How to Create a Packing Slip That Groups Items by Shipment Stage

An order shipping in three stages, in stock now, backordered, made to order, becomes confusing fast if the packing slip lists every item flat with no indication of what ships when. Staff guess, customers wonder, and boxes go out incomplete or early.

This guide is for merchants whose orders regularly split across shipment stages who want the packing slip itself to make the staging obvious to whoever is packing.

Quick Answer

Yes, packing slips can group items by shipment stage instead of listing them flat. Order Printer Pro supports full template customization via code, so line items can be organized under headed sections, Shipping Now, Backordered, Made to Order, each clearly labeled with its own status. Packers see instantly what belongs in today's box, and customers holding the same layout understand exactly what to expect and when.

What This Involves

A stage-grouped packing slip organizes order line items into labeled sections by their fulfillment status, so a single document communicates which items ship immediately and which are still pending, rather than presenting every item as if it ships together.

Who Needs This

• Merchants with regular backorders or made-to-order items
• Stores whose orders frequently split across multiple shipments
• Brands mixing in-stock and preorder products in one cart
• Teams whose packers currently guess what ships now
• Any store where staged fulfillment currently confuses customers

Why It Matters for Your Business

• Grouped sections stop staff packing items that are not ready
• Customers understand what is coming and when, reducing where-is-my-item tickets
• Clear staging reduces the chance of shipping partial orders too early
• One document communicates status without extra customer emails
• Packers work faster with an unambiguous today versus later split
• The same template scales to any number of shipment stages

How to Create a Packing Slip That Groups Items by Shipment Stage on Shopify

Step 1: Prepare Your Store

Start by defining the shipment stages your orders actually use.

• List the statuses that apply, in stock, backordered, made to order, dropship
• Confirm how each status is tracked in Shopify, tags, fulfillment status, or metafields
• Decide the section order that makes sense to a packer glancing at the page

Step 2: Install and Configure Order Printer Pro

Install Order Printer Pro and build the grouped template.

• Create labeled section headers for each shipment stage
• Sort line items into their section based on status data
• Use code customization or support for the grouping logic

Step 3: Create Your Logic

Make each section instantly readable at a glance.

• Style section headers distinctly so packers see the split immediately
• Include expected timing or status notes per section where known
• Keep quantities and SKUs clear within each grouped section

Step 4: Test

Test with orders spanning every stage combination.

• Print slips for orders mixing in-stock and backordered items
• Confirm sections populate correctly and empty sections do not print
• Check the layout stays readable on orders with many line items

Step 5: Go Live

Roll out and refine as fulfillment patterns evolve.

• Train packers on reading the grouped sections
• Watch for confusion or mispacks tied to staging
• Add new stages to the template as fulfillment options grow

Examples & Use Cases

Furniture Retailer
Industry: Furniture
Problem: Orders mixing in-stock accessories with made-to-order furniture confused packers into shipping incomplete boxes
Setup: Built a stage-grouped packing slip through Order Printer Pro separating shipping-now items from made-to-order lines
Result: Packers stopped shipping incomplete orders and customers understood the staged delivery upfront

Specialty Toy Store
Industry: Toys
Problem: Backordered seasonal items shipped alongside in-stock items on a flat list, creating fulfillment errors during peak demand
Setup: Added a backordered section clearly separated from the ready-to-ship section on every affected slip
Result: Fulfillment errors during the peak season dropped and staff processed staged orders confidently

Read more case studies for our apps here.

Best Practices

• Define your actual shipment stages before touching the template
• Track status in a field the template can reliably read
• Label sections clearly enough for a new hire to understand instantly
• Suppress empty sections so slips stay clean
• Include timing information where you can provide it
• Test every realistic stage combination before rollout
• Train staff on the new layout alongside the launch

Summary

Staged fulfillment works cleanly when the packing slip itself communicates what ships now versus later, sorted into clearly labeled sections. The core steps are defining your shipment stages, building the grouped template around them, and testing every stage combination before rollout.

If staged orders confuse your packing floor, Order Printer Pro can group every slip by shipment stage automatically.