Hello everyone, as the days lengthen and the warmth of the early summer settles in here in the Scottish Highlands, I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to each and every one of you who participated in the public beta launch of the Drop Print Plugin for WooCommerce. Your willingness to test, explore, and provide invaluable feedback on this new tool for artists and galleries has been truly inspiring and has played a crucial role in shaping its development.
For those who are just hearing about it, the Drop Print Plugin for WooCommerce is designed to empower shop owners to effortlessly sell high-quality giclée prints worldwide. By seamlessly integrating our dedicated global network of fine art printers into your WordPress WooCommerce store, we aim to take the complexity out of offering professional prints. Imagine being able to offer your artwork in a range of sizes to customers across the globe, knowing that each print will be produced to museum-grade standards by our vetted print labs. The plugin handles the automated production, ensuring consistent quality no matter where the order originates. And the best part? The plugin itself is completely free to download!
During this beta phase, we’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and insightful comments we’ve received. Your experiences, both positive and constructive, have been instrumental in identifying areas for refinement and improvement. From navigating the initial setup to configuring product variations and understanding the print-ready file validation, your real-world usage has provided us with crucial data that simply couldn’t be replicated in a closed testing environment.
I must also extend a sincere apology if I haven’t been able to respond to each of you individually. The volume of feedback has been considerable, and while I’ve been diligently reading and cataloging every comment and suggestion, providing personalized replies to everyone has unfortunately proven to be a logistical challenge. Please know that your input has been carefully considered and is actively informing our next steps.
Speaking of next steps, we have identified a small but important adjustment that needs to be implemented regarding the plugin’s price list mechanism. To ensure the continued smooth operation and accuracy of your pricing, it is absolutely vital that all beta testers manually update to the newest version of the Drop Print Plugin.
You should have already received a detailed email outlining the specific steps required for this update. Please take a few moments to locate this email and follow the instructions carefully. This manual update is necessary to ensure your plugin is running on the most current and accurate pricing structure.
I understand that manual updates can be a slight inconvenience, and I sincerely apologise for this extra step. This is a temporary measure as we prepare the plugin for submission to the official WordPress repository. Once the plugin is accepted and available there, the update process will become seamless and automated, ensuring you always have the latest features and fixes without any manual intervention. This is a significant milestone we are working towards, and your patience during this interim period is greatly appreciated.
To reiterate the core purpose of the Drop Print Plugin for WooCommerce, our aim is to provide you with a turnkey solution for offering high-quality giclée prints to your customers worldwide. Here’s a quick recap of what the plugin enables:
- Effortless Authentication & Setup: Easily sign up or log in to our printing service directly through the plugin. Upon setup, the plugin automatically fetches the latest available print sizes (tailored to our global lab capabilities), our wholesale pricing tiers, and essential technical requirements to ensure optimal print quality.
- Simplified Product Configuration: Say goodbye to tedious manual setup! The plugin adds a dedicated “Drop Print” tab to your WooCommerce product edit screen, allowing you to select from our standardized global print sizes. The plugin then intelligently auto-generates the necessary product variations for each size, saving you valuable time and effort.
- Robust Print-Ready File Validation: We understand the importance of quality. The plugin includes a built-in validation system that checks the artwork files you upload for potential issues like insufficient resolution or incorrect dimensions. If any adjustments are needed, the plugin will alert you, preventing the production of suboptimal prints.
- Flexible Pricing & Streamlined Order Management: Once the size variations are created, you retain complete control over your retail pricing through WooCommerce’s familiar interface. When an order is placed, it is automatically routed via our API to the nearest (or your preferred) print lab within our global network for efficient fulfillment.
The benefits for your WooCommerce store are significant:
- Turnkey Giclée Printing: Forget about the complexities of managing printers, sourcing paper stocks, or handling shipping logistics. We take care of it all.
- Global Reach: Tap into our worldwide network of print labs to fulfill orders locally, resulting in faster and often more cost-effective shipping for your international customers.
- Quality Assurance: Our automated file checks and curated print labs ensure consistent, museum-grade print quality every time.
- Time Savings: Auto-generated product variations and centralized pricing management significantly reduce setup time and administrative overhead.
The Drop Print Plugin stands out from generic print-on-demand solutions because it is specifically designed for fine art reproduction. We focus on:
- Curated Print Labs: We partner with carefully vetted labs that guarantee museum-grade results, paying close attention to color accuracy and detail.
- Standardized Sizes & Pricing: Our global network operates with standardized sizes and pricing, ensuring consistency for both you and your customers, regardless of where the print is produced.
- Artist & Designer Focus: We understand the unique needs of artists and designers, prioritizing color accuracy, offering premium paper options (with more to come!), and striving for the highest quality in every print.
Thank you once again for being a part of the Drop Print beta journey. Your feedback is invaluable as we move closer to a wider release. Please ensure you update your plugin as soon as possible by following the instructions in the email you received.
We are incredibly excited about the potential of Drop Print to empower artists and galleries worldwide, and we appreciate your continued support in making this vision a reality. Stay tuned for more updates as we progress towards our official WordPress repository launch!
Best regards,
Callum
Developer, Drop Print
P.S. Should you have any queries or encounter any issues during the beta testing process, please do not hesitate to contact me via the dedicated beta support website: https://drop-print.com/my-account/support-tickets/ . I am here to provide assistance.