FAQ

Getting Started & Configuration

Q: Why do I need to save my product before I can use the Drop Print panel?

That’s a great question, and it’s down to how WooCommerce works. The Drop Print panel needs to attach your artwork file, print sizes, and prices to a specific product in your database. WooCommerce only assigns a permanent ID to a product after it has been saved for the first time (even as a draft). By saving first, you give our plugin a stable “hook” to hang all your print data on, ensuring everything stays connected correctly.

Q: There are a few of us who manage our store. If I set a default price margin, will it affect my colleague’s settings?

No, it won’t. The settings on the Drop Print > Settings page are unique to each logged-in WordPress user. This means your default price margin, default media choice, and other preferences are your own and won’t interfere with your colleagues’. This allows each of you to have a customised workflow.

However, please note that for critical automated tasks like Auto-Production, the system uses the settings of a single, designated “Responsible User” (usually the first administrator account) to ensure consistency.

Q: If I upgrade to Pro or change my payment card on the main Drop Print website, how quickly does the plugin know?

The update should be almost instant, but you can force the plugin to check immediately. To sync the latest information from your account, just navigate to the Drop Print > Settings page in your WordPress admin dashboard and click the “Reload Account Info” button. This will fetch your latest Pro status, payment methods, and any new pricelists.

Q: What happens to the ‘Drop Print’ tab in the product editor if my account gets disconnected?

If your account is disconnected from our service, the “Drop Print” tab and its entire panel will be hidden from the product editor. This is to prevent you from trying to create or manage products that can’t be fulfilled. Once you reconnect your account on the main Drop Print settings page, the tab and all its functionality will reappear.

Q: Can I change the ‘Print Dimensions’ attribute name?

We don’t recommend it. The plugin automatically creates and uses a global product attribute named “Print Dimensions” (with the slug pa_print_dimensions) to manage the different print sizes. Changing this name in the WooCommerce Attributes section could cause the plugin to lose track of the variations, potentially breaking the link between your product and our fulfilment system.

Creating & Managing Print Products

Q: Why does the plugin require my product to be a ‘Variable Product’?

The plugin uses WooCommerce’s standard, robust system for handling product options. A ‘Variable Product’ is the correct type for any item that comes in different versions, like sizes or colours. We use this feature to let your customers choose from the different print sizes you’ve decided to offer for a single piece of artwork.

Q: Can I manage my print sizes and prices from the normal WooCommerce ‘Variations’ tab?

While it is technically possible and the plugin does its best to sync the data, we strongly recommend managing all your print options—especially prices and sizes—exclusively within the Drop Print panel. If you manually delete a variation from the WooCommerce tab, it may reappear when the Drop Print panel next updates, and any manual changes you make there could be lost. Using the Drop Print panel ensures all data stays perfectly in sync with our system.

Q: I sell the same artwork on different papers. Do I have to upload the file every time?

Yes, and this is a key part of our fine art philosophy. We are not a bulk merchandise dropshipper; we are a service for professional fine art reproductions. Different papers have different textures, white points, and colour profiles. For the best possible result, you should be proofing and optimising your artwork file for each specific media type you intend to sell on. This is standard best practice in professional giclée printing, ensuring what your customer receives is a true representation of your vision. We wrote a blog post covering this in more detail, see: Mastering Your Giclée Prints: Why You Should Create a Unique File for Every Paper Type

Q: I duplicated a product. Does this create another copy of my large artwork file?

No, it does not. To save you server space, the plugin is efficient. When you duplicate a Drop Print product, the new product simply creates a reference to the original secure artwork file. The file itself is only removed from your server if the very last product using it is deleted.

Q: What is the ‘Quality Score’ and why are some print sizes disabled?

The Quality Score is your guide to how well your uploaded image will physically print at a specific size. Our system analyses your image’s resolution (DPI) and aspect ratio to predict the final print quality. Sizes with a ‘Poor’ score are disabled to protect your reputation and prevent you from accidentally selling a blurry or pixelated print that doesn’t do your artwork justice.

Q: I understand why a low DPI is bad, but why is there a slight penalty for an extremely high DPI?

