> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.arcuserp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Work-Order Travelers
> Print an internal shop-floor traveler with the current pick, recovery, serial, labor, and sign-off plan.
A work-order traveler is an on-demand internal PDF that carries the current job plan to the shop floor. Use it for picking, recovery counts, serial capture, labor notes, inspection, and sign-off when a printed packet is part of your process.
The traveler can show internal product cost, labor rate, estimated labor cost, and overhead. Do not send it to customers or anyone who is not authorized to see manufacturing cost information.
## Open and print a traveler
Go to **Manufacturing > Work Orders** and open the work order. You need **manufacturing.view** permission.
Before printing, confirm:
* Work-order type, status, priority, quantity, and location.
* BOM name and revision.
* Planned start and end dates.
* Source product and source serial for disassembly or conversion.
* Required, issued, and remaining material quantities.
* BOM instructions and notes.
Then:
1. Open the work-order action menu in the header.
2. Click **Print traveler**.
3. Wait for the PDF to open in a new browser tab.
4. Review the work-order number and barcode before printing.
5. Use the browser's print or save controls for your approved internal process.
Arcus renders the traveler from the work order's saved material lines together with current work-order and selected BOM-level details. The PDF is not stored as a work-order attachment, and printing it does not release, issue, complete, or otherwise change the work order.
### Outcome
You receive an internal PDF for the current job. Inventory, work-order cost, GL, status, and Timeline remain unchanged.
## Read the traveler
| Section | What it contains | What the operator should do |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Header | Entity identity, work-order number, Code 128 barcode, work-order type, and planned date | Match the packet to the job before starting |
| Status and plan | Status, BOM and revision, planned quantity, priority, location, dates, and source order when present | Confirm the packet is current |
| Product and source | Output product, completed versus planned quantity, serialization flag, and source details for disassembly or conversion | Match physical product and source serial |
| Build plan | BOM estimated labor, BOM labor rate, overhead, and estimated cost | Treat as a plan, not booked actual labor |
| Inputs / Pick List | Checkbox, part number, description, suggested bin, required, issued, and remaining quantities | Gather and count components |
| Recovery sections | Expected Return-to-stock items, Scrap lines, and conversion Retain lines where relevant | Record actual recovery and segregate scrap |
| Output & Serial Capture | Output identity, planned quantity, and write-in serial rows for serialized output | Record one serial per physical output unit |
| Labor & Sign-off | Estimated labor, overhead, actual-hours field, operator, builder, inspector, QA, dates, and notes | Complete local sign-off controls |
| Notes & Instructions | Work-order notes and BOM text instructions | Follow the current printed instructions |
The footer uses the entity's configured contact details when available.
Attached BOM documents are not embedded in the traveler PDF. Open approved drawings, SOP files, or other attachments separately from the work-order Materials tab.
## Use the pick list correctly
The pick list includes BOM lines with **Consume** or **Add** disposition. It shows the quantity already issued and the remaining planned quantity at the time the PDF is generated.
The **Bin** value is a best-effort suggestion. Arcus derives it from an active default or stocked bin for that product at the work-order location. A `--` value means no suggested bin was found.
A printed bin is not a reservation and does not prove that the quantity is still available. Verify live stock in Arcus before issue, especially when another job can consume the same material.
After gathering material, record the real transaction on the work order. A checkmark on paper alone does not issue stock. Follow [Materials and Substitutions](/support/manufacturing/materials-and-substitutions).
## Use type-specific recovery sections
### Assembly
The traveler focuses on the input pick list, output quantity and serial capture, labor, and sign-off. It does not add a source-recovery section.
### Disassembly
The traveler adds the source product and serial when present, expected Return-to-stock recovery, Scrap lines, and actual-recovery write-in fields. Match recovered quantities to what is physically usable before recording completion.
### Conversion
The traveler adds the source, inputs and added parts, removed parts expected to return to stock, Scrap lines, and components retained in the converted unit.
The paper records floor observations. Arcus inventory changes only when a user records Return, Scrap, Issue, or Completion in the application.
