Selling art prints on Shopify with Australian print on demand

Shopify is where most Australian artists end up when a market stall and an Instagram inbox stop being enough. It's dependable, it handles payments and tax, and it looks professional with very little effort. The question is how to run a Shopify store that sells prints you don't hold, made by a production partner, without the two systems drifting apart. This guide explains how the current Print Punch manual pilot works, how to structure your Shopify products so every order maps cleanly to a production option, how to handle pricing and delivery, and what to tell customers about timing.

The current integration, stated plainly

There is no automatic connector between your Shopify store and Print Punch today. The live offer is a guided manual pilot. You keep the Shopify order and the customer notifications. You send the approved production details (mapped product, variant, artwork reference, delivery address and your order reference) through the agreed manual workflow. When we dispatch, tracking is sent to the agreed contact, you add it to your Shopify order and your store sends its normal shipping notification.

There's no published software or integration fee for the pilot. Production and delivery are charged per order. Any future connector, setup or software cost would be quoted and approved before it was enabled. The connect your Shopify store page documents this and has the request form. We say "manual" deliberately: it's proven, it's visible, and automation only makes sense once your order flow has run cleanly by hand.

Structure your products to match production

The single most useful thing you can do is build your Shopify products so each variant corresponds exactly to one Print Punch production option. That means:

• One product per artwork and format. "Morning Swell, framed paper print" is a product. "Morning Swell, framed canvas" is another.
• Variants that mirror Print Punch options. For framed paper: size × frame finish × paper stock. For framed canvas: size × frame finish. For unframed: size × paper stock, plus a border choice if you offer it. Use the same names: A2 · 42 × 59.4 cm, 50 × 70 cm, Oak veneer, Australian Raw Oak, White, Black, 230gsm Premium Matte Fine Art Paper, and so on.
• Only the combinations that exist. Textured Cotton Rag isn't available at 120 × 150 cm, so don't create that variant. The fine art paper guide explains why.
• SKUs that encode the mapping. Something like MS-FP-5070-OAK-MATTE tells you artwork, format, size, finish and stock at a glance when you're placing the production order.

During onboarding we document each approved artwork, size, stock and finish against the correct Print Punch option. That product and variant map is the backbone of the pilot, and a tidy Shopify structure makes it a ten-minute job rather than a week of back and forth.

Pricing in Shopify

Set each variant's price from the production charge using a consistent gross margin, then round to endings that suit your brand. The pricing guide walks through the maths, and the margin calculator on each Print Punch product page lets you test a figure before you type it into Shopify. Remember Shopify Payments or your gateway takes a percentage, and remember GST: Print Punch production charges include GST, and your Shopify tax settings should be configured for your own registration status.

Keep the price ladder coherent across sizes and formats. If an A2 framed paper print is $289.95 and a 50 × 70 cm is $329.95, a 60 × 90 cm at $399.95 reads as logical. Random steps make buyers hesitate.

Delivery settings

Decide whether to charge delivery separately or build it into the price, then set Shopify's shipping rates to match. Print Punch's delivery to your collector is calculated at checkout from size, weight and destination, and large framed pieces cost considerably more than unframed prints. Before you set rates, place a few test checkouts on the Print Punch site to your common destinations and note the figures. If you ship internationally, add a line in your policies that local duties and taxes are the recipient's responsibility. The post on turnaround, packing and shipping covers how freight behaves.

Artwork files and the production order

Keep one locked master file per artwork, named with title, size, border and version, as the file preparation guide recommends. When a Shopify order arrives, you place the production order on the relevant Print Punch product page with that file, select the matching size, finish and stock, add the collector's address and your Shopify order number in the notes, and follow your fulfilment profile. The order attaches the file as the production file; there's nothing to email afterwards.

If a collector orders a size you haven't tested, consider placing a quick test order first or at least previewing the crop on the product page. The standard sizes and aspect ratios guide will tell you whether a size needs a crop or a border.

White-label and the fulfilment profile

We can ship directly to your customer under your brand. Supply your sender name, packing slip preferences, any optional insert, returns address and notification contact with your order. The white-label dropshipping guide explains every rule, and the white-label page is the reference.

Shopify notifications and timing copy

Because the order stays in your Shopify store, your customer receives your branded order confirmation and, once you add tracking, your shipping notification. Set expectations in those emails and on your product pages: made to order in Australia, dispatched within about three business days of file approval, delivery time added depending on location. Print Punch's standard dispatch target is within 72 business hours after artwork approval, with exceptions for peak periods, quality checks and file queries, so don't promise hard dates unless you've confirmed one. The service guide publishes these rules.

A short "how it's made" paragraph on each product page reassures buyers who are used to next-day retail. Honest, specific timing copy reduces "where is my order" messages more than anything else you can write.

