Batch Shipping Labels: Processing High-Volume Orders Efficiently

Batch Shipping Overview

When processing hundreds or thousands of orders daily, batch shipping workflows become essential. This guide covers strategies for efficient high-volume label generation.

Volume Tiers and Strategies

Order Import Methods

CSV Import

Best for manual batch processing:

order_id,name,street,city,state,zip,weight,length,width,height
ORD001,John Smith,123 Main St,New York,NY,10001,2.5,10,8,4
ORD002,Jane Doe,456 Oak Ave,Los Angeles,CA,90001,1.8,8,6,3

API Batch Import

// Batch create shipments
const batchCreate = async (orders) => {
  const response = await fetch('/api/shipments/batch', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({ shipments: orders })
  });
  return response.json();
};

Platform Sync

Pre-Processing Workflow

Address Validation at Scale

const validateBatch = async (orders) => {
  const validated = [];
  const failed = [];
  // Process in parallel chunks
  const chunks = chunkArray(orders, 50);
  for (const chunk of chunks) {
    const results = await Promise.all(
      chunk.map(order => validateAddress(order.address))
    );
    results.forEach((result, index) => {
      if (result.valid) {
        validated.push({
          ...chunk[index],
          address: result.corrected
        });
      } else {
        failed.push({
          order: chunk[index],
          errors: result.errors
        });
      }
    });
  }
  return { validated, failed };
};

Validation Statistics

Rate Shopping Optimization

Batch Rate Request

const batchGetRates = async (shipments) => {
  // Group by similar characteristics
  const groups = groupShipments(shipments);
  const results = [];
  for (const group of groups) {
    // Get rates for one representative shipment
    const rates = await getRates(group.representative);
    // Apply to all in group
    group.shipments.forEach(shipment => {
      results.push({
        ...shipment,
        rates: adjustRatesForShipment(rates, shipment)
      });
    });
  }
  return results;
};

Carrier Selection Rules

Batch Label Generation

Queue-Based Processing

// Label generation worker
const labelWorker = new Worker('label-queue', async (job) => {
  const { shipments } = job.data;
  const labels = [];
  for (const shipment of shipments) {
    try {
      const label = await createLabel(shipment);
      labels.push(label);
      // Update progress
      await job.updateProgress((labels.length / shipments.length) * 100);
    } catch (error) {
      await handleLabelError(shipment, error);
    }
  }
  return labels;
});

Concurrent Processing Limits

Label Output Formats

PDF Generation

Batch PDF Merge

const mergePDFs = async (labels) => {
  const mergedPdf = await PDFDocument.create();
  for (const label of labels) {
    const labelPdf = await PDFDocument.load(label.pdf_base64);
    const pages = await mergedPdf.copyPages(labelPdf, [0]);
    pages.forEach(page => mergedPdf.addPage(page));
  }
  return await mergedPdf.save();
};

Printer Optimization

Thermal Printer Settings

Print Queue Management

// Batch print function
const batchPrint = async (labels, printerId) => {
  // Sort for efficient picking
  const sorted = sortByLocation(labels);
  // Generate merged PDF
  const mergedPdf = await mergePDFs(sorted);
  // Send to printer
  await printService.print({
    printerId,
    document: mergedPdf,
    copies: 1,
    mediaSize: '4x6'
  });
  return {
    printed: labels.length,
    printJobId: result.jobId
  };
};

Print Station Setup

Error Handling for Batch

Error Categories

Batch Report Generation

const generateBatchReport = (results) => {
  return {
    summary: {
      total: results.total,
      successful: results.successful.length,
      failed: results.failed.length,
      successRate: (results.successful.length / results.total * 100).toFixed(2)
    },
    costs: {
      total: results.successful.reduce((sum, r) => sum + r.rate, 0),
      average: results.successful.reduce((sum, r) => sum + r.rate, 0) / results.successful.length
    },
    carriers: groupBy(results.successful, 'carrier'),
    errors: groupBy(results.failed, 'error_type'),
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
  };
};

Scheduling and Automation

Batch Schedule Strategy

Automated Triggers

// Order count trigger
const checkOrderThreshold = async () => {
  const pendingCount = await getPendingOrderCount();
  if (pendingCount >= BATCH_THRESHOLD) {
    await processBatch();
  }
};
// Run every 15 minutes
cron.schedule('/15    *', checkOrderThreshold);
// Also trigger at set times
cron.schedule('0 9,13,16   *', processBatch);

Performance Metrics

Atoship Batch Features

Start Processing Labels at Scale

Create your Atoship account for high-volume batch shipping capabilities.