Overview

MANUAL is an advanced Virtual Product Creation option that is typically used to configure personalisation options with complex formatting requirements. It allows you to select one or multiple Blank Products, and to manually upload artwork or configure specific text options against them in a 1-by-1 sequence.

What do I need?

1. Access to a Blank Product in Catalog
   
2. Artwork image file/s
   

Important Note: The Artwork files that you upload will be applied to the selected Blank Products Print Area and automatically scaled to best fit. For specific positioning / scaling, it is advised that uploaded images are sized to match the Print Size defined against the Fulfillers Blank Product - this approach ensures the Artwork fits the Product perfectly and that there is no loss in image quality from up-scaling images to fit larger products. You can get exact mm Print Area sizes from the Blank products via the Product Manager. 

Artwork Formatting Guidelines

Accepted Format: JPG, PNG

File Size: Up to 100mb

File Resolution: 300dpi (lower resolutions are accepted)

Colour Mode: RGB

Recommended Image Size: Sized according to Fulfillers Blank Product Print Size

> Access to a Blank Product in Catalog

> A piece of Artwork

How does it work?

Access Product Manager and click the '+New Product' button:

From the 'Create Product' menu select Virtual > Manual creation process:

Now, lets take a look at the 3 steps in using the MANUAL creation process:

Step 1: Select Blanks

The 'Select Blanks' step shows a pre-filtered list of any Blank Products that your user account has access to. One or more Blank Products must be selected before you can continue to the next step.

Search and filter options allow specific Blank Products to be located.

• Select Blank Products using the tick box next to each product listing. 

Please note that you can select all available blanks by clicking the "Select All" tick box.

1. Click 'Create Virtual Products' to proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Select Category

The 'Select Category' window will appear. Search to locate and confirm the category that you wish for the new Virtual Products to be created within.

Step 3: Manual Configuration

A multi-edit sequence will be opened. By default this shows the configuration settings for the first Virtual Product created - the other Virtual Products can be accessed using the 'Previous' and 'Next' buttons to cycle through them in sequence.

To upload an Artwork file against the open product manually:

1. Access the Print menu and click to edit a configured Print Area.
   
2. Expand the 'Artwork' roll-out menu
   
3. Click +Artwork to add a new artwork slot (JPG/PNG)
   
4. Click 'Add an Image' to upload your file

Note: It is recommended that any uploaded artwork files are correctly sized according to the Print Area dimensions (in mm). Any uploaded artwork images that are not correctly sized will be automatically re-scaled to 'cover' the available Print Area by default. This behaviour can be changed to best fit by switching the 'Fit Mode' setting to 'Contain'. 

This process can be repeated to manually add Artwork to other Print Areas, eg the Back of a garment if available on the selected Blank.

To add Text Personalisation:

1. Access the Functionality menu and click on the 'Text' tab
   
2. Click + Text Area
1. Give the new Text Area a relevant Name
   
2. Allocate it to the desired Print Area (this will trigger the interactive preview to display)
   
3. Interactively position the text field according to your artwork
   
4. Click Save

At this stage, the Text Area has generic default settings. It can be formatted to conform to specific design requirements. The following options are most commonly used by Brands / Designers when creating personalised products:

1. USER CONTROLS
   
1. Allow Move / Rotate / Resize = All disabled
   
1. This makes the text static so that it cannot be repositioned by the customer when personalising

1. BEHAVIOUR
   
1. Placeholder Text = Input your own placeholder
   
1. The text you input here appears as the default personalisation until the user adds their own.

1. FORMATTING
   
1. Default Font = Select which font is used for the text area
   
2. Default Size = Define how big the text should be
   
3. Fill = Set the text colour (via hex or colour picker)

1. VALIDATION
   
1. Max Characters = Control the maximum number of characters that the customer can add

Step 4: Print Test

• Click the 'Print Test' button to load the product in a test environment where you can see your Virtual Product and review your Functionality.
  
• Click Generate Artwork to create print files in multiple formats
  
• This allows you to see how the platform will generate artwork files using your uploaded image file and the text personalisation together. These files are examples of what is sent to the fulfiller for printing purposes.
  

It is recommended that each product should be print tested to assess the product + artwork preview along with the configured text functionality

>> HERE we can see another example of a personalised virtual product <<

FAQs

Can I replace the artwork file at a later date?

Yes, simply navigate to the Print > Edit the Print Area > Open the Artwork sub menu and replace the artwork file.

Can I change how the artwork gets applied to avoid cropping?

The best way to cater for this is make sure your designs 'fit' the products that they are to be applied to, as a means to avoid cropping. The other option is, you can change the 'FIT MODE' to determine how the artwork is being applied. This is accessible via Print Specification > Edit the Print Area > Open the Artwork sub menu > Fit Mode.

Cover is the default - this scales the image up to populate the full print

Contain - this makes the image as large as possible, but stops before any cropping can take place

Can I add more Text Areas?

Yes, there is no limit on Number of Text Areas that you can add - but consideration should be made to the end user. Too many options can affect conversion rates.

I want to offer multiple lines of text - is it possible?

Yes, in the 'Option' roll-out menu, simply enable the 'Multi-Line' toggle. You can then set a maximum number of lines under 'Validation'.