Drop Print WordPress Plugin
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This FAQ addresses common questions and issues you might encounter while using the Drop Print plugin for WooCommerce. You can visit our Support page to raise a ticket should you not find a solution here. Many of the answers here are based on the BETA version of our plugin and are subject to change.
Installation & Setup
Q: Why was the Drop Print plugin automatically deactivated after I tried to activate it?
A: The Drop Print plugin requires WooCommerce to be installed and activated first. Please ensure WooCommerce is active on your site and try activating Drop Print again. You might see a notice explaining this requirement.
Q: I activated the plugin, but the settings page says I need to connect. How do I connect my account?
A: Go to the “Drop Print” menu in your WordPress admin sidebar. You will see a prompt to “Connect Account”. Clicking this button will take you to the secure Drop Print website to log in or register. Once authenticated, you’ll be redirected back to your WordPress admin, and the connection details (like your Client ID) will be saved automatically.
Q: My connection attempt failed with an “Invalid or expired connection token” error. What should I do?
A: The connection token is time-sensitive for security. This usually means the connection process took too long, or you navigated away and tried to come back. Please go back to the Drop Print settings page in your WordPress admin and click the “Connect Account” button again to generate a fresh link.
Q: The settings page is mostly disabled. Why can’t I access the main features?
A: Full plugin functionality, including the product panel, requires a successful connection to your Drop Print account. If you haven’t connected yet, please use the “Connect Account” button. If you were previously connected, check the connection status shown at the top of the settings page. You might need to reconnect or check the server status. Some of the disabled items are due to this being version 1.1 of the plugin. Future updates are around the corner. Check out our development blog.
Q: What does the “Server Status” on the settings page mean?
A: This indicates whether your website can successfully reach the main Drop Print API server. If it shows “Offline”, there might be a temporary issue with the Drop Print service or a network problem preventing your server from reaching it. Pricelist updates and potentially other functions might fail until the connection is restored.
Using the Drop Print Panel (Product Edit Screen)
Q: Why is the Drop Print panel blocked when I create a new product? It says “Save Product First”.
A: To associate uploaded files and print variations correctly, Drop Print needs the product to exist in the WordPress database first. Please enter a title for your product and click “Save Draft” or “Publish”. The Drop Print panel will then become active. You can use the “Save Now” button directly within the blocked panel overlay for convenience.
Q: I see a message “Variable Product Required”. Do I have to use variable products?
A: Yes, Drop Print uses WooCommerce variations to represent the different print sizes and options available for your artwork. When you enable Drop Print for a product (using the checkbox above the product data tabs) and save it, the plugin will automatically set the product type to “Variable” if it isn’t already.
Q: Why can’t I click the “Attributes” or “Variations” tabs after selecting print products? It shows a “Save Required” overlay.
A: When you select print products or change prices in the Drop Print panel, these selections need to be saved as actual WooCommerce variations and attributes. To prevent conflicts, the plugin temporarily intercepts clicks on the “Attributes” and “Variations” tabs until you save the main product (using the “Update” or “Publish” button). Use the “Save Now” button in the overlay or the main WordPress save button to proceed.
Q: What does the “Reset” button in the Drop Print panel do?
A: Clicking “Reset” clears the current file selection (if any), removes any staged (unsaved) variations you selected, and attempts to immediately delete the associated Drop Print preview image from your Media Library and the generated .afp file from the server (if they exist from the current session). It essentially lets you start over with that product in the Drop Print panel. You still need to “Update” or “Publish” the product afterwards to fully remove any previously saved variations/attributes associated with Drop Print.
File Uploads & Processing
Q: My file upload fails with a “File Too Large” error.
A: The plugin currently supports image files (JPEG, PNG, TIFF) up to 256MB. Please ensure your file meets these requirements. If you need to upload larger files, please contact Drop Print support.
Q: My upload starts but fails partway through.
A: This could be due to various reasons, such as exceeding server upload limits (different from the plugin’s limit), temporary network issues, or server resource limits. Ensure your hosting environment meets WordPress recommendations. If the issue persists, check your server’s PHP error logs or contact your host.
Q: The upload finished, but I got an error during “Server processing file”.
