Introduction to Printcart Printing Options and Pricing Matrix

Printcart’s Printing Options and Pricing Matrix system is the engine behind personalized, production-ready print pricing inside WordPress and WooCommerce. Whether you're selling business cards, stickers, t-shirts, or posters, Printcart allows you to dynamically set prices based on dimensions, materials, quantity tiers, and even custom combinations — no code required.

Unlike the default WooCommerce product pricing, which assigns a single flat rate per variation, Printcart gives you true Web2Print pricing control:

• Define custom fields like paper weight, corner shape, finishing

• Calculate prices by area (e.g. cm², in²)

• Offer tiered pricing by quantity and size

• Build print-ready product logic with manual or automated matrices

This tutorial will walk you step-by-step through setting up:

• Printing options (global and per-product)

• Price matrix rules

• Conditional logic for fields

• Measurement and area-based pricing

Whether you're offering simple flat-rate products or need to charge dynamically by size and finish, Printcart gives you the flexibility to quote with production-level precision.

Printing Options Setup Flow: Creating and Assigning Custom Print Fields in Printcart

To begin creating customized printing options, navigate to PC Designer > Printing Options from your WordPress admin dashboard. This is where all the global or per-product field configurations happen.

Creating a new Printing Option Group

Click the Add New button at the top. Give your group a name like "Business Card Options" or "T-shirt Customization." These groups will later be attached to products.

Configuring Printing Fields

You’ll see multiple tabs:

• Default Fields: Include quantity, delivery date, and artwork file uploads.

• Online Design Fields: Includes dropdowns for dimensions, paper types, sides/pages, color/material, and other design-specific attributes.

• Product Builder Fields: For live preview building (advanced setups).

Each field can be customized with:

• Display type (dropdown, swatch, radio, label)

• Data type (single or multiple choice)

• Price rules (fixed, per unit, matrix)

• Conditional visibility

For example, under "Material", you can list attributes like Silk Paper and Gloss Paper with unique price additions. You can also assign whether each field is Required, Enabled, or Published.

Assigning the Option Group to Products

Once your print field set is complete:

1. In the Apply For box on the right, choose "Products."

2. Use the auto-suggest box to search for and attach the target WooCommerce product(s).

3. Click Publish.

You can preview how the configuration will look on the front end by clicking Frontend Preview.

Example: Business Card Setup
The "Business Card" group includes fields like: Custom dimension (width × height), Orientation, Rounded Corner, Sides/Pages, Material, and Weight. These attributes are combined using a price matrix to calculate the final cost based on user selections.

Next up: Building Flexible Price Matrices for Dynamic Calculations

Building Flexible Price Matrices for Dynamic Calculations

Printcart’s Price Matrix system is one of its most powerful features for building dynamic pricing structures based on combinations of product attributes. This section guides you through setting up advanced pricing logic for your printing products using matrices, rules, and conditions.

What is a Price Matrix?

The Price Matrix allows you to map out combinations of fields — such as material, paper weight, or print sides — and define pricing for each intersection. It replaces simple flat pricing with production-grade flexibility.

For example, if a business card comes in 100gsm/130gsm/170gsm and One-side/Both-sides, the price matrix lets you set:

• 100gsm + One-side = $0.50

• 130gsm + Both-sides = $0.90

• and so on…

Step-by-Step: Setting Up the Price Matrix

1. Add Matrix-Enabled Fields

Make sure the fields (like Material or Sides/Pages) are:

• Data Type: Multiple Options

• Price Type: Fixed amount or matrix

• Depend Quantity: Yes (if you want the price to scale by quantity)

2. Enable Matrix Display

Scroll to the Appearance > Display Type section of the Print Option group.

• Choose Price Matrix

• Set the Horizontal Field (e.g., Weight)

• Set the Vertical Field (e.g., Material)

• Optionally allow manual entry of matrix prices

3. Populate Matrix Prices

A table UI will appear where you enter the exact price for each intersection.

• Leave a cell empty to disable that combination

• Manual prices override default field values

4. Frontend Preview

Click Frontend Preview to view how the matrix is rendered on the product page. Users will see a grid-style table for their selection.

Best Practice: Use matrix pricing for 2+ intersecting fields with many options. For simpler setups, a single dropdown with fixed prices might be more efficient.

