Delivery Note Methodology — Complete Guide

Tip: Need to generate a packing slip or delivery note? Use our free Delivery Note Template to draft, customize, and download your document in seconds.

CalculatorAI's reference for issuing professional delivery notes and packing slips to verify shipments and protect your business from delivery disputes. Every section covers what to include, why it matters, and standard shipping practices. Used as the public guide AND as background context for the editor's AI Help mode.

What is a delivery note (packing slip)

A delivery note (also called a packing slip or dispatch note) is a document accompanying a shipment of goods that lists the descriptions and quantities of items being delivered. It does not contain financial fields (prices, rates, taxes, or total sums).

Key document distinctions:

• Delivery Note: Lists only physical goods and quantities being shipped. Signed by the buyer upon receipt to confirm delivery.
• Invoice: Sent separately to request payment, containing full pricing, taxes, and payment terms.
• Bill of Lading: A legal document between the shipper and the carrier, whereas a delivery note is between the seller and the buyer.

Required fields & what each one is for

A professional packing slip contains:

Sender & Receiver details. Swaps standard merchant and customer labels with "Sender" and "Receiver" to focus on shipping entities.

Unique Delivery Note Number. Essential for tracking shipments in warehouse management systems and matching packages to orders.

Description & Quantities. Item description, quantities, and weights. No pricing is listed to protect pricing privacy during warehouse handling.

Signature & Date Block. The single most important field on a delivery note. A signed delivery note is a merchant's primary legal defense if a customer disputes delivery or files a credit card chargeback.

Digital Signatures (Signature Canvas)

To speed up document authorization and present a professional brand identity, the CalculatorAI editor includes an interactive Signature Canvas drawing pad.

• Drawing a Signature: Click the "Show Signature" checkbox in the settings drawer on the right sidebar. Under the notes/terms area in the template preview, a dashed placeholder block will appear. Click it (or click "Draw Signature" in the right sidebar) to open a signature pad modal. You can draw your signature using a mouse, trackpad, or touch screen.
• Privacy-First Storage: Storing handwritten signatures can be a privacy concern. CalculatorAI stores your drawn signature locally as a base64-encoded PNG data URL directly inside your document draft's JSON structure. It is never uploaded to public folders or shared asset servers, ensuring your signature remains strictly private.
• PDF Rendering: Once saved, the signature is rendered at the bottom of the document preview and automatically embedded into all 5 PDF themes during download.