Creating Layout Snippets

Tip: You can also check out (and feel free to use or modify) our Layout Snippet Example Libraries in the “New” Tab of the File Dialogue.

Template Browser Layout

Design and publish new Layout Snippets

Please create a new Layout Library first.

  1. In the File Dialogue, go to the „New“ Tab, click on the „Select Template Type“ Select List and select „Layout Library“ from the drop-down list.

Create new layout snippet library

  1. Click on the „Page Size“ Select List and select a Page Size (You can Change the Page Size later on).

  2. Click on „CREATE“. This will create a new Layout Library and automatically open the Designer-Side. The new Layout Library will initially have a Document already marked as „Layout-Snippet“ icon. If you want to add another Layout to your Library, simply add a new Document.

Layout Snippet Document Tab Bar

You have successfully create a new Layout Library. But before you start to design your own Layout Snippets please define at least one Tag for it (See below Tags for Layouts).

Tip: We do not recommend to have your Layout and Sticker Snippets mixed in the same Template (although in rare circumstances you may prefer this), and it is better to have Layout Libraries separated from your product Templates.

Tags for Layouts

To publish a Layout Snippet and make it accessible from other Templates, you have to assign at least one Tag to it.

  1. With the "Layout-Snippet“-Document you want to publish selected, go to the „Snippet Export“-Tab on the Feature Panel.

  2. Go to the „Tags“ Input Field and click on it. This will open up a list containing all already existing Tags.

  3. Select a Tag from the list or type in a new Tag and press RETURN.

After publishing, you can now access this Layout from other Templates by adding your chosen Tag to a Layout Group. Learn how to Make Layouts accessible on Buyer-Side.

Info: You can assign multiple Tags to a Layout Snippet and one Tag to multiple Layout Snippets. You can think of Tags like categories for Layouts. So it is best practice to assign Tags that are suitable for more than one specific Layout, to make it easier for you to assign them to a Page or Spread.

For the example below, we created a new “love layouts” Tag and named the Layout Snippet “Best Mum”:

Layout Snippet Export

Title & Thumbnail for Layouts

(Optional) You can give Layouts a custom Title and Thumbnail, that will be shown on Designer- and Buyer-Side. By default, the Document Name is the Layout Title and the Thumbnail is created automatically.

Title:

  1. Go to the “Snippet Export” Tab on the Feature Panel and go to the “Snippet Title” Input Field.

  2. Click on it and type in your new Layout Title.

Thumbnail:

  1. Go to the “Snippet Export” Tab on the Feature Panel and go to the “Snippet Thumbnail” Section.

  2. Click on “Add”. This will open up the “Select Image” Dialog.

  3. Select a already existing Image or upload a new one.

Layout Snippet Paper Color

Sometimes a Layout Snippet needs control over either the background color (if it needs to be printed e.g. on a canvas) of the target document or the paper color (if the product color needs to change but not get printed e.g. on a colored mug).

So if the background color of the target document should be changed by the Layout Snippet you have to define a Paper Color for the Layout Snippet.

Snippet Export Tab

If this Paper Color will be printed or not depends on the Placement Settings of the target document.

Learn more about the use of Paper Colors here

Snippet Export Tab

This tab contains settings with regards to Snippets. Snippets are the way how Printess allows buyers to change document layouts or insert Texts, images in the form of Stickers.

Important: This is the tab you see if the current document is a Sticker Snippet or a Layout Snippet

Snippet Export Tab

Publish All, Publish This These Buttons allow you to directly publish all Snippets documents in this template or just the currently open one.

Tags Here you can set one or more Tag associated with the Snippet which can later get used to define which snippet is available in a document. You can either define a new Tag by entering it or select an existing Tag from the list.

Search Keywords here you can select one or more keywords for your Snippet or enter new ones. The Keyword list are managed in the Account Portal in the Keyword Menu.

Snippet Language here you can set a language for the Layout Snippet. If set the Layout Snippet can later get filtered by the set editor language to allow for different Layout Snippets for different languages. If no language is set the Layout Snippet is allegeable for all languages.

If you only have to change some text of a Layout Snippet you can use a translation table. This is a more efficient way. Learn more about the Translation Table here

Exclude for Languages here you can exclude certain languages, so the Snippet will not be available for chosen languages.

