How to Setup Invoice Sending Options in Odoo 18 Accounting

In modern logistics, speed is everything—not just in delivery, but in billing. For a company like Global Logistics Co., sending invoices via the channel their clients prefer involves less friction and faster payments.

Odoo 18 Accounting introduces streamlined Invoice Sending Options that allow you to define default delivery methods—Email, Post, or Download—at the customer level. This guide walks you through configuring these defaults so your billing team never has to guess how a client wants to receive their invoice.

Setting Defaults per Customer

To avoid selecting "Send by Email" every single time for a digital-first client, you can set it as their permanent default.

1. Navigate to Accounting > Customers > Customers.
2. Open a customer profile (e.g., "TechFlow Industries").
3. Go to the Accounting tab.
4. Locate the Customer Invoices section.

Bonus: Automate Defaults with Python

If you are migrating data for Global Logistics Co. and need to set "Send by Email" for 5,000 customers at once, doing it manually is impossible. Use this Python script in the Odoo Server Actions or a scheduled action.

# Bulk Update: Set 'Send by Email' for all customers with an email address

customers = env['res.partner'].search([
    ('customer_rank', '>', 0),       # Is a customer
    ('email', '!=', False),          # Has an email
    ('invoice_sending_method', '=', False) # No method set yet
])

# 'invoice_sending_method' technical names: 'email', 'post', 'manual' (Download)
for customer in customers:
    customer.write({
        'invoice_sending_method': 'email'
    })

log(f"Updated {len(customers)} customers to 'Send by Email' default.")

The "Print & Send" Workflow

Once defaults are set, the workflow becomes seamless:

• Open a validated Invoice.
• Click Print & Send.
• Odoo automatically checks the boxes corresponding to the customer's preference.
• Click Send & Print to confirm.

Note: You can always override the default for a specific invoice if, for example, a client requests a one-off printed copy.

Summary

By configuring Invoice Sending Options in Odoo 18, you remove human error from the billing process. Digital clients get emails, traditional clients get post, and your accounting team saves hours of manual clicking.