7-PDF Invoice Extractor – Convert PDF invoices into ZUGFeRD e-invoices (DIN EN 16931)

📢 Important notice: ZUGFeRD conversion with 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove + API token is available only after testing, request and subject to availability.

PDF-to-ZUGFeRD conversion is a specialized solution for suitable, machine-readable PDF invoices and controlled manual invoice runs. Please test with your own invoices before submitting a request. Licenses and API tokens can only be provided after review.

🔄 Prepare PDF invoices as review-required PDF/ZUGFeRD e-invoices in a controlled workflow

With the 7-PDF Invoice Extractor, an AI-assisted online service, suitable, machine-readable PDF invoices from Word, Excel, Access, legacy ERP systems, or DMS can be prepared in a controlled workflow as review-required PDF/ZUGFeRD e-invoices. Optionally, processing can be started directly via our print workflow from suitable applications. The prerequisite is that the layout and text flow are machine-readable and that the invoice data is complete, clearly recognizable and arithmetically plausible. Whether a specific document is suitable should always be tested in the trial with your own representative invoices.

ℹ️ Test first, then request access

The AI-assisted conversion does not replace invoicing, accounting or ERP software and is not intended for unlimited bulk conversion, unattended dark processing, SaaS/portal/managed-service use or arbitrary/scanned PDFs.

If parser errors occur during the trial, or if the generated ZUGFeRD data is not fully correct, you should not purchase a license or subscription and should use a native e-invoicing solution instead.

Our AI service runs on our own server infrastructure in Germany and can detect, among others, the following data from suitable invoices:

Supplier & customer, for example VAT ID, IBAN or BIC, if present in machine-readable form
Line items such as quantity, SKU, price, VAT and line totals
Invoice totals such as net, tax and gross amounts
Surcharges, shipping costs and discounts, if clearly recognizable
Reverse charge notes, if clearly and machine-readably included in the document
Output as review-required XML in the ZUGFeRD/Factur-X context

Test first, then license — fair licensing:
1) Desktop: After testing, further use requires an API token for the AI service and a license for 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove. If you use the optional print workflow, 7-PDF Printer Professional may also be required.
2) No installation: Suitable PDF invoices can also be processed via our ZUGFeRD Online Portal. An approved API token is required for this as well.
Note: For visual, professional, formal and technical checks, we recommend the 7-PDF E-Invoice Validator or another suitable validator.

📢 Important notice: Licenses for 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove + API token are available only after testing, request and subject to availability.

Controlled ZUGFeRD e-invoice printing 🖨️ – from 📝 Word, 📊 Excel or suitable systems

Still creating invoices in Word or Excel, or from a legacy ERP system? Then a controlled PDF print workflow may be an option, provided that the generated PDF invoice is machine-readable, complete and formally suitable. When printing to 7-PDF Printer, the 7-PDF Invoice Extractor can prepare a review-required PDF/A-3 document with embedded XML. This does not replace native ERP modules, invoicing software or infrastructure checks.

Through AI-assisted analysis, the 7-PDF Invoice Extractor can detect suitable invoice data from machine-readable PDF invoices — from the issuer to line items, tax rates and gross totals. If the text flow is machine-readable and the invoice data is complete and plausible, a review-required PDF/A-3 with embedded XML file in the ZUGFeRD/Factur-X context can be prepared.

💡 If you do not need a print workflow and an existing PDF invoice is available, suitable PDF invoices should not be reprinted from a PDF viewer. Instead, you can process suitable PDF invoices directly with 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove and prepare them as review-required PDF/ZUGFeRD e-invoices. Alternatively, suitable PDF invoices can also be processed online using our https://konverter.zugferd-rechnungen.de/en/ portal.

✔ Printing workflow: What is required?