Order data and privacy

The manual pilot uses the order reference, mapped product, artwork reference and delivery details needed for fulfilment. Customer payment details never transfer to Print Punch. Your production files are used only to prepare, produce and support your orders and reorders. The privacy policy and terms of service record how data and files are handled.

The paid test order, in Shopify terms

Before your first live collector order, consider placing one real order in your own store as a customer, then fulfilling it through the manual workflow to your own address. This tests the whole chain: your Shopify checkout, your mapping, the Print Punch order, the packing and sender details, the tracking email and your shipping notification. Use a test to check product mapping, address details, production options, tracking and notifications. A paid test order is recommended for checking your workflow, not required for white-label delivery. The test order checklist is the inspection list.

Returns, damage and consumer law

Your Shopify refund policy should align with how made-to-order prints are handled. Print Punch's refund policy covers made-to-order artwork, Australian Consumer Law rights, transit damage, file and crop approval, and order changes. Mirror the practical parts in your own policy: ask customers to keep packaging and photograph any damage promptly, and explain that colour and crop are approved from the file before printing.

Growing from the pilot

Once a few orders have run cleanly, the manual pilot can handle a steady volume. Automation is a question for later, after proof, and would be quoted and approved before anything was switched on. In the meantime, the things that grow a print store on Shopify are the ordinary things: strong listing photography of real prints (your test order gives you the piece to photograph), clear descriptions using real materials, coherent pricing, and a range of formats so collectors can choose their budget. The guide to selling prints without stock covers the business model that makes this work.

Product pages that convert for print on demand

Your Shopify product page does the selling, and for a made-to-order print it needs to do three jobs that a stocked product doesn't. It has to show the real object, because there's no stock photo of your specific print; use the photographs from your test order, straight on and at an angle showing the frame. It has to explain the materials in plain words, because collectors can't touch the paper; copy the stock names from the frames and materials page: "230gsm Premium Matte Fine Art Paper behind a clear acrylic face, Oak veneer frame". And it has to set timing honestly, because "ships today" is what most Shopify buyers expect and it isn't what a made-to-order print does. A short "How it's made" block near the price covers all three. The frame finish guide and the fine art paper guide give you the language.

Offering sizes and formats as a ladder

Shopify makes it easy to offer too much. Three sizes and two formats per artwork is usually plenty: an unframed A2 as the entry point, a framed 50 × 70 or 60 × 90 as the mid option, and a framed 70 × 100 or 100 × 130 as the statement piece. Each one should be previewed on the Print Punch product page before it's listed, because a size that crops badly shouldn't be offered at all. The standard sizes and aspect ratios guide tells you which sizes suit your artwork's proportion, and the paper versus canvas guide helps you decide whether a canvas option belongs in the ladder.

Handling custom requests from Shopify customers

Customers will ask for sizes and papers you don't list. Rather than inventing a variant, use the custom size quote form on the relevant Print Punch product page, get the confirmed price and dimensions, then create a one-off Shopify product or a draft order for that customer. Keep a note of the quote so you can reorder the same specification if it sells again. Custom work is a chance to charge properly for the attention it takes; the pricing guide covers margins, and the artist FAQs describe the quote path.

Wallpaper and other products in the same store

If you design patterns, the custom repeat wallpaper roll sits comfortably alongside prints in a Shopify store, sold per 70cm × 10m roll at your own price. The same manual pilot applies: the order stays with you, the mapped product details are sent through the agreed workflow, and tracking returns to you. Give buyers the installation guidance from the wallpaper page and a quantity guide, and prepare the repeat with the wallpaper repeat guide before you list it. The print-on-demand for artists page is the overview to send a store designer or assistant who is setting up your catalogue.

Frequently asked questions

Does Print Punch integrate with Shopify automatically?

Not today. The current offer is a guided manual pilot: you send approved order details through the agreed workflow and we return tracking for you to add to your order.

Is there a fee for the Shopify pilot?

No published software or integration fee. Production and delivery are charged per order. Any future connector cost would be quoted and approved first.

How should I set up my Shopify variants?

Mirror Print Punch options exactly: size, frame finish and paper stock for framed paper; size and finish for framed canvas; size and stock for unframed. Only create combinations that exist, and encode the mapping in your SKUs.

Who sends the shipping notification to my customer?

You do. Tracking comes to the agreed contact, you add it to the Shopify order, and your store sends its normal notification under your brand.

Does Print Punch see my customers' payment details?

No. The pilot uses only the order reference, mapped product, artwork reference and delivery details needed for fulfilment.

Do I need a test order before going live?

No. A paid test order is not required for white-label delivery. We recommend testing your store's product mapping, address details, production options, tracking and notifications before launch.

Request the pilot

Tidy your Shopify products using the structure above, then send your store URL, products and expected volume through the connect your Shopify store page. We'll review the manual workflow required and reply by the next business day. The artist FAQs cover the smaller questions in the meantime.