Batch production

Operate, then Batch production. A batch groups several orders that share a design or a decoration method so they run as one job on the press.

What a batch is for

A screen print shop setting up for one design does not want to set up again an hour later for the same design on a different order. A batch says "these jobs run together", which is how the press is actually scheduled.

The obvious cases:

• The same club design across three separate orders placed in the same week.
• A run of DTF transfers to gang onto one sheet.
• All the embroidery for the week, so the machine is threaded once.

The fields

Field	Meaning
Number	Batch identifier
Name	What it is, for example "Northside home kit, week 35"
Design	The design being run, where the batch is design-driven
Decoration method	The method the batch runs on
Print date	When the run is scheduled
Status	Where the batch is up to

The list shows the method, how many orders are in the batch, the print date and status, which is the view you want when planning the week.

How to use it

1. Create a batch for the run: method, design if relevant, print date.
2. Add the orders that belong in it.
3. Schedule the print date against your production load so the batch is not landing on your busiest day.
4. Run the batch, then advance the member orders on the production board as they complete.

Batching is a planning layer over orders. It does not replace stage advancement: each order still moves through the stages, so each customer still gets the right notifications about their own job.

When not to bother

A shop doing mostly one-off jobs with different artwork gains nothing here. Batching pays off when you repeat a design or when you can gang small jobs onto shared media.