Print Rules
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Print Rules choose which template an order uses, separately for each document type. For example, Amazon orders can use an Amazon packing slip while other orders use your default packing slip. A rule can also send that document to a particular Print Station.
Rules do not add extra document types to an order. Use Print Chain to decide whether an order gets a packing slip, invoice, return slip, or gift receipt.
Add a rule#
- Open Print Rules and choose the document-type tab.
- Click Add … rule, such as Add packing slip rule, and give it a recognizable name.
- Add the conditions the order must meet.
- Choose the template that should print.
- Optionally choose a Print Station. With only one station, the selector stays on the default; add another station to choose between destinations.
- Click Save rule.
Create or enable your templates first in Templates. Rules are available for packing slips, invoices, return slips, and gift receipts. Pick slips cover a batch of orders and are chosen from the Print picker instead.
Understand the pipeline#
Rules run top to bottom, and the first match wins. Use the arrows to put specific rules above broad ones. Each document type has its own priority order.
The conditions you add in the rule editor must all match. Text comparisons ignore capitalization. If no rule matches, Autoprinter uses the default template for that document type. Without a usable template, that document is skipped.
For example, put “Tags starts with PO-” above “Source Name is not empty” if purchase-order customers need a special packing slip. Otherwise, the broader source rule can win first.
Test an order before printing#
Open Rule Tester, select the document type, and choose a recent order or enter an order number. Testing uses the current order data from Shopify and does not print anything.
Read the result in this order:
- Order being tested: confirm the order identity, source, statuses, date, and destination.
- Template that would print: check the template name, document type, matching rule or default fallback, and Print Station.
- Why this template was selected: follow the rules in priority order. The trace shows the conditions and the order's values. A matched rule wins; later rules are skipped because an earlier rule already won.
A skipped rule has not failed its conditions; it was never needed. If the wrong template wins, compare the displayed order value with the condition, then check rule priority.
Location rules need a separate check. Rule Tester evaluates the order without the per-location context used during document rendering. It cannot confirm a Fulfillment Location rule's result for each package. See Multi-Location Printing before relying on location routing.
The How it works button explains all three tabs, with links to these guides for more detail.
Fields you can match#
| Field | What it reads |
|---|---|
| Source Name | The order source, such as amazon, web, or shopify_draft_order. |
| Channel Handle | The sales channel's handle. |
| Channel Name | The sales channel's display name. |
| App Name | The app that created the order. |
| Tags | The order's tags; use contains or starts with to check individual tags. |
| Financial Status | The payment status, such as PAID or PENDING. |
| Fulfillment Status | The fulfillment status, such as FULFILLED or UNFULFILLED. |
| Order Note | The free-text note on the order. |
| Ship-To State | The destination state or province code, such as CA. |
| Ship-To Country | The destination country name, such as United States. |
| Fulfillment Location | The assigned location name when location data is available for the document being rendered. |
Operators#
| Operator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| equals | The complete value matches. |
| does not equal | The complete value differs. |
| contains | The text includes your value; for tags, at least one tag includes it. |
| does not contain | The text excludes your value; for tags, no tag includes it. |
| starts with | The text begins with your value; for tags, at least one tag begins with it. |
| is empty | There is no value. |
| is not empty | A value is present. |
For Tags, equals compares the combined tag text rather than checking for one tag anywhere in the list. Use contains or starts with for individual-tag matching, and confirm the result in Rule Tester. Contains is a text match, so gift can also match gift-wrap.
When fulfillment-location context is unavailable, location conditions do not match, even with is empty or a negative operator. This prevents unknown destinations from accidentally routing a document.
Choose a template when you print#
Rules make the first choice, and you can still change it. In Print → Autoprinter, the template your rules picked is marked Print Rule, and the fallback is marked Default Template. Click any other template to use it for that print instead.
When you print many orders at once, Use Print Rules gives each order its own template, and Only print orders with matching rule leaves out the orders no rule matched. See Print orders in bulk.
Send documents to a specific printer#
A rule targets a Print Station, not a Label Source. Leave the station on the default to use your shop's default destination. For multiple locations, create location-specific rules and select the station at each location.
A station referenced by a rule cannot be removed until those rules are reassigned. See Print Stations & Label Sources.
Need help? Use Need help? inside the app or email support@autoprinter.app.