The Advanced Print Files Builder allows you to create custom advanced print-ready files, like the nested and stacked ones, or simply enhance single print-ready files with dynamic or fixed data like texts, codes, PDFs or placeholders for your customizable products.
Please note
This feature is available ONLY for Grow and Scale plans.
Advanced Print Files builder IS NOT compatible with Resizable products.
Summary
1. Intro
The Advanced Print Files Builder is a powerful tool that offers new possibilities in print file generation. While Zakeke generates single print-ready files for each product area with artwork only, our tool allows you to create highly customized documents to further automate your printing process.
The Advanced Print Files Builder is a versatile tool that brings a new level of customization to your print file generation process. Whether you aim to create nested print files or simply enhance existing ones with dynamic or fixed data, this tool is your go-to solution.
2. Managing the tool
In order to create an advanced static or dynamic print file you need to:
- Go inside Tools
- Select Advanced Print Files Builder
- Clic on Add to create a new custom advanced print-file
3. Creating an Advanced Print File
Once inside the builder, you have the opportunity to create it following your specific needs.
3.1 Size and Settings
First of all, define the size and settings of the print file you're creating. Select the option on the bottom menu and give a name to the file, decide the unit of measure (m, cm, mm, in), width, height and DPI.
You can also decide whether the file you're creating is a Stacked print file or not. Toggle the box if its a Stacked file.
Enabling "Stacked Print File" means that an advanced single print-ready file will be generated for all designs in your order, while enabling "Not Stacked Print File" means separate advanced print-ready files will be generated for each design in your order.
Click on Confirm to save the settings.
3.2 Adding print areas
On the left side, you will find a comprehensive list of all the print areas available for that product, including variants. From this list, you have the option to select one or multiple print areas, allowing you to create nested files for a single variant or multiple variants (stacked file). This feature grants you the flexibility to optimize layouts and efficiently design cohesive files tailored to your specific printing needs.
3.3 Placeholders
You have also the option to add different placeholders inside the file to better understand and pass along dynamic information like the product name, the variant name, the seller name, details regarding the order (number, date, quantity), the product SKU, the design ID of the customization and if the order made was a bulk order or not. You can change the position of the placeholders, resize them and later on delete them if you want.
3.4 Text
Another customizable part of the file is the text. You can decide to add a custom text, anywhere inside the file with a specific color, useful for your processes.
3.5 QR / Barcode
A QR / Barcode is another option you can add to the file. Show the placeholders directly inside it and confirm the options by clicking ok. Easy, right?
Then you can move it around, resize it, rotate it, or delete it.
3.6 Upload PDF
The final option available is the "Upload PDF". It's possible to upload a PDF, which size must be the same as the document size, for all the variants desired, meaning you can upload a document to one or multiple variants for each custom advanced print file you might need.
4. Examples
Let's make some examples to understand the power of the Advanced Print Files Builder.
Nested File
The first example is related to a nested print-ready file, let's say for a customized sports jersey, with multiple sides and variants available.
In Zakeke you can create an advanced nested file containing all the different print areas and variants that are customizable and place them inside the builder by the selected order you need for production.
The print areas for the front and back of the shirt, the collar, the sleeves can be positioned in the order as shown below, creating a pattern compatible with your printing process.
This image show an example of the final output file printed on a machine, ready to be sewed and shipped.
Single file with Placeholders
Another example is related to a single file with placeholders.
In the builder you can select one side and one variant of your customizable product, add the dynamic fields called placeholders, position them in the exact order you might need while getting the right print-ready files.
In this case the advanced file contains different placeholders plus the front and back customizable areas of the Black product variant.
5. Output file
Within the Advanced print files builder you choose product variants and sides customers are able to customize. This means that, inside the final print file you get all the variants configured in the file builder purchased by your customers. You will find all advanced print files inside your Orders dashboard, in order's details, like in the image below.
Let's make an example:
You sell a t-shirt that has S, M, L, and XL variants. So, you create an advanced print file with all these sizes, all inside the same advanced file.
A customer of yours purchases an S, an M, and an L variant, so you get, in the order summary, only 1 advanced file with all these sizes inside. In detail, in the PDF file, you will find 2 layers for each variant, one for the design created by your customer and one for variable elements like QR code, variant_name, etc you have included in your advanced file.
Please note
You can now customize the name of your Advanced file with these placeholders:
- orderCode
- productCode
- designId
- orderDate
- qty
- designDocId
- productSku
- variantName
- modelId
- advancedPrintReadyFileName (placementOutputID)
- advancedPrintReadyFileId (placementOutputName)
A single file will be created for each design, and each design will contain its own modifications layers.
If your file is NOT STACKED, the Advanced file name will have the designId as a placeholder.
If your file is STACKED, the Advanced file name won't have the designId as a placeholder.
Discover more details here in this video below: