Typing purchase bills puts every field on your keyboard: supplier, bill number, date, each item line, the GST and the extras, while importing them reads those fields off a photo or PDF and leaves you to check and correct a filled draft. Both end the same way, with a purchase voucher in Tally that you are responsible for. With an import in Takkada, you still match the supplier, map each line to your stock item and review the voucher before tapping Save Purchase Voucher, so the checking stays with you either way. The difference is where your time goes. Typing spends it on keystrokes and leaves checking to whatever attention is left at the end of the day. Importing spends it on checking, with the app flagging a total that does not match the bill, a unit that is not in your Tally, or a bill that is already in your books. This comparison walks through both, step by step.
Side by side
| Typing by hand | Importing from a photo or PDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier | Pick the ledger from memory | Suggested with a confidence label; you confirm against the GSTIN |
| Item lines | Type or pick each line | Read off the bill; you map each to a stock item, remembered for that supplier's next bill |
| Quantity, rate, GST | Typed from the bill | Read off the bill; editable on each line |
| Totals check | Your own addition against the bill | App compares the lines with the printed total |
| Same bill twice | Depends on someone noticing | Flagged when the supplier reference already exists |
| Who can do it | Usually whoever knows the item names | Anyone you give purchase access, with the mapping shown |
Where typing still makes sense
A short bill with three lines from a regular supplier is quick to type, and some people type faster than they can photograph and review. A bill the app cannot read, such as a crumpled printout, a photo that is blurred or cropped, or one with a part-percent GST rate, is better entered by hand, and the import offers Enter it myself for exactly that. Typing also works on any bill, whatever its condition.
Where importing earns its place
Long bills are where importing pulls ahead. A 40-line company bill typed by hand is 40 chances to pick the wrong pack size or misplace a decimal. Imported, the lines arrive filled in, and the ones you mapped on earlier bills from the same supplier come back matched. Your job becomes scanning a filled list against the bill, which is faster and less tiring at the end of the day.
The checks matter too. When typing, there is no prompt if the lines add up to ₹48,250 while the bill says ₹48,520. On import, Review Purchase Voucher shows both numbers and asks you to check before saving. A second copy of the same bill, forwarded by both the supplier's salesman and their accounts team, keeps the save button off.
What does not change
You are still the one who decides. Importing reads the bill as a suggestion, and the app's own help says to check every party, item and amount before you create anything. Rates and discounts are never carried from an old bill, so a supplier's price change lands as printed. Once saved, the voucher reaches Tally the same way a typed one made in the app does.
The Import purchase from PDF page shows the screens, and the guide to importing purchase bills into Tally covers the full flow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is importing always faster than typing?
A: For long bills, usually. For a short three-line bill you know well, typing can be just as quick.
Q: Do I still need to check an imported bill?
A: Yes. You confirm the supplier, map the items and review the voucher before saving. The reading is a suggestion.
Q: What happens to a bill the app cannot read?
A: The app says the photo may be blurred or cropped and offers Try again or Enter it myself, so you can type it as usual.
Q: Can I mix both ways?
A: Yes. Import the long bills and type the short ones. Both end up as purchase vouchers in Tally.
Compare it on your own bills
WhatsApp us at https://wa.me/919435977777 with your longest supplier bill and we will import it while you watch.