Layout Snippet Title here you can set a title for the Snippet.

Price Category if you’d like to sell designs in your shop you can set a price category for this snippet. If the Snippet is than used on buyer side the shop will be notified and can update the product price and pice display. Please learn more about Price display here.

Filter by Aspect Range choose wether or not a Layout Snippet should be available for certain Aspect Ratios.

Allow Gap Change This setting applies only for Splitter Layouts and prevents the initial Remove Border button from appearing. Plus it control the Gap-Button in the frame toolbar. It is enabled by default.
Learn more about Splitter Layouts here.

Show Scissors This setting applies only for Splitter Layouts and controls the scissors-button in the frame-toolbar. If it is disabled the user can not click on the Scissors Buttons in the frame toolbar. It is enabled by default. Learn more about Splitter Layouts here.

Recommended here you can set a Layout Snippet as recommended.

Layout Snippet Insertion choose wether or not a Layout Snippet should repeat of multiple Pages. Learn more about repeating Layouts.

Layout Snippet Thumbnail By default Printess uses the the current design as thumbnail on buyer side. If you’d like to set your own thumbnail for this snippet you can upload it here.

Variant Creation Learn more about Variant Creation.

Publish Layouts

To make Layouts inside your Layouts Library accessible in other Templates and for Buyers to insert, you need to to publish them first.

Info: To publish Layouts inside a Layout Library, you have to save and name your Layout Library at first. Once your Library is named and saved, Printess will automatically save your Library every time you publish Layouts from it.

  1. Inside your Layout Library, go to the Top Menu Bar and click on the Library Name. This will open up the Template Context Menu.

  2. Click on „Publish x Layout Snippets“ („x“ = Number of "Layout-Snippet“-Documents in your Layout Library). This will open up the „Publish Snippets“ Dialog.

Publish Layout Snippet

Or

  1. Inside you Layout Library, go to the „Snippet Export“ Tab on the Feature Panel.

  2. Go to the „Publish Snippets“ Section and click „Publish All“ (will publish all Layouts inside your Library) or „Publish This“ (will only publish the Layouts in the selected Document). This will open up the „Publish Snippets“ Dialog.

The „Publish Snippets“ Dialog shows a list of the Layout Snippet Names along with the assigned Tags.

Publish All Layout Snippets

  1. Click on „Publish all Snippets“ to publish all the listed Layout Snippets.

Note: For Layouts without Tags it will show a warning stating „Please add a tag to this snippet in order to make it available.“ That is because Layouts can only be assigned to a Page or a Spread if they have at least one Layout Tag assigned to them.

Remove all Stickers

You find that option at the Resource Panel in the Snippet Export Tab.

Remove All Stickers

When this option is checked the Layout Snippet will remove all user inserted Stickers on all affected spreads when inserted.

Tip: This feature is not supported by the API backend

Layout Snippet Pricing

If you’d like to charge a little extra for certain Artworks buyers are using have a look at the price display feature and use price groups to show a price label next to the Layout Snippet. Layout Snippets can have a price group (1-5) and the price groups can receive a price label given at the start of the editor.

Both Sticker Snippets or Layout Snippets can display a price.

Set Label-Strings for each Price-Category in attach-call: priceCategoryLabels = [“Price 1”, “Price 2”]

Layout Snippet Filters

When exporting the Layout Snippet which should show a price label, select a price category for a Layout Snippet.

Layout Snippet Filters

Please read more about displaying price and the use of the PriceChangeCallback() in the Buyer Side - Display Price chapter

Translate Keyword Menu

If needed the Keyword Menu can be translated into several languages. Please just add a menu section into your exiting translation table per language.

Please also see how to add languages in the account portal here.

Example:

‘’‘less { “menu”: { “food”: “Speisen”, “drinks”: “Getränke”, “seafood”: “Fischgerichte”, “meat”: “Fleischgerichte”, “desert”: “Nachspeisen”, “starters”: “Vorspeisen”, “salad”: “Salate”, “pizza”: “Pizza”, “pasta”: “Pasta”, } } ‘’’

Buyer Side Change Layout Icon