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Proofed

Getting started with Proofed

Install Proofed on your Shopify store, sync your first orders, upload a proof, and send it for customer approval. A complete first-run guide with screenshots.

This guide walks you through installing Proofed and completing your first proof approval, from order sync to customer sign-off. The whole first run takes about five minutes.

Step 1: Install the app#

Install Proofed from the Shopify App Store. It runs as an embedded app inside your Shopify admin: there's nothing to host or configure externally.

You can complete your first proof order free, no plan required. After that you'll be asked to pick a plan (paid plans start at $10/month with a 14-day free trial; see Plans & Billing).

Step 2: Sync your orders#

New Shopify orders arrive in Proofed automatically the moment they're placed. To pull in orders that existed before you installed the app, click Sync Existing Orders at the top of the dashboard.

Every order moves through four statuses, and the Design Dashboard shows them as columns: Pending Design, Awaiting Approval, Needs Revision and Approved. Prefer a table? Click List View.

The Design Dashboard with orders in all four columns: Pending Design, Awaiting Approval, Needs Revision and Approved
Note:

Orders placed via guest checkout without an email address can't receive proof emails: you'll see a warning on those orders. See Troubleshooting.

Step 3: Upload your first proof#

Open an order from the dashboard. Each line item gets its own Add artwork panel with two options: upload files directly, or build the design in the editor.

An open order in Pending Design, showing the Add artwork panel with Upload Files and Open Designer options

Direct upload#

Click Choose Files and pick one or more proof files: PNG, JPG, WEBP, GIF, or PDF, up to 20 MB each. Each file becomes its own artwork, and a multi-page PDF automatically becomes one proof per page ("Page 1", "Page 2", and so on). Full details in Uploading Proofs.

Once uploaded, you can rename the artwork label (e.g. "Storefront sign" or "Front" / "Back") and add a note to the customer, or apply a saved message template.

An uploaded artwork with a custom label, a note to the customer, and the proof preview

The design editor#

If you need production-ready die-cut files (stickers, labels, decals), click Open Designer instead. On the Generate Cut File page you upload the source artwork, pick a cut shape, and set the physical width, height and bleed. The red dashed line is the cut contour; the blue dashed outline is the bleed boundary.

The Generate Cut File editor with a circular cut shape around the artwork and size and bleed settings

Clicking Save Proof and Cut File generates the customer-facing proof and the VersaWorks-compatible CutContour PDF in one go. See Cut Files & the Design Editor.

Note:

Got a line item that doesn't need proofing, like a gift card? Click Skip, no proof needed and Proofed leaves it out of the approval flow.

Step 4: Review and send#

Uploading a proof does not notify the customer. That's deliberate: you always get a chance to double-check before anything goes out. You can even preview exactly what they'll see by clicking Preview Portal in the sidebar.

When you're ready, scroll to the bottom of the order and click Send Proofs to Customer.

The Ready to send panel at the bottom of an order, with the Send Proofs to Customer button

Proofed emails the customer a secure link to the approval portal, and the order moves to Awaiting Approval (Shopify tag: Proof: Sent).

Step 5: The customer reviews#

The customer opens the portal: no login or account needed. It carries your logo and store name (set these up under Recommended first-week setup below), and shows every proof with your notes.

The customer approval portal showing a proof awaiting review, with the store's branding

For each artwork the customer picks a decision: Approve Design, or Request Changes with a comment explaining what to fix. If you've enabled it in Settings, they can also attach updated artwork of their own.

The portal decision step with Request Changes selected and a comment explaining the change

One click on Submit All Decisions sends everything back to you, and you're emailed the moment they respond. If they're slow to respond, send a reminder.

Step 6: Handle change requests#

If the customer requested changes, the order moves to Needs Revision (tag: Proof: Revision) and their comment appears right on the artwork. Upload a new version under Upload Revised Design (the full version history is kept), then click Resend Proofs to Customer.

An order in Revision Requested with the customer's feedback shown on the artwork and the Upload Revised Design option

Step 7: Produce and fulfil#

Once every artwork is approved, the order flips to Approved (tag: Proof: Approved) and your approval email includes download links for the production files:

  • Proof PNG: what the customer approved
  • Cut PDF: die-cut outline for Roland VersaWorks and similar RIP software
  • Cropped PDF: the artwork trimmed to the cut shape
An approved order showing the green Approved status on the order and its artwork

File names follow your filename template, so they drop straight into your production workflow.

Note:

Customer approved over email or the phone instead? Use Override Status in the order sidebar to set the order to Approved (or any other status) manually.

Recommended first-week setup#

Head to Settings (in the app navigation under Proofed) to make the app yours. The Branding section is where the portal and emails pick up your logo and sender name.

The Branding settings with a store logo uploaded and a custom sender name
  1. Customise your five Shopify order tags in Settings so they match your workflow.
  2. Personalise the two customer emails (proof-ready + reminder); see Emails & Notifications.
  3. Create a default message template so every proof goes out with a consistent note.
  4. Set your dimension unit (mm / cm / in) and filename template to match your production naming.
  5. On Studio and above: upload your logo, set a sender name, and pick an email style so portal and emails carry your brand.
  6. On Studio and above: connect a custom sending domain so proof emails come from your own address, and flip on white-label emails to remove Proofed branding entirely.
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