Download: 📥 7-PDF Printer Professional to generate PDF/A-3b format
Download: 📥 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove for AI-assisted generation and embedding of the ZUGFeRD XML
Optional download: 📥 7-PDF E-Invoice Validator for additional technical and formal checking of the PDF/ZUGFeRD file
Alternatively, suitable PDF invoices can be processed via our 🌐 online portal: https://konverter.zugferd-rechnungen.de

Please do not reprint existing PDF invoices from a PDF viewer into the print workflow shown here. This can destroy the text structure through rasterization or binarization and may degrade recognition. Instead, process such files directly with 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove, provided they are suitable and machine-readable.

💡 IMPORTANT: For reliable detection of the document type, the term "Invoice" or a suitable document label such as "Final invoice" or "Credit note" should be clearly and visibly included in the document, ideally near the beginning. Unusual or ambiguous labels such as "fee statement", "cost note", or pure service descriptions can make automatic detection more difficult and should be tested carefully before productive use.

🚀 Step by step: Set up and test the print workflow

The following guide shows how a controlled print workflow can be set up and tested first with a sample invoice or with your own representative invoices. Before productive use, always run your own tests and check the generated results carefully.

First, install the 📥 7-PDF Printer Professional Edition on your system. PDF/ZUGFeRD workflows require a PDF/A-3b document. This format is supported by the Professional edition of 7-PDF Printer. You’ll find an installation video on this page.
If not already done, install 📥 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove. Version 2.0 or newer is recommended. This tool is used to embed the ZUGFeRD XML, and the AI-assisted analysis service is integrated into this software. Download the installer here.

IMPORTANT: Please launch the "7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove" program immediately after installation and switch to the "Privacy" tab. If you wish to use the 7-PDF Invoice Extractor service, you must consent to the transfer and processing of your invoice data. Without this consent, the AI-assisted processing step cannot be performed.

The following screenshot shows the "Privacy" tab with the corresponding setting.

IMPORTANT: After checking the box, close the program so that the privacy settings are saved.

Next, open the options dialog of 7-PDF Printer.

The quickest way is to type it into the Windows start menu.

Create an option set called "7-PDF Invoice Extractor". This is a configuration name that you select later in the print dialog so the defined settings can be loaded.

⚠️ Note on saving the new option set correctly

Please create the option set only for yourself as the current user. When saving, a dialog may ask whether you want to share the option set with other users. Do not select the sharing option. Otherwise, the PDF printer may lose the required rights to attach the ZUGFeRD XML correctly to the PDF files.

We now need to set PDF/A-3b as the output format. This format is required for PDF/ZUGFeRD workflows because the XML file can be embedded in it. You’ll find this setting under the “Document” tab.

Next, disable automatic PDF opening after printing. Otherwise, the generated PDF might still be open when the extractor tries to access it. This setting is located under the “Actions” tab.

Now integrate 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove into the print process. After the PDF/A document has been created, the PDF printer passes the PDF file to the AI-assisted 7-PDF Invoice Extractor. This can prepare a review-required factur-x.xml for the PDF/ZUGFeRD workflow from suitable, machine-readable invoice data.

Under the “Execute” tab, set the following command line:

!"C:\Program Files (x86)\7-PDF\7-PDF Attach Extract And Remove Files\InvoiceExtractor.exe" "%1" ""

Explanation: The command starts with an exclamation mark; this is important for the call. The first parameter "%1" is automatically filled with the path to the printed PDF invoice and passed to 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove.

The empty pair of quotation marks "" can later be filled with your API token. For initial tests, the parameter can remain empty if a trial quota is available. The path to the exe file InvoiceExtractor.exe is enclosed in quotation marks due to spaces in the file path. ⚠️ Attention: Set the window mode to "Hidden".

Note: This assumes the standard install path has not been changed. Otherwise, please adjust accordingly, or use the “...” button to select InvoiceExtractor.exe. InvoiceExtractor.exe is located in the installation path of the Attach Tool.

Don’t forget to save your settings by clicking “Apply” and then “OK”.

Tip: We've created a 📥 Word demo invoice for initial testing. You can use it to test the 7-PDF Invoice Extractor first. Afterwards, you can test your own invoice templates. It is important that all relevant data — such as VAT ID or tax number, bank details, line items, amounts, tax information and customer data — are complete, machine-readable and arithmetically plausible in the document.

