Sides and output files

Front, back, sleeves, mugs that wrap — and the print-ready files Pixel Wrangler ships to your fulfilment partner.

A T-shirt has a front and a back. A mug wraps. A jersey has chest, sleeve, and a name on the back. Pixel Wrangler handles multi-sided products with sides — separate canvases inside one template — and renders each side into its own print-ready file.

Adding sides

From the template builder, click Add side. Name it after what your fulfilment partner expects to see in the filename — "Front", "Back", "Left sleeve", "Wrap".

Each side gets its own:

  • Canvas size and base image
  • Placeholders (text, image, sticker, background, mask)
  • Output file settings (below)

Customers switch between sides via tabs on the storefront. The live preview updates per side.

Output file settings

For each side, set:

  • Format — PNG (transparent by default) or PDF
  • Dimensions — width and height in pixels for PNG, in mm for PDF
  • DPI — 300 for DTG and DTF, 150 for sublimation, ask your printer if you're unsure
  • Filename pattern — what the file should be called

When the order is paid, Pixel Wrangler renders the file at your settings and delivers it to your fulfilment storage. You get a link to the file on the order.

Filename patterns

Tokens you can drop into the filename:

  • {order_number} — Shopify order number (e.g. 1001)
  • {order_id} — Shopify order ID
  • {sku} — variant SKU
  • {side} — the side name (e.g. front, back)
  • {product_title} — Shopify product title
  • {variant_title} — Shopify variant title

Match what your fulfilment partner ingests. DTG shops usually want SKU first; DTF shops usually want order number first. Ask before settling on a pattern — saves a round of renames a month in.

Surcharges per output

If a side adds cost to your fulfilment — a back print on top of a front print, an extra sleeve, a second colour — set a per-file surcharge in the output settings. Pixel Wrangler tacks it onto the cart line so the surcharge appears on the customer's invoice.

Leave the surcharge at zero if your fulfilment cost is flat per garment regardless of sides printed. Plenty of brands run it that way.

How files reach your fulfilment

Once a customized order is paid, the print files render and become available on the order. Three ways your fulfilment workflow picks them up:

  • Order tags — most fulfilment integrations watch for pw-artwork-ready and pull the files automatically
  • Order metafields — the file URLs live on the order under the pw_customization.artwork_files metafield, ready for any system that reads metafields
  • The Artwork Export API — pull files in bulk by date range or order number

Full lifecycle in Order flow.