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Printing and labels

GST billing software for printing presses

A press bills goods on one line and a service on the next. Each line carries its own code, and the customer's GSTIN decides whether the tax is split or integrated.

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In short

SimpleERP is GST billing software for printing presses and label printers in India. Calendars, labels, cartons and lamination work go on one invoice, each line with its HSN or SAC code, and the place of supply picks CGST and SGST or IGST.

Illustration of the keyboard-first invoice editor with a focused line, live tax totals and shortcut hints.

A GST billing day at Kaveri Offset Printers

Sivakasi lives on calendar, diary and carton orders, and by ten in the morning Kaveri Offset Printers has three bills to raise: 20,000 matchbox labels for a factory in Kovilpatti, 3,000 wall calendars for a jeweller in Madurai, and a lamination-only job for a Bengaluru publisher who sent his own printed sheets.

Each of those is a different kind of supply. The labels and calendars are printed on Kaveri's own paper, while the lamination is work done on sheets the publisher owns, so the code and tax change from line to line. The publisher sits in Karnataka, which means his bill needs IGST instead of the split tax the Madurai jeweller pays.

In SimpleERP the billing clerk picks the customer, the GSTIN fills in the state, and every line takes its code and rate from the product or service master. The A4 print carries the HSN summary and a UPI QR, which suits the jeweller who pays from his phone the day the calendars arrive.

Which HSN or SAC code goes on a print job?

The code follows the nature of the supply. Calendars, brochures, labels and cartons printed on your stock are goods with an HSN code, while work done on a customer's own sheets is a service with a SAC code. Set the code once on the product or service, and the press bills it the same way every time.

  • Calendars and printed matter sit under different headings, so keep them as separate products.
  • Lamination, varnish or binding on the customer's sheets is added as a service with its SAC.
  • The HSN summary on each print and in the report lines up with the GSTR-1 HSN table.
Line on the billCodeWhat sets the rate
Wall and table calendarsHSN 4910Printed calendars on your own paper
Brochures, leaflets, posters of your own contentHSN 4911Printed matter where the press supplies the content
Brochures and leaflets with the customer's contentA SAC under 9989Printing service, even on your paper (Circular 11/11/2017)
Printed paper labelsHSN 4821Labels run on your label stock
Printed cartons and boxesHSN 4819Board cartons supplied with the print
Lamination or printing on the customer's sheetsA SAC under 9989A service on goods the customer owns
Codes a Sivakasi press commonly bills. Goods or service turns on whose paper and content the job uses, and the rate sits on each product or service you create. Rates change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your CA or the GST portal before you rely on it.

Can one bill carry printed goods and a printing service?

Yes. A carton order often comes with a separate charge for a new die or for lamination, and both go on the same invoice with their own code and rate. The tax for each line is worked out on its own, and the invoice total adds them up with the round off you allow.

  • Line discounts in percent or rupees for a repeat calendar customer.
  • Quotation to invoice without retyping once the jeweller confirms the order.
  • Amount in words and your bank details print below the HSN summary.

Illustration of GST tax invoice INV-2026-27-0213 to Ravi Stores with CGST 9% and SGST 9%, round off, a UPI QR code and the amount in words.

A tax invoice for printed labels with CGST and SGST.

How does an out-of-state publisher get IGST?

The customer's GSTIN carries a two-digit state code, and SimpleERP compares it with your own. A Madurai jeweller with 33 in his GSTIN gets CGST and SGST, while the Bengaluru publisher with 29 gets IGST, and nobody chooses the tax by hand.

  • GSTIN validation catches a mistyped number before the bill is posted.
  • Sales register splits taxable value, CGST, SGST and IGST per invoice for your return checks.
  • Numbering follows the April to March year in the INV-2026-27-0012 style, inside the 16-character GST limit.

What happens when a carton job comes back short?

Say a pharma distributor accepted 9,600 of 10,000 cartons because 400 had a registration fault. A credit note against the original invoice reduces what he owes and the GST on it, and it cannot exceed what was billed in the first place.

  • Linked to the invoice, so the statement shows the bill and the reduction together.
  • Returned cartons can go back into stock or be left out if they are waste.
  • Receipts are allocated to the reduced balance, with ageing per customer.

One system

Where billing connects

The invoice posts the sale, the GST and the receivable in one step, and issues stock for printed goods kept in the godown.

Honest limits

What SimpleERP does not do yet

  • E-invoice IRN and QR code, and e-way bills, are not generated through the government APIs
  • Cess is not calculated; GST return filing stays with you or your accountant
  • No price lists: every line is priced as you bill it
  • No estimation calculator for sheets, plates and impressions: price the job yourself and enter the lines.
  • No job-work challan for sheets sent to an outside laminator.

Getting started

Start with GST billing

  1. Sign up with your phone

    Name, phone number and a password. No card for the seven-day trial, and email is optional.

  2. Tell us about the business

    Type your GSTIN and the state fills itself. Accounts, GST rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for you.

  3. Add what you sell

    Add calendars, labels and cartons as products with their HSN code, and lamination or customer-paper printing as services with a SAC.

  4. Post your first GST invoice

    Pick the customer, add lines and save. The place of supply picks CGST and SGST or IGST for you.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Do I bill a job on the customer's paper as goods or a service?

When the customer owns the paper and you only print or laminate it, it is usually treated as a service and billed with a SAC. When you supply the paper and the printed result, it is usually goods with an HSN code. Ask your CA for borderline jobs. Rates change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your CA or the GST portal before you rely on it.

Can I bill matchbox labels per thousand?

Yes. Add a unit such as thousand under Units & terms and set it on the label product. The rate is then per thousand labels, and the quantity on the invoice reads 20 for a 20,000 label order.

Will the calendar season rush break the numbering?

No. Every invoice takes the next number in the April to March series, even when several people bill at once from different desks. Cancelled invoices are reversed with their number kept, so the series has no gaps you must explain.

Can my customer pay the calendar bill by UPI?

Yes. Add your UPI ID in settings and the QR prints on every invoice with the amount filled in. When the money arrives, record the receipt against the invoice in two taps and it leaves the overdue list.

Related

See how GST billing works in SimpleERP for printing and labels

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