DEV Community: Rajat S.

Why Freelancers Still Hate Invoicing (And Why We Built a Better Way)

Rajat S. — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 08:30:09 +0000

Why Freelancers Still Hate Invoicing (And Why We Built a Better Way)

Series: Building eInvoice: AI Invoicing in Public

Tags: freelance showdev webdev productivity

Freelancers don't hate money. They hate the administrative work that sits between finishing a project and getting paid.

You've completed the work, sent the final files, and your client is happy. You should be able to move on to the next project.

Instead, you're opening an old Google Docs invoice, changing the client's name, updating the dates, checking the calculations, adjusting the formatting, and exporting another PDF.

Then you realize you forgot to update the invoice number.

Sound familiar?

For something as routine as billing, invoicing can take up a surprising amount of time. And when you're a freelancer or running a small business, that time comes directly out of the hours you could spend doing paid work.

This is the first post in our series about building eInvoice, an AI-first invoice generator designed to make invoicing simpler for freelancers and small businesses.

Rather than starting with a list of features, we want to start with the problem that inspired us to build it.

The Real Problem Isn't Creating a PDF

At first glance, creating an invoice seems straightforward.

You need a client name, a description of the work, an amount, a due date, and payment details. Put everything into a template, export it as a PDF, and send it to your client.

So why does something so simple become such a repetitive task?

Because creating an invoice isn't just about generating a document. It's about making several small decisions, entering information accurately, and producing something professional every single time.

Here are four problems we think deserve more attention.

1. The Blank-Page Problem

You open an invoice template, and the work begins.

What should you write in the description? Should you charge tax on this service? What payment terms should you use? Have you included all the client's billing details?

Even if you've created dozens of invoices before, you still have to work through the same basic steps.

Each decision takes only a moment, but those moments add up when you're managing multiple clients and projects.

A better invoicing workflow should help you get past the blank page instead of making you fill it out from scratch every time.

2. Copy-Paste Is Convenient Until Something Goes Wrong

Most freelancers don't create every invoice from scratch. They reuse an existing document.

That's sensible, until an old date survives the edit, a line-item amount doesn't match the total, or the wrong client's details remain in the PDF.

The process usually looks something like this:

Find a previous invoice.
Make a copy.
Replace the client information.
Update the services and amounts.
Check the totals and dates.
Export the PDF.
Review everything one more time.

The problem isn't that any individual step is difficult. It's that the same process has to be repeated for every invoice.

And mistakes aren't always obvious. A small inconsistency can make an otherwise professional invoice look careless or create unnecessary confusion with a client.

Automation should reduce this repetitive work while keeping the final details easy to review.

3. Existing Tools Often Force an Unnecessary Trade-Off

There are plenty of ways to create invoices.

You can use Google Docs, Word, Canva, or a spreadsheet. These tools offer flexibility, but you still have to manage much of the formatting, data entry, and calculation yourself.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to a full accounting or invoicing platform. That can make sense when you need recurring billing, payment reconciliation, financial reporting, and client management.

But what if you simply need to create a clean, professional invoice and download it today?

You may not need an entire accounting system for that.

Freelancers often need something in between: a quick way to prepare a branded invoice without spending unnecessary time setting up software or maintaining a complicated workflow.

That gap is where we see an opportunity.

4. Sending the Invoice Is Only Half the Job

Creating an invoice doesn't automatically mean you'll get paid.

You still need to communicate the payment deadline, provide clear payment instructions, keep a copy of the invoice, and follow up when payment is overdue.

As your client list grows, tracking which invoices are paid, pending, or overdue can become another administrative task.

This is why we think about invoicing as more than document creation. It's part of the broader process of managing business cash flow.

A good invoicing tool should make the first step easier and, as a business grows, help reduce the friction around the steps that follow.

Why This Problem Still Matters in 2026

We're living in a time when software can help people draft emails, analyze data, write code, and automate repetitive business tasks.

Yet many freelancers still rely on static templates and manual data entry for routine billing.

There's nothing inherently wrong with a spreadsheet or a document template. They work, and sometimes they're all you need.

The opportunity is to make the process faster without forcing people to change their entire workflow.

