Batching Jobs: How to Group Print Runs for Maximum Efficiency

If you’ve ever had one of those marathon print days where you’re constantly swapping screens, changing inks, and cursing your platens… you already know how much time small setup changes can eat up.

That’s where batching comes in. It’s one of those simple workflow hacks that makes a huge difference once you start doing it — less chaos, faster print times, and way fewer interruptions. Let’s break it down.

What “Batching” Actually Means

Batching is basically grouping similar jobs together so you can stay in a rhythm instead of resetting your whole setup every hour.

Instead of printing one 25-shirt white ink job, cleaning everything, and then jumping into a completely different 2-color poly blend, you group by similarities — things like:

• Same ink color (print all your white ink jobs before switching to black).
  
  

• Same garment type (all cottons, then all polys, or all fleece).
  
  

• Same print location (run all sleeve or youth prints together to avoid swapping platens 10 times a day).
  
  

Once you start thinking in batches, your whole shop flow changes. You spend less time “transitioning” and more time actually printing.

Why Batching Saves You Time (and Sanity)

It’s pretty simple math: fewer changeovers = faster output.

Here’s what batching actually improves:

• Setup time drops: You’re not re-taping, aligning, and swapping every 20 minutes.
  
  

• Ink consistency stays better: When your screens and press stay warm, ink behaves more predictably.
  
  

• Less cleanup: Reclaim screens and swap inks once per batch instead of every job.
  
  

• More profit per hour: The press is running instead of sitting idle during setup.
  
  

You’ll notice your days start to feel smoother, too — less “stop-start,” more momentum.

How to Batch Like a Pro

Here’s how to start batching without overcomplicating things:

1. Sort your print queue.
    Go through your upcoming orders and sort by ink color, garment type, and print placement.

2. Take Platens and Platen tape into account
   Is your platen tape messy? Run all the fleece jobs back to back, then change tape and run all poly jobs back to back before moving back to regular t-shirts.
   
   

3. Prep screens by batch.
   If you know you’ve got a few black ink jobs, coat and expose those screens all at once.
   
   

4. Plan your press order.
   Print from light to dark inks, or from low to high cure temps to minimize dryer adjustments.
   
   

5. Use batching bins or racks.
   Keep everything for a batch together — screens, ink, garments, and job sheets. Label them.
   
   

6. Block time on your schedule.
   Dedicate, say, 9–11 AM for “white ink jobs,” or an afternoon for “sleeve/youth prints.”
   
   

7. Group small or odd jobs.
   Combine low-quantity prints that share the same setup. If you’re already running black ink on 50 hoodies, knock out that 12-shirt reprint while you’re at it.
   
   

Don’t Forget the Sleeves & Youth Jobs

This one’s easy to overlook, but batching all your sleeve prints or youth shirts together can be a total time-saver.

Every time you swap to a smaller platen, you’re pausing production, realigning, and test-printing again. Instead, knock them all out in one session.

Once that platen’s on, stay there until every sleeve and youth job is done — then switch back and keep rolling.

Pro Move: Create “Batch Profiles”

Once you’ve done batching for a while, you’ll start noticing patterns. That’s where you can create what I call batch profiles — like “Single-Color Cotton Tees” or “2-Color Poly Blends.”

 You’ll know exactly how long each one takes, what settings work best, and even how much to quote next time. It’s basically your own internal playbook.

Wrap-Up

Batching might not sound flashy, but it’s one of those habits that quietly transforms your workflow. You’ll get more done with less stress, and your print days will feel way smoother.

Start small — maybe just group all your white ink jobs or sleeve prints this week — and see how much faster you fly through production.