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Fixing Common PDF Invoice Display Issues: Fonts, Logos, and Formatting

31 threads Sep 24, 2025 Plugin → Pdf invoices & packing slips for woocommerce

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If you're experiencing problems with your PDF invoices displaying garbled text, missing logos, or broken formatting, you're not alone. These are some of the most common issues reported by users of the 'PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce' plugin. The good news is that many of these problems have a simple fix.

Why Do These PDF Issues Happen?

Based on community reports, the primary culprit for garbled text, strange characters, and overlapping fonts is often a problem with the plugin's font files. This can occur after:

  • Updating the plugin to a new version
  • Migrating your site to a new server
  • A cleanup process accidentally deleting the plugin's temporary folder
  • Changes to your server configuration

For logo display issues, common causes include hotlink protection on your server, images being served from a different domain (like a CDN), or the fact that PDFs store settings at the time of order creation.

The Most Common Solution: Reinstall Fonts

If your PDF invoices show unreadable text, strange characters, or appear blank on mobile devices, the first step is almost always to reinstall the plugin's fonts.

  1. Go to WooCommerce > PDF Invoices > Advanced > Tools (or Status tab in some versions)
  2. Click the Reinstall fonts button
  3. Clear any caching plugins you may be using
  4. Generate a new PDF invoice to test

This process reinstalls the necessary font files that the PDF engine uses to properly render text. Many users report this immediately resolves font-related display issues.

Solving Logo Display Problems

If your logo appears in settings but not on actual PDFs, consider these solutions:

  • For new orders: The logo should appear correctly once properly configured in the plugin settings.
  • For existing orders: PDF invoices store the shop settings (including logo) that were active when the order was placed. Changing your logo won't update historical invoices.
  • For external images: If using a CDN or offloaded images, try enabling "Embed Images" in the plugin's settings or add a code snippet to handle SSL issues.
  • For hotlink protection: Ensure your domain is whitelisted in your hotlink protection settings.

When Formatting Looks Wrong

If your PDF preview looks correct but the actual generated PDF has broken formatting:

  1. Try the font reinstallation steps above first
  2. Check for theme conflicts by temporarily switching to a default WordPress theme
  3. Ensure you have the latest version of the plugin installed
  4. Check the plugin's Status tab for any warnings about file permissions

Additional Troubleshooting Steps

If the above solutions don't resolve your issue:

  • Check WooCommerce > Status > Logs for any error messages with "wpo-wcpdf" or "fatal-errors" prefixes
  • Temporarily disable other plugins to check for conflicts
  • Ensure your WordPress, WooCommerce, and PHP versions are compatible with the plugin
  • Verify that the wp-content/uploads directory has proper write permissions

Most PDF display issues can be resolved with these straightforward troubleshooting steps. The 'Reinstall fonts' function is particularly effective for solving text rendering problems that occur after updates or site migrations.

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