CaRD ZUGFeRD Tool

The obligation to issue electronic invoices hits many companies exactly where everything used to work: at the invoice form. Rebuilding a layout just so structured data travels along is expensive and risky — especially when the form has grown over years.

The CaRD ZUGFeRD Tool takes the other route: it takes the existing invoice PDF plus the corresponding invoice data and produces a ZUGFeRD-compliant file — the PDF stays readable for humans, the structured data is embedded for machines. The result is a valid PDF/A-3 as the standard requires for long-term archiving.

Validated, not hoped for

Every invoice produced can be validated immediately — against the ZUGFeRD profile requirements and against PDF/A conformance. That is the difference between "should be fine" and "demonstrably correct", and it saves the awkward feedback from the recipient weeks later.

Batch, process or single case

The tool works on a single file as well as on an entire directory and can be hooked into a running process — right behind the output run, for instance, so that regular invoice printing automatically produces e-invoices. For end users there is additionally the simple route through the context menu.

How it differs

The ZUGFeRD Tool works independently of the system that produced the document: it takes what already exists as a PDF. If instead the e-invoice is to be created straight from the SAP form — as an XRechnung or a ZUGFeRD document, including on older releases — we advise on and implement that as a project; an overview of the routes is on consulting.card.de.