Printing

Print can be used as a delivery method for invoices when it is not possible to send the invoice as an e-invoice or via email. For details on invoice routing to print, see the invoice sending guide.

The requirements to send the invoice by print are that:

The sender company needs to have the print service activated
The full postal address of the receiver needs to be found on the invoice
Technical restrictions for invoice image are met

Activating the printing service

In order to use print as a delivery option for invoices, the printing service must be activated separately for the company account. Activation can be done either through the API or via the UI.

Enable the print service using PATCH /v1/company/setting. Under the send_invoice_print block, set the parameter enabled to true.
To disable the printing service, set the enabled parameter to false.
To check the status, use GET /v1/company/settings. The enabled parameter under send_invoice_print indicates whether the service is active (true) or disabled (false).

Template

By default, invoices sent through the print service use a Maventa-generated invoice template. This template is optimized for efficient processing, complies with all technical requirements, and is designed to fit the envelopes used by the printing service provider in each country. Customers can personalize this template by adding their company logo (via UI or API).

Examples of Maventa templates for each country are available on the country specific rules and settings page for that country.

As an alternative, customers may use their own invoice image either for all printed invoice or on a per invoice basis (via UI or API). When using own image, Maventa automatically adds a cover sheet with the recipient’s address details. This ensures proper alignment with the envelope window. The cover sheet is counted as an extra page and is billed accordingly.

Prints are always double-sided if there is more than one page.

To add a logo to a Maventa-generated invoice image template, use the PATCH /v1/company/setting method with the parameter logos. Note: Most image formats are supported except PDF. JPEG or PNG is recommended. PNG files with transparency are not supported.
To remove an uploaded logo, use the same method as above.
If you want to use your own invoice image for all prints, use PATCH /v1/company/setting and set the parameter send_invoice_print.use_own_pdf to true. To disable it, set the parameter back to false.
If you want to control the use of your own invoice image per invoice, you can do so when sending invoices with the POST /v1/invoices method. Inside print_settings, use the parameter print_own_image (true or false). This setting will override the company-level configuration.

Note that when using your own invoice image you should be careful and take technical restrictions in consideration.

Technical restrictions of the PDF

All files must be of PDF format (or have the same content requirements) for it to be printed correctly. That means that the file cannot contain dynamic components and that all fonts, images and others are included in the file (ie the files should be 100% “self-contained”). All new customers must test their PDF files (all variants of fonts, images, etc.) to verify that the PDFs can be handled. If the PDF contains graphics, such as logos, charts, and other images, they must be of good quality.

Keep the top and right margins empty
Do not send any invoice image or attachment with black/dark background
No transparencies
All fonts must be embedded (subset or complete)
All images must be in 250-300dpi. Higher resolution produces little or no quality gain. Lower resolution gives poor quality.
Text should be stored as text (not bitmap)
Recommended size per page is 1024kB, smaller the better
Black / White print: 2bit colors (black and white only), not grayscale.
Color print: Black text should be in black, not like 4 color
Color print: All colors must be CMYK
PDF page size needs to be A4 (210 x 297 millimeters)

Attachment handling

When sending separate PDF attachments for print, the following rules apply:

Up to 3 separate attachments are allowed (maximum of 4 files including the invoice image).
Only PDF format is allowed.
Maximum size per attachment: 50 MB.
Total maximum number of pages: 110.

If these limits are exceeded, all attachments will be discarded. The sender will be notified by email, but the invoice image itself will still be printed.

Note! There is an extra charge per page printed.

Default setting: For Finnish companies, attachment printing is disabled by default. For all other countries, it is enabled. This setting can be adjusted via the API or UI.

Use the PATCH /v1/company/setting to change the setting. Under the send_invoice_print block, set the parameter attachment_print to true to enable attachment printing, or false to disable it.

Error handling

If an invoice cannot be delivered to the recipient due to outdated or invalid address, it will be returned to the sender’s address. The sender’s address is always included on the Maventa-generated invoice image and on the cover sheet. The return address is taken from the invoice data.

The only exception is Norway, where we have an automated return post handling feature. Invoices are not returned to the sender’s address in this case. Read more about this on the Norway-specific page.

Maventa validates that a recipient address is provided and all required address fields in the invoice are present, but we do not validate the format or the correctness of the address content.

Country specific rules and settings

Some aspects of the printing service vary by country:

Templates
Color printing option
Attachment handling
Envelope sizes
Delivery schedules
Digital delivery channels for prints and other extra services
Automatic return post handling

Take a look at the country specific instructions:

Finland

Sweden

Norway

Denmark

Netherlands

Germany

Other countries