Imagine finishing a project and simply describing the work you've completed. Instead of manually entering every detail into a blank form, you start with a draft that you can review, correct, and turn into a professional invoice.

That's a more useful application of automation than simply adding another feature to an already crowded software category.

However, there's one important distinction: generating a draft is not the same as guaranteeing that every detail is correct.

Tax rules vary by jurisdiction, clients have different requirements, and invoice details need to be accurate. Automation should help with the repetitive work, not make financial decisions on your behalf.

The goal is to reduce manual effort while keeping people in control.

What We Decided to Build

We started building eInvoice around a straightforward idea: getting from client information to a finished invoice should require less repetitive work.

That idea shapes the way we're approaching the product.

1. Describe the Work Instead of Filling Every Field Manually

Sometimes you know exactly what needs to go on an invoice, but entering it into separate fields takes longer than it should.

With Smart Fill, you can describe your invoicing requirements in plain language and use AI to help populate the relevant fields.

You can also use voice input where supported, which offers another way to provide the details without typing everything manually.

The important part is what happens next: you can review the generated information and make corrections before downloading the invoice.

The objective isn't to remove your control. It's to give you a useful starting point.

2. See the Invoice While You Edit It

An invoice shouldn't be a guessing game where you fill out a form, export a PDF, discover a formatting issue, and start again.

eInvoice includes a live preview so you can see how the document changes as you edit its details.

You can review the layout, add your branding, and make adjustments before downloading the finished PDF.

This makes the process more predictable and helps you catch issues before sending the document to a client.

3. Create Professional Invoices Without Unnecessary Setup

Not everyone wants to create an account, configure an entire workspace, or subscribe to a monthly plan just to invoice a client.

Our approach is to make the basic invoice creation process accessible, including the ability to create and download PDFs without signing up.

For users with more demanding workflows, additional capabilities can help with tasks such as bulk CSV processing, multi-client invoicing, and extracting information from invoice images through OCR.

Different users have different needs. Someone sending two invoices a month shouldn't have to follow the same workflow as a business processing hundreds.

4. Make Repetitive Invoicing Easier to Scale

One invoice is manageable. Creating dozens of invoices for different clients can become tedious.

Bulk processing and multi-client workflows can help reduce repeated data entry when you're handling larger volumes.

For example, a freelancer working with several clients could prepare invoice data in a structured format and use it to generate multiple documents rather than manually rebuilding each invoice.

The same principle applies to extracting information from existing documents or images: automation is most useful when it removes repetitive work without making the results harder to verify.

As we continue developing the product, we want to make these workflows more useful for people whose invoicing needs grow over time.

What We Believe Good Invoice Automation Should Look Like

Building a tool isn't just about deciding which features to add. It's also about deciding what the tool should never take away from its users.

For us, that means following a few principles.

Speed without sacrificing accuracy. Automation should reduce repetitive data entry, but users should still be able to review important details such as amounts, dates, and tax information.

Professional output without unnecessary complexity. Creating a clean PDF shouldn't require learning an entire accounting platform.

A workflow that starts simple. Someone who needs one invoice should be able to get started quickly, while users with larger workloads can explore more advanced capabilities.

Control over the final document. The person creating the invoice should have the final say over what gets sent to the client.

These principles are more important to us than adding features simply because they're fashionable.

What Comes Next?

This is the beginning of our journey building eInvoice in public.

We'll continue exploring how freelancers and small businesses handle invoicing, where existing workflows create friction, and which improvements genuinely save time.

That includes looking at different ways to create invoices, streamline bulk generation, extract information from existing documents, and make repetitive billing tasks less tedious.

We also want to hear from the people who deal with these problems every week.

Do freelancers need another invoicing platform? Not necessarily.

But we believe there's room for a simpler way to go from finishing work to producing a correct, professional invoice.

That's what we're working toward.

Try eInvoice

If you're a freelancer, consultant, agency owner, or small business operator, you can try our Free Invoice Generator and see whether it fits your workflow.

Create an invoice, review the preview, and download your PDF without unnecessary setup.

We're building this product to solve a practical problem, and feedback from people who actually create invoices is an important part of that process.