For the live test, send an invoice print from your ERP, MS Word or Excel to 7-PDF Printer. The printer dialog will appear.

Choose the “7-PDF Invoice Extractor” OptionSet and a save location. Click “Save”.

After processing, a message appears. If the source invoice was suitable, a review-required PDF/ZUGFeRD file with embedded XML has been prepared.

⏳ Note: Depending on the invoice's complexity and length, processing may take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. A confirmation message or an error message will appear afterwards. Please be patient.

⛔ Please do not send existing PDF invoices through a PDF viewer such as Acrobat Reader into the print workflow shown here. This can break the text structure through rasterization or binarization and degrade recognition. Instead, process such files directly with 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove, provided they are suitable and machine-readable.

After clicking the "OK" button in the dialog, the default PDF viewer may open with the newly created PDF/ZUGFeRD file. This call is executed within the InvoiceExtractor.exe EXE file, and not by 7-PDF Printer itself.

💡 Tip: Don't want the viewer to open? Use the -noviewer parameter.
```
!"C:\Program Files (x86)\7-PDF\7-PDF Attach Extract And Remove Files\InvoiceExtractor.exe" "%1" "" -noviewer
```
✅ The result

In Acrobat Reader, you can see the PDF with the embedded factur-x.xml. Please check the file visually, professionally, formally and technically before forwarding it.

In case you do not receive a success message:

👉 Avoid processing incomplete or unsuitable documents. For initial anonymous and non-binding tests, you can use our free sample invoice.

💡 Only suitable, complete and machine-readable invoices can be processed meaningfully.
If no success message appears, the invoice is often missing required information or contains arithmetic or formal inconsistencies, such as missing line items, unclear invoice totals, missing IBAN, VAT ID, tax number or customer data. A used-up trial quota may also be the cause.

Tip: For more information on what to consider when creating a PDF invoice document for robust PDF/ZUGFeRD processing, please visit our FAQ page for the 7-PDF Invoice Extractor.
In many cases, the cause is not the service itself but the provided invoice data or the technical structure of the PDF.

For further use, an API token is required. API tokens are provided only after testing, request, review and subject to availability. The token can then be integrated into ...InvoiceExtractor.exe" "%1" "XYZ...".

🔍 How do I validate the e-invoice result?

Every PDF/ZUGFeRD file created with the 7-PDF Invoice Extractor should be checked visually, professionally, content-wise, formally and technically before being shared with third parties. For this, you can use our 7-PDF E-Invoice Validator or another suitable validator. With this software, you can open a human-readable view of the e-invoice data and generate a validation report that checks technical and formal aspects of the e-invoice format.

7-PDF E-Invoice Validator user interface

📌 Quick start

Technical and formal checking of an e-invoice is straightforward:

Open the 7-PDF E-Invoice Validator.
Drag & drop an e-invoice (.pdf or .xml) into the application window.
Alternatively, click the "…" button to choose a file.
Click "Validate e-invoice now" to start the check.

Note: You may also use any other validator of your choice. The important thing is to check the generated e-invoice before forwarding it.

💡 Transparency & Quality: Our PDF Invoice → PDF ZUGFeRD service is intended for users with a manual, controlled invoicing process and complements existing tools — it does not replace an ERP system. Because AI extraction may vary in individual cases, a professional review of every e-invoice for content, structure and plausibility is best practice. Responsibility rests with the invoice issuer.

Automation: Technically possible, for example via FastAPI/CLI, but only with mandatory validation chains: XSD/EN 16931 checks and content plausibility checks against your data, such as totals, tax rates, buyer/seller IDs, routing ID/Leitweg-ID, IBAN/BIC, order or reference numbers. Without these controls, we advise against fully automatic dispatch. AI-assisted processing may vary in individual cases; checking and responsibility remain with the user.

