QuickBooks Desktop simplifies creating packing slips, which are essential for accurate shipping and order management. Packing slips list items, quantities, and shipping details without revealing pricing. Here's what you need to know:
- Editions Required: Packing slips are only available in QuickBooks Premier and Enterprise editions.
- Enable Sales Orders: Activate this feature in Edit > Preferences > Sales & Customers > Company Preferences.
- Templates: Use default or custom templates for Sales Orders or Invoices.
- Printing Options: Print individually or in batches via the Print Forms menu or the Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet (Enterprise only).
- Customization: Adjust layouts, add branding, or remove pricing details using the Additional Customization tool.
For advanced inventory needs, tools like Rapid Inventory can enhance tracking with lot and serial numbers, partial shipment handling, and real-time inventory sync.
This guide highlights how to set up, customize, and use packing slips effectively in QuickBooks Desktop.
QuickBooks Packing Slip Setup and Creation Process
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What You Need Before Creating Packing Slips
Before you start creating packing slips in QuickBooks, make sure you're using the right edition and have the necessary settings enabled.
Check Your QuickBooks Edition
Packing slips are only available in QuickBooks Premier and Enterprise editions. If you're using QuickBooks Pro or a more basic version, you won’t find Sales Orders or packing slip templates.
To confirm your edition, check the title bar at the top of your QuickBooks window. It will display the product name, like "QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions" or "QuickBooks Premier." For more detailed info, press the F2 key to open the Product Information window. This will show your edition and release version.
Once your edition is confirmed, you can move on to enabling Sales Orders.
Turn On Sales Order Preferences
Even if you're using the correct edition, the Sales Order feature isn’t automatically enabled. You’ll need to activate it manually.
Here’s how to turn it on:
- Navigate to Edit > Preferences > Sales & Customers > Company Preferences.
- Check the box for Enable Sales Order and click OK.
Once activated, you’ll notice a new Create Sales Orders option under the Customers menu. From there, you can select the Intuit S.O. Packing Slip template from the dropdown menu.
If you’re using QuickBooks Enterprise version 19.0 or newer and manage high-volume shipping, you can also enable the Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet for advanced tracking and batch printing. To activate this, go to Edit > Preferences > Items & Inventory > Company Preferences > Advanced Inventory Settings > Site Operations.
After enabling this feature, you’re ready to explore packing slip templates.
Learn About Packing Slip Templates
Packing slips in QuickBooks Desktop are tied to either Sales Order or Invoice templates. You can use the default Intuit S.O. Packing Slip or design a custom template.
- Sales Order-based templates: Ideal for handling backorders or partial shipments.
- Invoice-based templates: Perfect for immediate fulfillment.
To switch templates, open the transaction window, use the dropdown menu, and select Packing Slip instead of Invoice.
If you want to customize a template, go to Lists > Templates > New and choose Sales Order as the template type. From there, use the Additional Customization button to tweak columns like "Quantity Ordered" and "Quantity Shipped." You can also use the Layout Designer to reposition fields.
How to Create a Packing Slip in QuickBooks Desktop
Creating a packing slip in QuickBooks Desktop involves a straightforward process. You'll start by creating a Sales Order, applying the packing slip template, and then saving the document.
Create a Sales Order
To begin, go to Customers > Create Sales Orders or select Sales Order from the New Transactions dropdown in the Customer Center.
From there, input the customer details, add the items they ordered, and include the quantities. QuickBooks will automatically fill in pricing details, although you can remove or adjust these later if needed. At this point, the document functions as a regular Sales Order.
Choose the Packing Slip Template
Locate the Template dropdown in the upper-right corner and select Intuit S.O. Packing Slip.
If the packing slip template isn’t listed, click on the Formatting tab and select Manage Templates to activate it. The template you choose controls the columns displayed - like "Ordered", "Shipped", and "Backorder" - ensuring your warehouse team has all the details they need.
Save the Sales Order
Once everything is set, click Save & Close (or Save & New if you’re entering multiple transactions). QuickBooks will save the transaction as a Sales Order, which will show up alongside other Sales Orders in your transaction lists.
