When a decorator prints or embroiders garments for you, they need to know which blank garments or products they'll receive and decorate, in which sizes and colors, without being asked to buy them. Hoops lets you give them exactly that on their Purchase Order.
Many orders involve two suppliers: one that sells you the blank garments, and another that decorates them. In Hoops, you buy each from the right Vendor with its own Purchase Order. The decorator's Purchase Order also lists the blank garments they'll be receiving, for reference only.
This article shows you how the Purchasing Queue separates blanks and decoration, and how to show the blank garments on the decorator's Purchase Order.
How blanks and decoration are separated
When a Job has blank products from one Vendor and decoration from another, the Purchasing Queue shows a row for each Vendor. For example, you might see:
AS Colour, with the blank garments you need to buy;
One-Stop Decoration Shop, with the screen printing you need to buy.
You create a Purchase Order from each row. The Purchase Order for the garments goes to the blanks Vendor, and the Purchase Order for the decoration goes to the decorator. See Create a Purchase Order from the Purchasing Queue for the steps.
This works because each item on a Job is assigned to a Vendor. The Vendor you assign is what places the item in the right row of the Queue.
Show the blank garments on the decorator's Purchase Order
Your decorator needs to know which garments to expect and decorate, without being asked to purchase them. Hoops can show the blank garments on the decorator's Purchase Order for reference.
Go to Purchasing and select PURCHASING QUEUE.
Select the arrow next to the decorator's Vendor row.
In the Settings panel, make sure Show Linked Products (Blank Goods) is turned on.
This setting is on by default. With it on, the decorator's Purchase Order includes the blank products, showing the Job number, size, color, and quantity for each. These lines are for reference only, so the prices are left blank, and the Purchase Order total only includes the decoration.
If you turn the setting off, the blank garments don't appear on the decorator's Purchase Order, and it lists only the decoration.
What the decorator's Purchase Order looks like
On the decorator's Purchase Order, the blank garments appear above the decoration, with quantities but no rate or total. The decoration lines show their usual prices.
In this example, the Purchase Order lists 100 tote bags with their colors and quantities, and a Subtotal of $399.00, which is just the screen printing and its setup.
When you open the Purchase Order in the editor and select a blank product, you'll see This product is supplied blank goods switched on. Hoops explains it this way: the item is included for production reference only and won't be purchased on this Purchase Order, pricing is hidden, and quantities are shown for production purposes.
Keep the two Purchase Orders in step
The blank garments and the decoration are separate Purchase Orders, so you order and receive them separately. Check that the garments will reach your decorator before the decoration is due.
To send the garments straight to the decorator, set the shipping address on the garment Purchase Order to the decorator's address. See Set the Shipping Address on a Purchase Order. To tell the decorator where the garments are coming from, or how to decorate them, add a note to their Purchase Order. See Add Notes to a Purchase Order. To send the decorator artwork, see Add Attachments to a Purchase Order.
If you're buying for several Jobs at once, choose which Jobs go on each Purchase Order first. See Choose Which Jobs and Items to Include on a Purchase Order. When both Purchase Orders are ready, see Send a Purchase Order to a Vendor.