Shopify Developer Needed – Online Artwork Upload, Preview & Approval System

Shopify Developer Needed – Online Artwork Upload, Preview & Approval System We are looking for an experienced Shopify developer to implement an online artwork upload, preview, proofing, and approval system for our custom printing website. Our goal is to create a streamlined customer experience similar to major online printing websites such as Vistaprint, where customers can upload artwork, preview it on the selected product, review the final proof, and approve it online before the order moves into production. We are open to using an existing Shopify app, custom development, or a combination of both, depending on the best solution. Project Overview Our Shopify store sells custom printed products, including: ● Custom Flags ● Feather Banners ● Teardrop Banners ● Blade Banners ● Straight Banners ● Other custom printed products We recently launched an Express Print service with a 3-day production turnaround. Because of the short production timeline, we want to reduce manual artwork approval, email communication, and production delays by allowing customers to complete as much of the artwork submission and approval process as possible directly online. Desired Customer Journey We would ideally like the ordering process to work like this: 1. Select Product ↓ 2. Select Size / Product Options ↓ 3. Upload Artwork ↓ 4. Preview Artwork on Product Template ↓ 5. Adjust Artwork if Needed ↓ 6. Review Final Proof ↓ 7. Approve Artwork for Printing ↓ 8. Add to Cart / Checkout ↓ 9. Approved Artwork + Order Information Sent to Production The process should be simple and user-friendly on both desktop and mobile. Main Requirements 1. Artwork Upload Customers should be able to upload their artwork directly from the Shopify product page. Preferred supported formats include: ● PDF ● AI ● EPS ● SVG ● PNG ● JPG/JPEG The original uploaded artwork must remain accessible to our team and be connected to the Shopify order. 2. Online Product Preview After uploading artwork, the customer should be able to see a visual preview of their design within the selected product dimensions. For example: If a customer selects a 36" × 72" custom flag, the preview should display their artwork using the correct 1:2 proportion. If they change to another size or product, the preview/template should update accordingly. We need the ability to create/manage different templates for different: ● Products ● Sizes ● Shapes ● Printable areas 3. Basic Artwork Editing If technically feasible, customers should be able to make simple adjustments to their uploaded artwork, such as: ● Move/reposition artwork ● Scale/resize artwork ● Centre artwork ● Fit artwork to printable area ● Crop artwork ● Reset artwork We are not looking to build a full Canva-style design application. The primary purpose is to allow customers to position their existing artwork correctly and approve it for production. 4. Online Artwork Proof & Approval This is one of the most important requirements. Before the artwork moves into production, the customer should see a clear final proof/preview. They should then be required to confirm something similar to: ☑ I have reviewed the artwork and approve this design for printing. Once approved, the Shopify order should clearly show: APPROVED FOR PRODUCTION Ideally, we would also like to record: ● Approval status ● Approved preview ● Date/time of approval ● Original uploaded artwork ● Final artwork/proof associated with the order Our production team should be able to quickly identify whether an order has been approved without searching through emails. 5. Production Team Workflow Once an order is submitted, our production team should be able to easily access: ● Order number ● Product ● Product size ● Quantity ● Selected options ● Original uploaded artwork ● Approved artwork/proof ● Artwork approval status ● Customer information Ideally, the system could also automatically generate an approved proof PDF or production file. Please advise what is technically possible. 6. Artwork Quality Check We would also like to understand whether the system can automatically detect or warn customers about common artwork problems. Examples include: ● Low-resolution artwork ● Incorrect aspect ratio ● Artwork outside the printable area ● Unsupported file format ● Image quality that may not be suitable for the selected print size For example: ⚠ Your uploaded image may be too low-resolution for this print size. Please upload a higher-quality artwork file. This can potentially be a Phase 2 feature if it significantly increases the complexity or cost of the initial project. 7. Shopify Integration The solution must integrate properly with our existing Shopify store. It should not negatively affect: ● Product variants ● Product pricing ● Cart ● Checkout ● Existing orders ● Mobile experience ● Website speed/performance The uploaded artwork and approval information should be clearly associated with the correct Shopify order. 8. Easy Management for Our Team We do not want to rely on a developer every time we add a new product. Ideally, our team should be able to: ● Create new artwork templates ● Assign templates to products ● Set different dimensions ● Set printable areas ● Manage different product sizes ● Enable/disable artwork upload ● View uploaded artwork ● View approval status Please explain how this would be managed from the Shopify admin. App vs. Custom Development We are open to different approaches. Option A — Existing Shopify App If an existing Shopify app can provide most or all of these functions, please recommend the app and explain: ● What it can do ● What it cannot do ● Monthly/app costs ● Any customization required ● Any limitations Option B — Custom Development If you recommend custom development, please explain: ● Proposed solution ● Technology/architecture ● How it integrates with Shopify ● How artwork files will be stored ● How templates will be managed ● Estimated development time ● Estimated cost ● Ongoing maintenance requirements Option C — Hybrid Solution We are also open to using an existing Shopify personalization/proofing app with additional custom development. Our priority is finding the most reliable and practical solution, rather than building everything from scratch unnecessarily. Reference Experience The general experience we are trying to achieve is similar to online printing websites such as Vistaprint: Choose Product → Upload Artwork → Preview → Adjust → Review Proof → Approve → Order → Production We are not asking to copy Vistaprint's system or design. We want a simpler solution designed specifically for our custom flag and banner printing workflow. What We Are Looking For Ideally, you have experience with: ● Shopify development ● Shopify product customization ● File upload systems ● Product personalization ● Online artwork proofing ● Canvas/product preview tools ● Shopify order data ● Custom product options ● Print/e-commerce workflows Experience working with printing companies, signage companies, promotional products, custom apparel, or other made-to-order businesses would be a strong advantage. When Applying Please include the following in your proposal: 1. Examples of similar Shopify projects you have completed. 2. Experience with artwork upload, product customization, or online proofing systems. 3. Your recommended solution: App / Custom Development / Hybrid. 4. Shopify apps or technologies you recommend. 5. How the artwork preview and approval process would work. 6. How approved artwork would be connected to the Shopify order. 7. Estimated project timeline. 8. Estimated total cost. 9. Any ongoing monthly/app costs. 10. Any technical limitations we should know about. 11. Whether you provide support after launch. Please review the full project requirements before submitting your quote. Generic proposals that do not address the artwork upload, preview, and approval requirements will not be considered. IMPORTANT — COMMUNICATION NO PHONE CALLS / NO UNSCHEDULED CALLS. At this stage, we are only accepting written proposals through Upwork. Please submit your recommended solution, relevant experience, estimated timeline, and cost through your Upwork proposal. Please do not call our company, office, or staff directly. If we are interested in your proposal, we will contact you through Upwork to discuss the project further.