processing happens | Entirely in your browser. The PDF is built on your device and your current PO is kept only in your browser's local storage. |
| Sign-up, watermark, limits | None. No account, no branding of ours on the PDF, and no cap on purchase orders or line items. |
Frequently asked questions
What is a purchase order?
A purchase order (PO) is a document a buyer sends a supplier to order goods or services. It lists what is being bought, the quantities and agreed prices, where to deliver and by when. Once the supplier accepts it, the PO becomes the agreed basis for the order, and the supplier quotes the PO number on their invoice so the buyer can match the two.
What is the difference between a purchase order and an invoice?
A purchase order and an invoice travel in opposite directions. The buyer sends a purchase order to the supplier to place an order; the supplier sends an invoice back to the buyer to ask for payment once the goods or services are delivered. A PO says what you want to buy, an invoice says what you owe.
Does the ship-to address have to be filled in?
No — the Ship to block is optional. Fill it in when goods should go somewhere other than the address in your business details, such as a warehouse, a job site or another office. Leave it empty and it is left off the purchase order.
Is this purchase order generator free?
This purchase order generator is completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many purchase orders you create. It runs entirely in your browser, so your business and supplier details are never uploaded to a server. The PO you're working on is saved only in your browser's local storage, so it stays on your device and picks up where you left off next time you open the page.