You should always aim to create your artwork with a destination print size in mind. The ideal resolution for giclée printing is around 300 DPI. While a higher DPI isn’t necessarily “bad,” an extremely high DPI (e.g., 600+) on a small print means the image contains an immense amount of detail that will be physically lost or imperceptible when printed at that size. Our scoring system gently guides you towards the optimal 300 DPI sweet spot for the best real-world results.

Q: I tried to reset a product, but nothing happened. Is it broken?

Not at all! Resetting is a safe, two-step process. Clicking the “Reset” button in our panel only stages the changes. To prevent accidental data loss, you must then click the main WooCommerce “Update” or “Publish” button. This final save action is what tells the plugin to go ahead and permanently remove the variations and data.

Artwork Files & Security

Q: What is an .afp file and how is my artwork protected?

Protecting your intellectual property is our top priority. When you upload your art, the plugin encrypts it and saves it inside a secure .afp (Alden Fine Print) file container. This military-grade encryption is a unique feature of Drop Print, ensuring your original high-resolution file is safe on your server and throughout our production process. No one can access the original file. We wrote a blog article that covers this, if you are interested see: Uncompromising Security for Your Priceless Print Files

Q: My artwork uploads always fail. What should I check?

This is almost always due to server settings that are too restrictive for large, high-resolution files. First, contact your web hosting provider and ask them to increase the following PHP settings for your site: upload_max_filesize, post_max_size, and max_execution_time. We recommend values of at least 100MB and 300 seconds, respectively. Second, ensure the folder /wp-content/uploads/drop-print/ exists and is writable by the server. If your host confirms these settings are correct and the issue persists, please contact Drop Print support.

Q: I see a notice that my artwork cannot be encrypted. What do I do?

This warning means your web server is missing the required OpenSSL PHP extension. This is a standard and secure part of modern web servers, but is sometimes not enabled by default. You will need to contact your web host and ask them to enable the “openssl” extension for your PHP version (7.4 or higher). If this issue persists after they’ve confirmed it’s active, please contact our support.

Q: My packing slip looks blurry. What’s the recommended format?

For the best results, we recommend uploading your packing slip as an A4-sized PNG file at 72 DPI. Remember, all packing slips are printed with black ink on 80gsm plain paper.

Orders, Shipping & Fulfilment

Q: The shipping price in the ‘Quote & Pay’ modal was different from the estimate. Why?

We understand this can be confusing, and we apologise if the estimate was misleading. The shipping prices shown in the product editor are estimates only, as the final cost depends entirely on your customer’s destination country, which is unknown when you’re creating the product.

To price your products accurately, we strongly recommend visiting the Live Quote Page in your Drop Print account dashboard. There, you can select a product and a destination country to see the precise, real-time shipping rates. This will help you build a profitable and sustainable pricing strategy.

Q: Which address does Drop Print use for the shipping cost? The billing or shipping address?

We will always use the shipping address to calculate the shipping quote and for the final delivery. In the rare case that a shipping address is missing or incomplete, the system will fall back to using the billing address to attempt to fulfil the order.

Q: Does the plugin support shipment tracking?

Yes. When an order is shipped, the tracking number and carrier information are automatically sent to your WooCommerce store. This is added as a private order note, and it’s also designed to integrate seamlessly with the official WooCommerce Shipment Tracking plugin, populating its fields automatically if you have it installed.

Q: I’m a Pro user, but my default shipping method was changed on an order. Why?

This is an intelligent fallback feature to prevent orders from failing. If your default shipping method (e.g., ‘Express’) is not available for a specific customer’s destination, our system will automatically attempt to use the next best available method (e.g., ‘Standard’). When this happens, you are only charged for the shipping method that was actually used, and a note is automatically added to the WooCommerce order explaining the change.

Q: An ‘Auto-Production’ order failed. Where can I find out why?

The best place to look is the “Order notes” panel on the individual WooCommerce order edit page. Our plugin logs detailed, human-readable notes there for each step of the auto-production attempt. This will give you specific error messages, such as “Payment Failed on Server” or “Quote Calculation Failed,” which will help you diagnose the problem.

Q: What happens if I uninstall the plugin? Will I lose my work?

For your safety, uninstalling the plugin does not delete your products, variations, or uploaded artwork files. It only removes plugin settings and scheduled tasks. Your product data will remain untouched.