🎯 Conclusion: Suitable, machine-readable PDF invoices can be prepared with the 7-PDF Invoice Extractor in a controlled workflow as review-required PDF/ZUGFeRD files. Please test first with representative invoices and check every result carefully.

💶 Prices and availability

🛒 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove can be used as a desktop tool for manual and controlled work with PDF attachments and PDF/ZUGFeRD workflows.
For the optional PDF/A-3 print workflow, 🛒 7-PDF Printer Professional may also be required.
💡 An API token is required for AI-assisted PDF-to-ZUGFeRD processing. API tokens are provided only after testing, request, review and subject to availability.
✅ Further information on licensing, prerequisites and bundles can be found in the linked product and FAQ areas.

🏁 Conclusion: Please test first with your own representative invoices. Further use of AI-assisted processing is possible only after request, review and availability of an API token.

🎁 Start with a trial first and check whether your invoices are suitable for AI-assisted processing.

💡 ZUGFeRD XML – Notes for robust checkability

Please ensure that your invoice data and price calculations are correct and traceable. Negative invoice amounts, unclear tax logic, missing required information or arithmetic deviations may result in no usable XML file being generated or in a later check failing. Your invoice templates, for example from Word or Excel, should include important information such as IBAN, BIC and your VAT ID or W-ID number in the format DE123456789 without spaces, if this information is required for your invoice type. In certain cases, a tax number may also be relevant. Please check the professional and tax-related requirements for your invoices on your own responsibility or with your tax advisor.

Note: Please ensure that tax-exempt invoices — for example in the context of intra-community trade in the EU — contain a clear note on the invoice, for example using terms such as non taxable or Reverse Charge. Whether and how such cases must be represented correctly depends on the specific invoice context and should be professionally checked.

Important: Avoid placing this information only as graphics in the header or footer of your template. Such information may not always be detected reliably, especially if the image quality of the submitted PDF is suboptimal. Please ensure that these values appear as machine-readable text within the invoice document itself.

✅ Check your outgoing e-invoices visually, professionally, formally and technically using our 7-PDF E-Invoice Validator, another suitable validator or your own controlled review process. Optionally, an additional check can also be integrated directly into your print process.

🚨 Privacy & Security Notice

🔒 Data is transmitted SSL-encrypted
❌ Invoice data is not stored permanently as part of processing
🇩🇪 Server-based processing takes place on servers located in Germany
🏢 As a German sole proprietorship, we personally stand for careful product maintenance, data-protection-oriented processing and support.

🎁 Trial: Test suitable invoices first

✅ With the trial version of 7-PDF Attach Extract and Remove, you can first check whether your own PDF invoices are suitable for AI-assisted processing.

🔄 Further use of AI-assisted PDF-to-ZUGFeRD processing requires an 💳 API token. API tokens are provided only after testing, request, review and subject to availability.

🖨️ Note: Create PDF/A-3 files with 7-PDF Printer Professional

To create a PDF/ZUGFeRD document, the source document must be available in PDF/A-3b format. For this, 7-PDF Printer Professional can be used to convert suitable invoices to PDF/A by printing.

💡 Further information on licensing, bundles and prerequisites can be found in the respective product and FAQ areas.

🛒 Note: Watch for this symbol 👆 in the cart to see available cross-selling offers.

📘 Note on special tax cases

The 7-PDF Invoice Extractor can detect certain invoice notes such as Reverse Charge from suitable, machine-readable PDF invoices and include them in the generated data if the information is clearly and plausibly contained in the document.

Special tax cases, such as intra-community B2B invoices, national reverse-charge cases or small-business regulations, should be tested with your own examples before productive use and checked professionally or with tax advice. These notes do not replace tax advice.

🔌 Use CLI and FastAPI Integration

If you want to integrate the 7-PDF Invoice Extractor's FastAPI into your own applications, visit the Documentation page for detailed technical information. Please note that automated workflows should only be used with suitable validation chains and manual or professionally secured checks.

Request API token

7-PDF Invoice Extractor (KI Service) 🤖