Printing Methods

Zakeke Support

Updated May 29, 2026 08:37

Summary

Overview
Creating and managing Printing Method

1. Overview

Printing Methods are a fundamental feature of Zakeke that define how a customizable product behaves during personalization and how it is prepared for printing. They control which tools are available to customers, how those tools function, and how print-ready files are generated.

In other words, while the product setup defines what the product is — its base, sides, and variants — the Printing Method determines how the product can be customized. It shapes the customer experience, deciding which design tools are active, which functions are allowed, and how the final output is prepared for production.

When you create a new product in Zakeke, a default printing method is automatically assigned. This ensures that:

Print-ready files are generated at 300 DPI in multiple formats (SVG, PDF, PNG, DXF).
All base customization tools are activated for the product.

If you want more control, you can create a custom Printing Method. This allows you to enable or disable specific design tools, or adjust specific functions within a tool. In addition, you can modify the print resolution and file formats to suit your production needs.

The same Printing Method can also be applied to multiple products for scalability, or even to a single variant or a single side of a product, giving you maximum flexibility in managing your catalog.

Tip: We recommend exploring Printing Methods in detail, as some advanced features are disabled by default. For example, text stroke and shadow effects or repeated patterns can be enabled to create richer and more engaging customization experiences for your customers.

2. Creating and managing Printing Method

Creating a Printing Method in Zakeke is simple and gives you full control over how your products can be personalized and prepared for print. To create a new method, go to your Zakeke dashboard and open the Printing Methods section from the menu on the left. Click “Add” to start creating a method, where you can configure all the key settings.

Here, you can decide which design tools are available to customers and adjust their specific functions. For example, you can disable the text tool entirely or just curved text, or restrict file uploads to certain formats such as vector files (SVG, AI) while excluding raster formats (JPEG, PNG). You can also set the print resolution (DPI) and select the file formats to generate (SVG, PDF, PNG, DXF), as well as enable advanced features like text stroke, shadow effects, or repeated patterns to enhance the personalization experience.

Warning

For POD (Print On Demand) products, it is not possible to assign a printing method because a default one is already assigned and cannot be changed.

POD products are printed automatically by the provider, and some printing method settings—such as print quality or certain personalization tools like engraving—may interfere with this process.

Once created, a Printing Method can be applied to multiple products, a single variant, or even a single side of a product, giving you maximum flexibility and scalability.

Managing existing methods is equally straightforward: you can edit a method at any time to adjust tools or print settings, duplicate it to create a similar setup for another product, or delete methods that are no longer needed.

Below are the key settings you can configure for each Printing Method:

◆ Print-Ready Files

In the Print-Ready Files section, you define how the system generates files for production. You can set the resolution (DPI) and choose which standard file formats to generate, such as SVG, PDF, PNG, and DXF.

Zakeke also allows you to activate special outputs depending on the production needs, for example files optimized for certain printing technologies or layered files for complex designs. Configuring these outputs ensures that each product is ready for high-quality printing and reduces the risk of errors in production.

For more details, see the Printing Methods Knowledge Base .

◆ Colors

At the beginning of the Settings section, you can activate the color restrictions switch to define how colors are managed during personalization. When enabled, you can restrict the number of colors a customer can use in their design, helping to ensure consistency and avoid production issues. You can also provide a predefined color palette.

Note

If you do not want to set general color restrictions but only for specific tools, such as text, you can bypass this section. Use it only if you want the restrictions on the number of colors and/or palette to apply to the entire design rather than just individual elements like text 1, text 2, images, or clipart. This is particularly important for techniques like screen printing, embroidery, or any printing process that uses single-color designs. Applying the restriction to the total design ensures that the combined use of colors across all elements does not exceed production limits and guarantees a consistent final product.

◆ Text

The Text tool allows customers to add text to products. Within a Printing Method, you can enable or disable the text tool and restrict its functionality.

Zakeke offers a set of preloaded fonts, but you can also upload your own fonts. In the Printing Method, you can limit which fonts are available, so that only selected fonts can be used for the products associated with that Printing Method.

◆ Images & Uploads

This section allows you to manage the key tools for working with images and files used in customization, alongside text:

Image and clipart gallery
File upload tool

Images and Clipart Gallery

You can control whether the Images and Clipart Gallery tool is available to customers for the products associated with that printing method.

You can also configure two key options:

Autofit the image to the print area to automatically scale uploaded graphics.
Prevent users from resizing images, ensuring they remain at the size set by you in the gallery.

The gallery itself — including categories, sub-categories, image uploads, pricing, and other settings — is managed separately in its dedicated section.

For more details, see the Images and Clipart Gallery Knowledge Base .

Uploads

The Upload tool allows customers to add their own files to the product. Within a Printing Method, you can configure several options:

Decide which file formats are accepted.
Enable Autofit to automatically scale uploaded content to the design area.
Support Large Formats: a special feature to allow your customers to upload files larger than 50MB and you receive print-ready files for large-format products (wall-coverings, banners, large posters, ...).
Activate Image Stretch and Filters & Transformations to allow more flexible editing of uploaded images.
Set a max number of images allowed.

These settings ensure that customer uploads are compatible with your production process and that they can easily adjust their designs within the limits you define.

◆ Repeated Patterns

The Repeated Patterns option allows customers to apply a graphic (an image, clipart, or upload) as a pattern that automatically repeats to fill the entire print area. This is particularly useful for products where full-area decorations are common, such as textiles, wallpapers, or packaging.

◆ Effects

you can activate special effects that simulate specific production techniques. The available options are:

Engraving
Print on wood in full colors
Pixelation

Tip: If you work with laser engraving, the engraving option is the one you need to know in depth. It is not just a simple setting: enabling it changes the entire behavior of Zakeke — from how customers personalize and preview the product (with a live engraving simulation in the customizer) to how the output files are generated and optimized for engraving. Learn more in the Engraving guide.