Split PDF by Swiss QR in Zapier

What this action does

PDF4me – Split by SwissQR Code scans a PDF for Swiss QR bill codes and splits the document into separate files at each QR code location — before or after the payment slip page, your choice. Batch-scanned invoices from suppliers, multi-customer utility bills, and monthly statement batches that arrive as one large PDF are separated into individual documents automatically. Configure the render DPI for reliable QR detection on any scan quality, optionally merge consecutive pages with the same QR code, and receive all output files in a single ZIP for easy downstream handling in Zapier.

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Important Facts You Should Not Miss

Split position affects which document gets the QR page

Before the SwissQR starts a new document at the QR page — the payment slip becomes page 1 of the next file. After the SwissQR closes the current document at the QR page — the payment slip is the last page of the preceding invoice. Most Swiss invoice batches use After since the QR slip is the closing page of each invoice section.

DPI controls detection accuracy — start at 150

Valid values are 100, 150, 200, and 250. At 150 DPI the action reliably detects well-printed Swiss QR codes from standard office scanners. Use 200 for lower-quality scans, slightly skewed pages, or small-printed QR codes. Only increase to 250 if 200 still misses codes — higher DPI significantly increases processing time on large batch PDFs.

Use Return as Zip for batch PDFs with many invoices

When splitting a PDF with 20 or 200 invoices, the action produces one output file per invoice. Setting Return as Zip to True bundles all split documents into a single ZIP — one output bundle in Zapier instead of a variable-length array. The ZIP can then be uploaded to Dropbox or Google Drive in one step for batch retrieval, or extracted individually in downstream steps.

Map File from your trigger or download step, choose the split position relative to the QR page, set DPI, and enable ZIP output for batch batches.

Parameters

Required: File, Split Barcode Page, and PDF Render DPI. All other parameters are optional with sensible defaults.

Parameter	Required	What it does	Example
File	Yes	The PDF to split. Map the binary file output from your Zap trigger or a prior download step. Hint: "Map the PDF file to be Split using the Swiss QR."	PDF file from trigger
Specify File Name	No	Output filename for the ZIP or individual split files. If left empty, the name is picked from the source file or URL. Hint: "You can specify file name or otherwise name will be picked from URL."	swiss_invoices_split
Split Barcode Page	Yes	Where to divide the document relative to the Swiss QR page. Options: Before the SwissQR (QR page starts the next document) or After the SwissQR (QR page closes the current document). Hint: "Choose the way split should occur."	After the SwissQR
PDF Render DPI	Yes	Resolution used to render PDF pages for QR code scanning. Valid values: 100, 150, 200, 250. Higher DPI improves detection on low-quality scans but increases processing time. Hint: "Render DPI. Valid values - 100, 150, 200, 250."	150
Combine Pages with Same Barcodes	No	When True, consecutive pages sharing the same Swiss QR code are merged into one output document. Set True for multi-page invoices where each page repeats the payment QR. Hint: "Combine pages with same Swiss QR."	False
Return as Zip	No	When True, all split documents are packaged into a single ZIP file for easy downstream handling. Recommended for batch PDFs with many invoices.	True

Quick Setup

1. In your Zap, click + to add a new action and search for PDF4me.
2. Select Split by SwissQR Code in PDF4me as the event.
3. Connect your PDF4me account using your API key.
4. Map File to the PDF binary from your trigger or download step.
5. Set Split Barcode Page — choose After the SwissQR for invoices where the payment slip closes each section.
6. Enter PDF Render DPI — start with 150; increase to 200 if QR codes are missed.
7. Set Combine Pages with Same Barcodes to True for multi-page invoices, False for single-page.
8. Set Return as Zip to True for batch batches with multiple invoices.
9. Click Test action to verify the split result, then publish the Zap.

Workflow Examples

Workflow ExamplesCommon Zapier workflow patterns using Split by Swiss QR.