A: This means the file uploaded successfully, but an error occurred on your server while generating the thumbnail, calculating the hash, compressing/encrypting the file, or packaging the final .afp file. Check the specific error message shown. Common causes include file permission issues (especially in the wp-content/uploads/drop-print/ directory), missing PHP extensions (like openssl for encryption or zip for compression if enabled), or temporary server resource issues. Check your PHP error logs for more details.
Q: I see “Dimensions not found in file header chunk” or “Checking dimensions via full upload”. What does that mean?
A: The plugin first tries to quickly read image dimensions from the beginning of the file. If it can’t (e.g., for certain file types or formats), it proceeds with uploading the entire file first before determining dimensions and showing product matches. This is normal for some files.
Encrypted Printready File (.afp)
Q: I found a .afp file in my uploads. I can’t open it. What is it?
A: The .afp file is a special package created by the Drop Print plugin. It contains your print-ready image file (potentially compressed) along with metadata needed for fulfillment (like an integrity hash and user ID). It is not meant to be opened directly by you. Its purpose is secure transfer to the Drop Print fulfillment service. If encryption is enabled in the plugin settings, the actual image data inside the .afp file is encrypted (using AES-256-CBC secured by an RSA public key) and can only be decrypted by Drop Print, protecting your artwork during transfer and storage.
Can I delete the .afp file from my server (wp-content/uploads/drop-print/)?
A: Generally, you should not manually delete .afp files unless you are sure they are no longer needed.This file is the final output the Drop Print service needs to retrieve via its URL to fulfill an order associated with that product.
Order Fulfillment: Deleting the file that Drop Print required to print your work for an order will cause that order to fail.
Storage: These files represent the final packaged artwork and will consume server storage space.
Plugin Actions: The “Reset” button in the panel attempts to delete the .afp file if it was just created in that session. Uninstalling the plugin does not automatically remove these files.
Recommendation: Only delete .afp files if you are managing storage space and are certain the corresponding orders have been fully processed by Drop Print or cancelled. If unsure, it’s safer to leave them. Drop Print will typically retrieve the file shortly after an order is placed.
Product Matching & Selection
Q: The product list shows “Could not load product data” or “Pricelist Error”.
A: This means the plugin couldn’t load the pricelist.json file, which contains the available print products and costs. This file should be automatically downloaded daily via a background task (WP-Cron).
Possible causes:
– The initial download hasn’t happened yet (especially on a new install).
– The WP-Cron task on your site isn’t running correctly.
– The plugin failed to connect to the Drop Print API to download the list (check Server Status in Drop Print settings).
– File permission issues prevent saving the pricelist.json file in wp-content/uploads/drop-print/.
– You can try clicking the “Refresh Pricelist” button (available via the overlay or in Drop Print settings) to trigger an immediate download attempt.
Q: Some products are greyed out with an “Aspect Ratio Mismatch” warning.
A: The plugin compares the aspect ratio (the relationship between width and height) of your uploaded image to the aspect ratio of the print products. If they don’t match closely, the product is greyed out to warn you that printing your image at that size might require significant cropping or result in distortion. You can click on a greyed-out product to get more details or download a correctly sized template.
Q: I see a “Currency Mismatch Notice” when selecting a product.
A: This warning appears if your Drop Print account’s billing currency (e.g., GBP, USD, EUR – set during connection) is different from your WooCommerce store’s currency. It reminds you to consider currency conversion rates and potential fees when setting your final selling price in your store’s currency.
Variations & Saving
Q: I clicked “Create Variations” but got a “Staging Failed” error.
A: This means the AJAX request to temporarily save your selections to the product’s metadata failed. This could be due to a temporary server issue, a security plugin blocking the request, or a database problem. Check the specific error message and your browser’s developer console for details. Try saving the product draft and attempting again.
Q: I clicked “Create Variations” and it seemed successful, but after saving the product, the variations/attributes didn’t appear.
A: This usually indicates an issue during the final processing step when the product is saved. Check for potential conflicts with other plugins that modify the product saving process. Ensure the pa_print_dimensions attribute exists globally (check Products -> Attributes). Also, verify the fix related to the doing_reset flag (addressed previously) is correctly implemented if you encountered this after using the Reset button. Check PHP error logs for details during the product save action.
Settings Page
Q: My packing slip upload fails.
A: Ensure you are uploading a PNG file. Check that the file size isn’t exceeding your server’s upload limits. Also, ensure the wp-content/uploads/drop-print/ directory exists and is writable by your web server. Check the specific error message provided on the settings page.