To make packing slips easier to identify, consider assigning a unique prefix (e.g., "PS100" instead of "SO100"). This small step simplifies locating the right document later using the Previous (blue arrow) button on the Sales Order screen.
Your packing slip is now saved and ready to be printed for use.
How to Print Packing Slips in QuickBooks Desktop
QuickBooks Desktop allows you to print packing slips either one at a time or in batches. Depending on your edition, you can use the standard Print Forms menu or the Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet, which is available in Enterprise and certain Premier editions.
Open the Print Forms Menu
To access the batch printing interface, go to File > Print Forms > Sales Orders. This will bring up a list of all sales orders marked with the Print Later option. If a specific packing slip is missing from this list, open its original Sales Order and ensure Print Later is checked under the Main tab.
For Enterprise or Premier (Manufacturing and Wholesale editions) users, an alternative method is to navigate to Customers > Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet. This tool provides a centralized view of your pick, pack, and ship workflow, making it easier to manage multiple orders.
Once you're in the appropriate menu, you can select the packing slips you want to print.
Select Which Packing Slips to Print
In the Print Forms menu, check the boxes next to the sales orders for which you need packing slips. This lets you control which slips are included in the batch print job, similar to how invoices are batch printed.
If you're using the Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet, locate the desired customer orders, then check the Packing Slips box before moving forward. This method is especially helpful when coordinating printing with other fulfillment tasks.
After making your selections, you're ready to print.
Complete the Print Job
Click OK (or Print if using the Fulfillment Worksheet) to start printing. It's a good idea to preview the packing slips first to ensure all required fields are correctly displayed.
If you encounter any issues during printing, QuickBooks offers troubleshooting tools like the PDF & Print Repair Tool or the Verify and Rebuild tool to resolve common errors.
How to Customize Packing Slip Templates
Once you've set up and printed your packing slips, you can take it a step further by personalizing them to better fit your brand and workflow. QuickBooks Desktop makes it easy to tweak the design and content of your packing slips. You can include your company logo, adjust layouts, or even remove unnecessary fields.
Edit the Template Layout
To start customizing, go to Lists > Templates and double-click your packing slip template. This opens the Basic Customization window, where you can:
- Add your company logo by checking the Use logo box and uploading your image through Select Logo.
- Change text styles to align with your branding under the Change Fonts and Colors section.
For more advanced edits, click Additional Customization. This feature allows you to control header fields, columns, and footer text. You can enable or disable specific fields depending on what information you want to include. If you need to rearrange elements, use the Layout Designer tool. This lets you drag and drop fields or double-click to modify their labels and properties. If column adjustments don’t work as expected, you can create a fresh template by pressing Ctrl + N.
Remove Pricing Information
Packing slips are typically focused on item quantities and descriptions, so they don’t need pricing details. To hide these, open your template and navigate to Additional Customization. Under the Columns tab, uncheck the Print boxes for Rate and Amount. If a Sales Tax column is visible, you can either uncheck it or adjust its color to blend with the background.
Save Custom Templates for Future Use
After making your changes, save the customized template with a clear name that reflects its purpose, like "Standard Packing Slip", in the Manage Templates window. Click OK to save. If you have an invoice design you like, you can duplicate it by selecting it in the Templates list, clicking the Templates dropdown, and choosing Duplicate. Then, select Sales Order as the form type to apply the same branding and layout to your packing slip.
Need to use the same template across multiple businesses? QuickBooks allows you to export templates from one company file and import them into another, ensuring consistency across your operations.
Using Rapid Inventory to Improve Packing Slips
QuickBooks Desktop can handle basic packing slips, but as your fulfillment needs grow, its limitations might become apparent. That’s where Rapid Inventory steps in, offering advanced tracking and shipping tools to create more accurate and detailed packing slips. Here's how these features can make a difference.