Vendor batch PDF → split by Swiss QR → upload individual invoices to SharePoint

1. A vendor emails a batch PDF containing 30 invoices, each closing with a Swiss QR payment slip.
2. Gmail triggers the Zap on new email from the vendor address with PDF attachment.
3. Split by SwissQR Code divides the batch at each QR page (After the SwissQR), DPI 150, Return as Zip True.
4. A Formatter step extracts individual files from the ZIP bundle.
5. Each individual invoice PDF uploads to a SharePoint "Accounts Payable / Incoming" library for review and payment.

Monthly utility billing run → split → email each customer their bill

1. A scheduled Zap triggers at month-end when the billing system drops a combined customer PDF into Dropbox.
2. Dropbox triggers the Zap and provides the PDF binary.
3. Split by SwissQR Code separates each customer's bill (Combine Pages with Same Barcodes True, Return as Zip True).
4. A Formatter step and iterator loop over each split file.
5. Gmail emails each individual bill PDF to the matching customer email from an Airtable customer lookup by QR reference number.

Scanned inbox batch → split → log to Google Sheets → archive to Drive

1. A multifunction printer scans incoming Swiss invoices into a single daily batch PDF and saves it to Google Drive.
2. Google Drive triggers the Zap on new file in the "Scanned Inbox" folder.
3. Split by SwissQR Code divides the daily batch at each QR slip with DPI 200 for reliable detection on MFP scans.
4. Each split document is uploaded to a "Processed Invoices" Drive folder with a timestamp prefix as the filename.
5. A Google Sheets step appends a log row with the filename, split count, and processing date for audit trail purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Before the SwissQR and After the SwissQR?+

Before the SwissQR starts a new document segment at the page containing the Swiss QR code — the QR payment slip becomes the first page of the next output document. After the SwissQR ends the current segment at the QR page — the payment slip is attached as the last page of the preceding invoice. Most Swiss invoice batch formats use After the SwissQR because the QR slip is the closing page that finalizes each invoice section. Check your specific batch format with a test run before deploying to production.

What DPI value gives the best detection results?+

150 DPI is reliable for most office and MFP scanners producing standard-quality PDFs with well-printed QR codes. Use 200 DPI for documents with lower scan resolution, slightly skewed QR codes, or QR codes printed at smaller sizes on compact invoice layouts. 100 DPI can miss codes on any but the highest-quality prints. 250 DPI provides maximum detection accuracy but noticeably increases processing time on large batch PDFs — reserve it for cases where 200 still fails.

What does Combine Pages with Same Barcodes do?+

When set to True, consecutive pages that carry identical Swiss QR code content are grouped into a single output document rather than being split at every page. This is important for multi-page invoices where the same payment QR appears on each page — without this option, the action would create one file per page. Set it to False when each QR-bearing page should always start a new output document regardless of whether adjacent pages share the same code.

Why use Return as Zip instead of individual file outputs?+

When the batch PDF contains many invoices, the action produces multiple output documents. Return as Zip bundles all of them into one ZIP file so you receive a single output bundle in Zapier rather than a variable-length array. This makes downstream handling predictable — you can upload the ZIP to cloud storage in one step, or use a file-extract action to iterate over the individual files. Without ZIP, Zapier may require additional looping logic to handle a variable number of output files.

Can this action handle PDFs that contain other barcode types alongside Swiss QR codes?+

Yes. The action uses a Swiss QR-specific detector that looks for the Swiss Cross symbol and the structured QR bill data format defined by SIX Group. It ignores standard QR codes, Code128, GS1, and other barcode types on the same pages. Only pages with valid Swiss QR bill codes trigger a split point — all other pages remain within their document segment regardless of what other barcodes they carry.

Related Actions

Read Swiss QR Code

Extract the payment data encoded in a Swiss QR bill — IBAN, reference, amount, and creditor details — from a PDF or image without splitting the document.

Create Swiss QR Bill

Generate a Swiss QR bill section on an invoice PDF — the counterpart action for issuing invoices with compliant Swiss payment slips.

Split PDF by Barcode

Split PDFs at any barcode type — Code128, QR Code, DataMatrix — for non-Swiss document batches that use general barcode separators.

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