Conditional Matrix Logic

You can conditionally show or hide fields using the Conditional tab:

• Display "Weight" only if "Material = Silk"

• Show "Rounded Corners" only if "Sides = Both"

This ensures a clean and user-friendly configuration experience.

Coming up next: Advanced Rules — Pricing by Area, Unit, and Quantity Breaks

Advanced Rules — Pricing by Area, Unit, and Quantity Breaks

In addition to matrix pricing, Printcart allows for precise dynamic calculations based on design area, unit pricing, and quantity tiers. These advanced rules help reflect real-world production costs more accurately.

Enabling Measurement-Based Pricing

To activate pricing by area:

• Go to Printing Options and edit your option group

• In the Custom Dimension field, set:

  • Enable measure price based on design area: Yes

  • Calculate additional price base on: Choose one of:

    • Price per Unit: $/cm² or $/in²

    • Area Breaks: Tiered pricing by size

    • Unit price base on area breaks: Sets unit rate based on range brackets

Example: For sticker printing, charge $0.15/cm² for 0–50cm², and $0.10/cm² for 51–100cm².

You can define:

• Base design area (starting cost)

• Rules with From/To area and unit pricing

• Whether to apply cumulative cart quantities

Quantity Breaks and Tiered Discounts

Quantity-based logic enables you to reduce pricing at bulk:

• Enable Quantity Breaks

• Set breakpoints like:

  • 1–49: No discount

  • 50–99: 5% off

  • 100+: 10% off

Discounts can be percentage-based or fixed per unit.

Page Count and Sides-Based Pricing

You can link pricing to:

• Number of sides/pages

• Front vs back design (enabled via Front/Back Sides field)

In the field settings:

• Choose Depend Quantity: Yes

• Choose Depend Quantity Breaks: Yes (if using tiered logic)

Display Logic for Options

Under the Appearance > Display Type, you can select how options render:

• Dropdown

• Radio buttons

• Label/Swatch (for visual styles)

Best Practice: Use dropdowns for technical options, and swatches for materials or finishes.

These rules allow WooCommerce shop owners to implement cost structures that simulate actual production — not just flat product pricing.

Coming up next: How to Create and Apply Printing Option Templates

How to Create and Apply Printing Option Templates

Setting up printing options manually for every product can be time-consuming, especially if you're selling multiple variations of similar items (e.g., 10 types of business cards, different-sized banners, etc.). Printcart solves this with reusable Printing Option Templates.

These templates allow you to create once and apply many times — across product lines, categories, or even vendor catalogs.

Step 1: Create a Master Option Template

1. Navigate to PC Designer → Printing Options

2. Click Add New

3. Name your group clearly (e.g., “Standard Card Setup”, “Poster Pricing Matrix”)

4. Add all the necessary fields:

   • Dimensions (manual or fixed options)

   • Material

   • Coating

   • Quantity

   • Upload or design editor logic

5. Add pricing matrix or area rules as needed

6. Click Publish to save the template

Step 2: Export and Reuse Templates

In the option list view:

• Click Export next to your created group

• This downloads a .json file

To reuse:

• Go to another site or store

• Click Import

• Upload the .json file

• Edit if needed and assign to products

Step 3: Assign Templates to Products in Bulk

If you’re using WooCommerce product categories:

• Use the Apply For option inside the option group

• Choose by:

  • Product title

  • Product ID

  • Category name

You can also use the WooCommerce Bulk Editor or third-party plugins like WP All Import to map product IDs to printing option groups.

Best Practices for Template Management

• Create templates by product type (e.g., T-shirt vs. Mug)

• Keep naming consistent

• Regularly export and back up templates

• Version your files (e.g., "Poster_v2_area_based.json")

"We built 5 base templates and now launch new customizable products in under 10 minutes."
— Case study: Blockquote from InkLaunch Ltd.

Coming up next: Testing, Previewing and Optimizing the Frontend Experience

Testing, Previewing and Optimizing the Frontend Experience

After configuring your pricing options, measurement rules, and design logic in Printcart, it's critical to test how everything behaves from the customer’s perspective. A smooth, intuitive frontend experience builds trust and directly improves conversion.