Add Lot and Serial Number Tracking
If you're using QuickBooks Pro or Premier, you might already know they don’t support lot and serial number tracking - those features are reserved for Enterprise Platinum or Diamond editions. Rapid Inventory changes the game by adding full lot and serial number tracking to all QuickBooks Desktop versions.
With lot tracking, your packing slips can include batch numbers and expiration dates, which are critical for products like food or pharmaceuticals. Similarly, serial number tracking adds unique identifiers for individual items, such as electronics or machinery. This information is clearly displayed on printed packing slips, ensuring both your warehouse staff and customers have the exact details they need.
But it’s not just about printing. This level of tracking creates a reliable audit trail. For example, you can run a "Transaction List by Lot Number" report to see every customer who received items from a specific batch. This is incredibly helpful for managing recalls. Plus, tracking expiration dates helps you avoid waste by flagging products nearing their end-of-life.
Handle Partial Shipments
One of the challenges with QuickBooks Desktop is handling partial shipments - it often lists all items from the original order, even those not being shipped. Rapid Inventory addresses this by letting you create packing slips that only show the items being shipped at that moment.
This means your warehouse team gets an accurate, focused pick list, eliminating confusion about what to pack. Meanwhile, the original sales order remains open for future fulfillment, keeping everything organized and efficient.
Keep Inventory Data Synchronized
Rapid Inventory’s two-way sync ensures your packing slips always reflect real-time data. When items are scanned, QuickBooks is updated instantly, preventing overselling and maintaining accurate records.
This sync also ensures your packing slips pull in the latest product descriptions, quantities on hand, and even warehouse locations. For businesses managing multiple warehouses, Rapid Inventory can track which location is fulfilling each order and update the packing slips accordingly. These features integrate smoothly with your existing QuickBooks workflow, making your shipping process more efficient and reliable.
Conclusion
Getting the hang of QuickBooks Desktop packing slips means fine-tuning preferences, creating and printing sales orders, and customizing templates to fit your specific needs. By tailoring packing slips, you can boost warehouse efficiency - use the Additional Customization window to decide which fields are displayed, ensuring critical details like SKUs and quantities are always clear and accessible.
For businesses that need greater precision and tracking capabilities, tools like Rapid Inventory offer excellent add-ons. This platform enhances QuickBooks Desktop by introducing features like lot and serial number tracking, accurate handling of partial shipments, and mobile barcode scanning to ensure near-perfect picking accuracy. With a solid 17-year track record and glowing reviews from over 400 customers (5/5 stars), it’s a trusted solution for streamlining the fulfillment process.
FAQs
Why don’t I see packing slips in my QuickBooks Desktop?
If packing slips aren't showing up in QuickBooks Desktop, it could be due to the feature not being properly enabled or configured. Some common causes include using a version of QuickBooks that doesn’t support packing slips or selecting the wrong template. For instance, QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus 2023 allows batch printing of packing slips, but problems can still occur if template settings are incorrect or transactions are not selected properly. Double-check your QuickBooks version and ensure your template setup is accurate to fix the issue.
How do I print only the items shipping now (not backorders) on a packing slip?
If you want to print packing slips that show only the items shipping immediately (and exclude backorders), follow these steps in QuickBooks Desktop:
- Select the Transactions: Start by choosing the specific invoices or sales receipts that include the items you need to ship.
- Use Batch Print: QuickBooks Desktop offers a batch print option for packing slips. This feature helps streamline the process if you have multiple orders to manage.
- Filter Shipped Items: During the process, make sure to select shipped items only. This step is crucial to ensure that your packing slip reflects only what’s ready to go out, leaving backordered items off the list.
By doing this, your packing slips will accurately represent the items being shipped right away, avoiding any confusion for your customers or your shipping team.
Can I show lot or serial numbers on packing slips in QuickBooks Desktop?
To do this, first, activate serial or lot number tracking in your inventory settings. Head to Items & Inventory, click on Company Preferences, and enable Serial or Lot Number & Expiration Dates under Advanced Inventory Settings. After it's turned on, serial or lot numbers will be tied to your inventory items and can show up on packing slips when you create or print them.
