POD store: design preview prior printing option

Shopify Apps

Topic summary

A POD (print-on-demand) store owner seeks a solution for customers to preview and approve custom artwork before printing. The store offers illustrations created by in-house artists and needs a workflow where customers can review designs, request changes, and provide final approval.

Initial Misunderstanding:

  • One responder suggested Zakeke, a product customization app with 2D/3D/AR previews
  • The original poster clarified they don’t need mockup tools, but rather an approval workflow for custom artwork

Recommended Solutions:

  • Approval Studio: Allows uploading designs and sending approval links via email; customers can approve/reject and comment without registration
  • ApprovePro: Provides secure approval links, automatic reminders, internal team notifications, and a centralized approval management portal accessible outside Shopify

Both solutions aim to streamline the approval process, reduce email back-and-forth, and speed up production by giving customers a dedicated interface for design review and feedback.

Summarized with AI on October 31. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hi all,

I would like your input on a problem I am trying to solve. I’ll be running a POD store and I would like to give to my customers the option to preview and accept or not the artwork they are buying prior printing.
Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

2

Hi @Mikekir ,

Do you mean you want customers to preview the actual artwork on product like a mock-up? If that’s so I would recommend using Zakeke product option app: https://apps.shopify.com/zakeke-interactive-product-designer

You can customize artwork and preview in 2D, 3D or AR as well.

Highly recommended as it works well with page builder like PageFly as well - if you consider creating a custom product page for higher conversion

Let me know if that’s what you looking for :slightly_smiling_face:

Cheers

1 Like
3

Hi,

Thank for the reply!
No I don’t mean a mockup. We are offering illustrations made by our artists so prior to printing we just want to make sure that our customer approves and is satisfied with the design or prefers to make any changes.

Cheers

4

Any recommendations anyone?!

Thanks in advance,

Mike

5

Hello, [email removed]Mikekir! Have you already tried using Approval Studio? It seems like a perfect match for what you’re looking for. You can upload a mock-up there and send a link to your client’s email or any other chat you’re using, and they will be able to approve/reject the design and add comments if they have any! AND they won’t need to register to do so!)

6

Hi Mike,

You might want to check out my app ApprovePro - it lets customers approve designs before printing without needing to log in. Instead of handling approvals over email threads, it sends customers a direct link where they can review the design, leave feedback, or request changes.

  • Customers approve or request changes instantly via a secure link
  • Automatic reminders to keep things moving
  • Internal notifications so your team stays updated
  • A centralized portal for managing design approvals (also accessible external to Shopify)

It’s built to minimize support requests and speed up production for custom order businesses like yours.

You can check it out here: https://apps.shopify.com/approve-pro

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions.

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