Step 1: Preview the Option Set on Product Pages

Each Printing Option group can be previewed:

• Go to PC Designer > Printing Options

• Click Frontend Preview next to the desired template

• This opens a product-like preview with:

  • Interactive dropdowns or swatches

  • Dynamic pricing summary

  • Matrix or custom fields

You should test different combinations and validate:

• The correct price is calculated

• Conditional logic behaves as expected

• All required fields are visible and working

Step 2: Assign and View on Live Product

For full testing:

1. Assign the Printing Option to a live WooCommerce product

2. Visit the product URL in an incognito/private window

3. Use various devices to confirm responsive layout

Verify:

• Product image stays in sync with selection

• Summary block updates correctly

• Upload/Design buttons work smoothly

Tip: Enable debug logs under PC Designer > Settings > General > Enable Logs for troubleshooting pricing logic.

Step 3: Optimize for UX and Mobile Devices

In Appearance Settings under the printing option:

• Choose layout type: Table or Section

• Disable unnecessary fields on mobile

• Customize button labels for clarity (e.g., “Upload Design” → “Upload Artwork (PDF, AI)”)

Additional frontend enhancements:

• Use tooltips for material descriptions

• Group related options under headers (e.g., “Paper Options”, “Finishing”)

• Hide matrix preview rows when no price is defined

Step 4: A/B Testing and Analytics

Use tools like:

• Google Optimize or Split Hero for A/B testing layouts

• Hotjar to monitor user behavior on the product page

• Track which combinations lead to cart adds

“After adjusting the layout and disabling unused options on mobile, our bounce rate dropped by 22%.”
— Case study: Blockquote from DesignDeck Studio

Step 5: Cart, Checkout, and Order Review

Make a full test order:

• Confirm price breakdown in cart and checkout

• Ensure uploaded files or design IDs are attached to WooCommerce order

• Test tax, delivery fee, and discount coupon interactions

This ensures pricing and print logic syncs through the entire purchase journey.

Next up: Conclusion and Best Practice Summary

Conclusion and Best Practice Summary

Setting up the Printcart Printing Options and Pricing Matrix correctly is essential for delivering a seamless Web2Print experience on WordPress and WooCommerce. From creating reusable templates to configuring dynamic area pricing and responsive front-end layouts, Printcart gives you full control over how your products are customized, priced, and sold.

Key Takeaways

• Use option groups and templates to speed up product setup

• Implement area-based and quantity break pricing for accuracy and competitiveness

• Structure price matrices for flexible product attribute combinations

• Leverage conditional logic to reduce clutter and improve UX

• Preview and test frontend experiences across devices before going live

Final Best Practices Checklist

“Printcart turned our basic WooCommerce store into a full-featured online printshop — without writing custom code.”
— Case study: Blockquote from PrintVision Media

With Printcart’s robust pricing tools, you’re not just selling products — you’re delivering a tailored, real-time quoting and customization engine.

Now that your pricing engine is optimized, you can focus on marketing, SEO, and scaling your product catalog — confident that your product logic will support every print order with precision.

Netbase

Developer

Member since Jan 2020

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"What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger."
This quote has stayed with me throughout my journey—especially as I built Printcart from the ground up.

I'm David, CEO of Printcart, a division of Netbase JSC, and I’ve dedicated the past 15 years to transforming the Web-to-Print and Print-on-Demand (POD) industry. My goal from the beginning has been clear: to help printing businesses around the world scale through automation, personalization, and smart technology.

Before Printcart, I spent years consulting and launching web-to-print platforms for printers of all sizes—from local shops to global enterprises. That experience taught me to ask the right questions:

How can we reduce manual steps for printers and let them focus on growth?

What tools do customers need to personalize and place their orders effortlessly?

How can we make the Web2Print journey smoother, faster, and more profitable?

At Printcart, we combine AI, cloud-based automation, and a plug-and-play customization engine to bring that vision to life. But more than features, we care about outcomes—helping our clients deliver better user experiences, close more deals, and scale sustainably.

I’m always open to new ideas and feedback from the community. If you’re exploring how to evolve your print business or launch a new eCommerce venture with Web2Print capabilities, feel free to connect directly.

Let’s talk growth.
? Email: project@printcart.com
? Website: https://printcart.com