One question for other freelancers and builders: What's the most frustrating part of your invoicing workflow: creating the invoice, checking the details, managing multiple clients, or following up on payments?

I'd love to hear what's working for you and what still feels unnecessarily complicated.

Efficient PDF to TIFF Conversion Using C# Programming

Rajat S. — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 11:48:21 +0000

Converting PDF files to TIFF format is a common requirement in various document processing applications. If you're working with C# programming, you have access to a wide range of tools and libraries that can simplify the PDF to TIFF conversion process. In this article, we will explore efficient methods and techniques to perform PDF to TIFF conversion using C#. By leveraging the power of C# and the available libraries, you can accomplish this task seamlessly. So let's dive in and discover how to efficiently convert PDF to TIFF using C#.

1. iTextSharp

iTextSharp is a popular C# library that provides extensive PDF manipulation capabilities. It enables you to extract images from PDF files and convert them to TIFF format. To perform PDF to TIFF conversion using iTextSharp, you can follow these steps:

Import the necessary iTextSharp namespaces.
Load the PDF file using PdfReader class.
Iterate through the pages and extract the images.
Convert the images to TIFF format using a third-party image processing library like ImageMagick or LibTiff.NET.
Save the TIFF file.

iTextSharp offers comprehensive documentation and examples to help you get started with PDF to TIFF conversion in C#.

2. PDFTron SDK

PDFTron SDK is a robust and feature-rich PDF processing library that supports various programming languages, including C#. It offers powerful functionalities for PDF manipulation, including the ability to convert PDF files to TIFF. Here's a step-by-step process to perform PDF to TIFF conversion using PDFTron SDK:

Import the necessary PDFTron namespaces.
Load the PDF file using PDFDoc class.
Iterate through the pages and extract the images.
Convert the images to TIFF format using the built-in conversion methods provided by PDFTron SDK.
Save the TIFF file.

PDFTron SDK provides extensive documentation and resources to assist you in efficiently converting PDF files to TIFF in C#.

3. ImageMagick

ImageMagick is a versatile and widely used image processing library that supports various programming languages, including C#. It provides a command-line interface as well as a C# wrapper that allows you to perform PDF to TIFF conversion seamlessly. Here's an outline of the process using ImageMagick:

Install ImageMagick on your system.
Import the necessary ImageMagick namespaces in your C# code.
Use the Magick.NET library, which is a C# wrapper for ImageMagick, to convert the PDF to TIFF format.
Save the TIFF file.

ImageMagick offers extensive documentation and examples for performing image conversions, including PDF to TIFF, using C#.

Conclusion

Converting PDF files to TIFF format using C# programming can be accomplished efficiently with the help of libraries like iTextSharp, PDFTron SDK, and ImageMagick. These libraries provide comprehensive functionalities to extract images from PDF files and convert them to TIFF seamlessly. By leveraging the power of C# and these libraries, you can integrate PDF to TIFF conversion capabilities into your applications and streamline your document processing workflows. Additionally, the Facepdf PDF to TIFF service offers a convenient online solution for PDF to TIFF conversion, providing a user-friendly platform for converting your PDF files to TIFF format.

Additional Resources:

iTextSharp Documentation
PDFTron SDK Documentation
ImageMagick C# Documentation
Facepdf - PDF to TIFF Conversion

Converting PDF to TIFF: Exploring Java Libraries and Methods

Rajat S. — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 11:39:03 +0000

Introduction

When it comes to converting PDF files to TIFF format in a Java environment, there are several libraries and methods available that can simplify the process. In this article, we will explore some popular Java libraries and methods that enable efficient PDF to TIFF conversion. Whether you're looking to perform a single conversion or handle bulk conversions, these resources will provide you with the necessary tools. So let's dive in and discover the world of PDF to TIFF conversion in Java.

1. Apache PDFBox

Apache PDFBox is a powerful Java library that provides a wide range of functionalities for working with PDF files. It offers comprehensive support for extracting images from PDFs and converting them to various formats, including TIFF. To convert PDF to TIFF using Apache PDFBox, you can follow these steps:

Import the necessary classes and libraries.
Load the PDF file using PDDocument class.
Iterate through the pages and extract the images.
Convert the extracted images to TIFF using ImageIO class.
Save the TIFF file.
Apache PDFBox provides detailed documentation and examples to help you get started with PDF to TIFF conversion.

