AB Invoice for Windows

AB Invoice is a free tool for generating invoices. It can compute various taxes, including VAT, and can print invoices in any language you can configure. It's modular, so it can grow and change with your business. While AB Invoice is freeware, the add-on modules typically aren't free, though you can try many of them in free demo versions.

Setting up AB Invoice involves entering your company data and logo into a wizardlike dialog that you can access at any time from the System menu. From this menu we could also access the Program setup, Language setup, and Logotype installation functions. Setting up invoices involves choosing an invoice design from a list and then selecting options such as automatic or manual invoice numbers, entering text and dates for reminders, and setting any applicable finance charges. The Language setup dialog presents an invoice template with a text entry field by each heading. You can enter and save translations in any language and print out invoices in it when you need to. While this feature seems to require more data entry than an automatic translation, it has the added advantage of being customizable; for instance, you can use local or regional spellings or avoid potential mistranslations that can cause misunderstandings. The program also offers a free text option for creating invoices. AB Invoice is efficient, but it has some quirks, so it pays to read the manual. For instance, pressing Alt in the Code field on the invoice template opens the tax rate tool, while pressing the space bar or F10 in the same field opens the Products database, if the user happens to have installed the optional Products module. We tried some of the demo modules, which are overwritten by full versions when and if you buy them.

AB Invoice proved efficient and easy to use, once you're familiar with its way of doing things. Its modular approach has the potential to create a specialized business document environment that leaves out features and capabilities you don't need, yet it preserves the ability to add them later if things change. This free tool will help you decide if AB Invoice's system can be tailored to your needs.