Added WooCommerce order automation to automatically send a fax when a WooCommerce order status changes to processing. Additionally, create and store label data for remote printing to a thermal label printer.
TrueGarden.com sells indoor vertical gardening systems with modular plant containers. Each customer order includes custom-printed labels identifying the seedlings they’ve purchased.
I was hired as a subcontractor to streamline two key parts of the fulfillment process — order transmission and label generation — within an existing WooCommerce setup that handled order data for a remote warehouse.
Project Details
- Automated Order Faxing:
When an order status changes to “Processing,” the system now automatically generates and transmits a formatted fax to the warehouse team. This eliminated the need for manual printing and faxing by office staff, saving hours each week and reducing order delays. - Custom Label Printing System:
Created a new workflow to generate individual plant identification labels directly from WooCommerce order data.
The admin interface allows a single click to print all necessary labels for an order, formatted specifically for a Zebra thermal printer. Behind the scenes, the process included:- Dynamic label content generation from order items
- DOS shell script automation to trigger local print jobs
- Careful handling of template and encoding requirements unique to Zebra printers
- Fallback handling for orders missing data or custom SKUs
The end result was a fully integrated process — office staff could process orders and print labels without ever leaving the admin dashboard.
Outcome: WooCommerce Order Automation
What began as a manual, error-prone process turned into a single-click automated workflow, tightly integrated with WooCommerce. Orders now reach the warehouse faster, and every plant label prints with the correct details on the first try.
Tech Stack
- WordPress + WooCommerce
- PHP + shell script automation
- Zebra printer integration (custom templates)
- Fax API integration
- Admin UI enhancements (AJAX + jQuery)
Custom admin interface for single-click label generation and fax automation