2. iText

iText is another popular Java library for working with PDF files. It offers a range of functionalities, including PDF manipulation and conversion. To convert PDF to TIFF using iText, you can utilize the following steps:

Import the required classes and libraries.
Load the PDF file using PdfReader class.
Iterate through the pages and extract the images.
Convert the images to TIFF using a third-party image processing library like ImageMagick or Java Advanced Imaging (JAI).
Save the TIFF file.
iText provides extensive documentation and a vibrant community that can assist you in achieving PDF to TIFF conversion.
Ghostscript

Ghostscript is an open-source interpreter for the PostScript and PDF languages. It provides powerful capabilities for handling PDF files, including converting them to various image formats such as TIFF. While Ghostscript is written in C, it offers a Java interface that allows you to utilize its functionalities in a Java environment. To convert PDF to TIFF using Ghostscript, you can use the following steps:

Import the required Ghostscript Java libraries.
Specify the desired conversion settings, such as resolution and compression.
Execute the Ghostscript command to perform the conversion.
Ghostscript provides flexibility and advanced options for PDF to TIFF conversion in Java.
Online PDF to TIFF Conversion Services

In addition to Java libraries, there are also online services available that offer PDF to TIFF conversion. These services allow you to upload your PDF files and convert them to TIFF format conveniently. One such service is the Facepdf PDF to TIFF converter. It provides a user-friendly web-based platform where you can upload your PDF files and obtain the converted TIFF files easily.

Conclusion

Converting PDF files to TIFF format is a common requirement in many applications. In Java, several libraries and methods are available to simplify the PDF to TIFF conversion process. Apache PDFBox, iText, and Ghostscript offer powerful features and flexibility for converting PDFs to TIFF. Additionally, online services like the Facepdf PDF to TIFF converter provide a convenient alternative. By exploring these resources, you can choose the approach that best fits your requirements and effectively perform PDF to TIFF conversion in your Java projects.

Additional Resources:

Apache PDFBox Documentation
iText Documentation
Ghostscript Java Documentation
Facepdf - PDF to TIFF Conversion

A Beginner's Guide to PDF to TIFF Conversion in Python

Rajat S. — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 11:31:49 +0000

Converting PDF files to TIFF format can be a useful task, especially when dealing with image processing or document management. If you're a beginner looking to learn how to perform PDF to TIFF conversion using Python, this guide will provide you with a step-by-step process. We'll explore different libraries and methods that you can use to accomplish this task efficiently. Additionally, we'll introduce you to Facepdf, an online service that simplifies the PDF to TIFF conversion process. So let's dive in!

1. Installing Required Libraries

Before we start converting PDF to TIFF in Python, we need to install the necessary libraries. Two popular libraries for PDF manipulation in Python are PyPDF2 and pdf2image. PyPDF2 allows us to extract images from PDF files, while pdf2image helps us convert those images to the TIFF format. Install these libraries using the following pip command:

pip install PyPDF2 pdf2image

2. Extracting Images from PDF

The first step in PDF to TIFF conversion is extracting images from the PDF file. We'll use the PyPDF2 library to accomplish this. Import the library and open the PDF file using the following code snippet:

import PyPDF2
pdf_file = open('input.pdf', 'rb')
pdf_reader = PyPDF2.PdfFileReader(pdf_file)

Next, iterate through the pages of the PDF file and extract the images:

for page_num in range(pdf_reader.numPages):
page = pdf_reader.getPage(page_num)
images = page.extract_images()
# Process the extracted images

3. Converting Images to TIFF

Once we have extracted the images, we can convert them to the TIFF format. For this step, we'll utilize the pdf2image library. Import the necessary modules and convert the extracted images to TIFF using the following code:

from pdf2image import convert_from_path
for image_num, image in enumerate(images):
image_data = image[0]['image']
image_name = f'image_{image_num}.tiff'
image_data.save(image_name, 'TIFF')

This code snippet converts each extracted image to TIFF and saves it with a unique name.