## Capture serialized output
When the work order's output product is serialized, the traveler includes one write-in line per planned unit, up to 40 rows. If planned quantity exceeds 40, the PDF tells the operator to attach a serial sheet for the remaining units.
1. Write each physical output serial legibly.
2. Check for duplicates on the paper before leaving the floor.
3. Enter exactly one unique serial per completed unit in the completion modal.
4. Compare the entered serials with the paper traveler before clicking **Complete**.
The traveler itself does not create serial records. See [Partial Completions and Undo](/support/manufacturing/partial-completions-and-undo) for the system-of-record serial step.
## Complete labor and sign-off
The printed labor strip uses the BOM's estimated minutes and rate. It does not list the work order's booked timer or manual labor entries.
Use the ruled fields for your approved floor process:
* Actual hours and operator.
* Built by and date.
* Inspected by and date.
* QA pass and notes.
Then book actual labor in Arcus when the work order uses timers or manual entries. A handwritten hour does not post labor cost or GL. Follow [Track Manufacturing Labor](/support/manufacturing/labor-tracking).
## Common scenario: run a conversion with a paper packet
A conversion job replaces one component, retains another component in the unit, and expects an old part back into stock.
1. Print the traveler after the correct BOM revision, source serial, and location are on the work order.
2. Use **Inputs / Pick List** to gather the added component.
3. Match the **Source** card to the physical serialized unit.
4. Record the removed part's actual quantity in the recovery section.
5. Confirm the retained component stays in the unit and keep scrap segregated.
6. Capture operator, inspection, and QA sign-off.
7. In Arcus, record any manual material action, book labor, and complete the conversion.
8. Compare Inventory Movements and Serials with the signed packet.
The paper supports the floor workflow, while Arcus remains the inventory and accounting system of record.
## Reprint when the plan changes
The traveler reflects the data available when it is generated. Reprint it after a material issue, substitution, work-order quantity change, schedule change, or a current BOM-level instruction, labor-plan, or overhead change that matters on the floor.
BOM component and revision edits do not rewrite the material lines already saved on an existing work order. If its pick plan is wrong, stop and resolve the work order through your approved process instead of expecting a reprint to adopt the edited recipe.
Destroy or mark superseded copies according to your document-control policy. Two different printed revisions can cause the operator to pick or record the wrong material even though Arcus holds the current plan.
## Troubleshoot traveler problems
| What you see | What to check |
| ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Print traveler** is missing | Open a work-order detail and confirm **manufacturing.view** access |
| A blank tab closes with an error | Refresh the authenticated session and try again; Arcus closes the placeholder when PDF generation fails |
| The product, BOM, or work-order number is missing | Verify the work-order record; required document identity prevents the traveler from rendering |
| No bin is shown | The work-order location may be absent, or the product has no active suggested bin there |
| Pick quantities look stale | Close the PDF and print a new traveler after material transactions |
| No source section appears | Assembly travelers do not use one; for other types, check source data on the work order |
| No serial write-in rows appear | The work order's output product is not marked serialized |
| Labor on paper differs from the Labor tab | The traveler shows the BOM estimate, while the Labor tab shows booked actual entries |
## Frequently asked questions
No. Traveler generation is read-only. Record Issue, Return, Scrap, or Completion in Arcus to change inventory.
No. Treat it as an internal shop-floor document because it can contain estimated cost, labor rate, labor cost, and overhead.
Arcus did not find an active suggested bin for that product at the work-order location. Find the material through your warehouse process and verify live stock before issue.
No. Enter the serials in the completion modal. The work-order Serials tab is the system record after completion.
No. Arcus renders it on demand in the browser. Print or save it only through your authorized internal document process.
## Related guides
Create, release, start, assign, close, or cancel the work shown on the traveler.
Turn paper pick and recovery observations into inventory transactions.
Post actual hours instead of relying on handwritten fields.
Maintain the recipe revision and SOP instructions printed on the traveler.