# Convert X12 856 to PDF

An 856 says what is on the truck before it arrives. Drop it here and read the shipment as a document, so receiving knows what to expect and what to count.

Source: https://tally-stick.com/x12-856-to-pdf

## Quantities, not money

A despatch advice carries goods and counts, not prices. The PDF matches that: where every line comes without a unit price, a VAT rate and a net amount, those three columns are left out rather than printed as empty headers, and the description takes the freed width. A shipment shown under money columns reads as a priced document, and it is not one.

## What you get out

- Shipper and consignee from the N1 loops, with the ship-to address
- Shipment identifier and date from BSN
- The hierarchical levels from HL: shipment, order, pack and item
- Line items with quantity and unit, and the order they belong to
- Carrier and tracking references where the message carries them

## Questions

### Why are there no price columns?

Because an advance ship notice does not carry prices. The columns are decided from the data rather than from the message type, so an ASN that really does state prices keeps them.

### Does the pack hierarchy survive?

The HL structure is read and the lines are shown in the order the message nests them, so an item stays under the pack and order it was sent in.

### Can I match it to the order?

The purchase order number travels in the 856 and is shown, so an 856 and its 850 can be read side by side on their two pages.

## Related

- [EDI 856 to Excel](https://tally-stick.com/x12-856-to-excel)
- [X12 850 to PDF](https://tally-stick.com/x12-850-to-pdf)
- [X12 820 to PDF](https://tally-stick.com/x12-820-to-pdf)
- [X12 810 to PDF](https://tally-stick.com/x12-810-to-pdf)

## How it works

The invoice is read on your own device. No file is uploaded, no account is required, and the fair usage limit is the only cap. Exports are PDF, Excel, CSV and JSON.