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)
  • A mapping to one or more output files (below)

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

Output file settings

Output files are configured in the Output panel of the template builder. A template can produce one file per side, or map several sides into one file (a multi-page PDF, for example). For each output file, set:

  • Format — PNG or PDF
  • Dimensions — width and height, in pixels, inches, or millimetres
  • DPI — presets for Screen (72), Standard (150), Professional (300), and Fine Art (600). 300 suits DTG and DTF; 150 suits sublimation. Ask your printer if you're unsure.
  • Sides — which template sides render into this file, and where each sits on the page

When the order is paid, Pixel Wrangler renders the files at your settings and puts them on the order. Anything you don't map to an output file simply doesn't render — if a side is missing from your print files, check the mapping first.

How files are named

Filenames are built from pieces you control:

{prefix}-{variant identifier}-{output file name}-{id}.png

For example: CUST-TEE-M-BK-Front-a1b2c3d4.png

  • Prefix — set per template in the output settings. Defaults to CUSTOM.
  • Variant identifier — optional short codes you assign per product option value (e.g. M, BK) in the Products panel. Set these up and your filenames carry the size and colour your fulfilment partner needs — no manual matching against the order.
  • Output file name — the name you gave the output file, e.g. Front.
  • id — a short unique id so files never collide.

If you edit a customer's design after purchase, the regenerated file gets an -edited-v2 suffix so it's unmistakable in downloads and exports.

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.

Surcharges run on Shopify's cart transform function, which Shopify only offers to Shopify Plus stores. On other plans the surcharge settings appear but stay disabled. See Surcharges and discounts.

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 px-artwork-ready and pull the files automatically
  • Order metafields — the file URLs live on the order under the px_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.