4. Using Facepdf for PDF to TIFF Conversion

If you prefer a user-friendly online service for PDF to TIFF conversion, Facepdf is a great option. It simplifies the process by providing a web-based platform dedicated to converting PDF files to various image formats, including TIFF. You can visit the Facepdf PDF to TIFF page and upload your PDF file. The service will handle the conversion and provide you with a downloadable TIFF file.

Conclusion

In this beginner's guide, we explored how to perform PDF to TIFF conversion in Python. We learned about the PyPDF2 and pdf2image libraries for extracting images from PDF files and converting them to TIFF format, respectively. Additionally, we introduced Facepdf as a user-friendly online service for PDF to TIFF conversion. Now you have the knowledge and tools to efficiently convert PDF files to TIFF in Python. Start exploring the possibilities of PDF to TIFF conversion and leverage this functionality in your projects.

Additional Resources:

PyPDF2 Documentation
pdf2image Documentation
Facepdf - PDF to TIFF Conversion

Converting PDF to TIFF on Linux: Recommended Tools and Methods

Rajat S. — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 11:24:53 +0000

Linux, with its robust and versatile operating system, is a popular choice for many users who prefer open-source solutions. If you're working with PDF files on a Linux platform and need to convert them to TIFF format, there are several recommended tools and methods available. In this article, we will explore efficient ways to convert PDF to TIFF on Linux and provide you with valuable resources to simplify the process.

1. Ghostscript

Ghostscript is a widely used command-line tool for handling PDF files on Linux systems. It supports various file formats, including PDF and TIFF, and offers extensive options for customization. To convert a PDF to TIFF using Ghostscript, open the terminal and use the following command:

gs -sDEVICE=tiffg4 -r300x300 -sOutputFile=output.tiff input.pdf

This command specifies the output device as TIFF Group 4 compression with a resolution of 300 dpi and saves the output as "output.tiff." Ghostscript provides excellent control over output quality and compression settings.

2. ImageMagick

ImageMagick is a powerful and versatile software suite that includes a command-line tool called "convert." It supports a wide range of image formats, including PDF and TIFF. To convert a PDF to TIFF using ImageMagick, open the terminal and use the following command:

convert -density 300 input.pdf -depth 8 output.tiff

This command sets the input PDF's density to 300 dpi and the output TIFF's bit depth to 8. ImageMagick provides flexibility in adjusting various parameters to meet your specific conversion requirements.

3. Poppler

Poppler is a PDF rendering library that offers a set of command-line utilities, including "pdftoppm" and "pnmtotiff." These utilities allow you to convert PDF to PPM (Portable Pixmap) format and then convert the PPM to TIFF. To convert a PDF to TIFF using Poppler, open the terminal and follow these steps:

Step 1: Convert PDF to PPM:

pdftoppm -r 300 input.pdf output -tiff

*Step 2: Convert PPM to TIFF: *

pnmtotiff output-1.ppm > output.tiff

Poppler provides a straightforward approach to convert PDF files to TIFF, and its utilities offer good flexibility for customization.

4. Open-source Libraries and APIs

If you prefer a more developer-centric approach or need to integrate PDF to TIFF conversion into your own application, several open-source libraries and APIs are available. Some popular choices include:

MuPDF: A lightweight PDF rendering library that provides tools for PDF to TIFF conversion.

PDFlib: A comprehensive PDF processing library with support for various programming languages, including C/C++, Java, and Python.

PyMuPDF: A Python binding for MuPDF, allowing developers to utilize MuPDF's features within Python applications.

These libraries and APIs offer extensive functionality and customization options for PDF to TIFF conversion, making them suitable for advanced users and developers.

Conclusion

Converting PDF to TIFF on Linux can be accomplished using various recommended tools and methods. Whether you prefer command-line tools like Ghostscript, ImageMagick, and Poppler, or opt for more developer-centric solutions like open-source libraries and APIs, there are options available to suit your needs. For an efficient and user-friendly online conversion tool, you can also try using Facepdf, which provides a web-based platform for converting PDF to TIFF seamlessly. Explore these resources and choose the method that best aligns with your requirements to convert PDF to TIFF effortlessly on your Linux system.