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Production to Shipping

Follow an order through print queue, film QC, pressing, and pack & ship — start to finish.

This guide follows a single order through the entire production pipeline — from the moment it's created to the moment it ships.

The production stages

Once an order is paid and gang sheets are built, here's how production flows:

Stage 1: Print Queue

Your gang sheet is in the print queue, ready to send to the DTF printer.

  1. Open Print Queue in your sidebar
  2. Find the gang sheet (it shows which orders are on it)
  3. Assign to a printer — if you have multiple DTF printers, pick which one
  4. Print the film — send to your RIP and run the print
  5. Mark as Printed — click the button when the film comes out of the printer

The order advances to Film QC.

Stage 2: Film QC

Check the printed film before it goes on the press.

  1. Open Film QC (or it's highlighted in your Hub as needing attention)
  2. Inspect the film for:
    • Color accuracy
    • Bleed or overspray
    • Clean edges
    • Correct sizing
  3. Pass QC — if it looks good, approve it
  4. Fail QC — if something's wrong, flag it for reprint with a note about what failed

If passed → advances to Pressing. If failed → goes back to Print Queue for a reprint.

Stage 3: Pressing

Time to apply the transfer to the blank.

  1. Open Pressing in your sidebar
  2. See which transfers are ready and which blanks they go on
  3. Assign to a press — if you have multiple heat presses
  4. Press the transfer onto the garment
  5. Mark as Pressed — the order advances to fulfillment

Stage 4: Pack & Ship

The order is pressed and ready to go to the customer.

  1. Open Fulfillment in your sidebar
  2. Find the completed order
  3. Pack the order — select a package preset or enter custom dimensions
  4. Create shipping label — Shippo generates a label with live carrier rates (USPS, UPS, FedEx)
  5. Add tracking — the tracking number attaches to the order automatically
  6. Mark as Shipped — the customer gets a notification with tracking info

What the customer sees

Throughout production, the customer's portal updates automatically:

  • Order Confirmed → after payment
  • In Production → when printing starts
  • Shipped → with tracking number and carrier link
  • Delivered → when carrier confirms delivery

They never need to text you asking "where are my shirts?"

The Hub keeps you organized

Back on your Production Hub, the order has moved through each status group:

  • Started in Act Now (needs printing)
  • Moved through In Progress (printing, QC, pressing)
  • Ended in Completed (shipped and delivered)

If anything gets stuck — a failed QC, a missing blank, a payment issue — the Hub highlights it in Act Now so you catch it immediately.

Tips

  • Batch your workflow — print all pending films at once, then QC them all, then press them all. Don't context-switch per order.
  • Blank tracking helps — make sure blanks are received before queueing an order for pressing. PressOS shows you if blanks are missing.
  • Local pickup — if customers pick up in person, skip the shipping step and mark as "Picked Up"