Applies to Cmsmart Product Designer (NBDesigner) 2.17.0 · Updated October 2026. Covers WP Admin → Cmsmart → Catalog & assets → Import Products (the sample-data product import), what each sample row sets up, and how to pick the right starting set for a print shop, a POD apparel brand or a B2B catalog.

In short

  • Outcome: go from an empty WooCommerce catalog to a working, sellable set of design-enabled products in minutes, each with templates and print-option pricing already attached.
  • How it works: a checklist of pre-configured demo products — business cards, apparel, signage, stationery and more — that you tick and import in one pass.
  • What it takes: WordPress admin access, five minutes, and a short review afterwards to prune what you don't sell and adjust pricing to your market.

Import sample products WooCommerce Product Designer style: tick a checklist once, click Import, and a stocked catalog with templates and pricing is ready for your team to edit before the store ever goes live.

What does a blank product catalog cost a new WooCommerce store?

A freshly installed Cmsmart Product Designer has no design-enabled products, no templates and no print-option pricing — every one of those has to be built by hand before a customer can design anything. Cmsmart's Import Products screen removes that cold-start cost by seeding a working catalog in minutes.

Before the first sample row is ever imported, a new install asks a lot of a small team:

  • Manual product creation. Every print product — business card, banner, mug, cap — is a separate WooCommerce product that someone has to add, categorize and price.
  • Template building from scratch. The online designer is only useful once a design area and at least one starter template exist on a product; building that the first time, with no reference, is slow.
  • Price-matrix guesswork. Quantity and size tiers for printing options (a gang-sheet sticker run, a multi-side business card job) take real print-industry judgment to set up correctly the first time.
  • Delayed go-live. While the catalog is empty, there is nothing for a developer to demo, nothing for a stakeholder to approve, and no storefront to test checkout against.
  • Staff time that doesn't scale. None of this is billable production work — it's setup overhead that has to happen before the first real order.

What does a stocked, sellable catalog look like on day one?

Instead of a blank Products list, Cmsmart Product Designer can start from roughly two dozen pre-built product types — each carrying its own template or printing-option price matrix — so the first thing your team sees after activation is a browsable, orderable storefront, not an empty admin screen.

Example scenario. A print shop owner installs Cmsmart Product Designer on a fresh WooCommerce store on a Monday morning. By lunchtime they have opened Import Products, kept Business Card, Poster, Banner, Flyer, Sticker and the two "with print option" apparel rows checked, unchecked the stationery types they don't carry, and clicked Import. By the afternoon, the storefront shows live, design-enabled products with real template thumbnails and price tiers, and the first vendor meeting that evening is a walkthrough of a working store instead of a slide deck.

Import sample products WooCommerce Product Designer storefront result: a demo Invitation product with Start and upload design button
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, storefront: a sample product goes live with its own design button the moment it's imported — no theme work required.

Import Sample Products WooCommerce Product Designer: How Does the Import Work?

Cmsmart Product Designer's Import Products screen lists every pre-configured demo product as a checkbox card; Select All toggles them together, Import runs the bulk creation, and Cmsmart writes each selected row to WooCommerce complete with its design template or printing-option price matrix already attached.

Three building blocks make that one click do real work:

  • The product catalog itself. Each checked row becomes a normal WooCommerce product — category, base price and the "online designer" flag are all set, so it's editable like any other product afterwards.
  • Templates and print options. Rows marked Templates (like Business Card, which ships with 20) land with ready-made designs already loaded into the online designer; rows marked Printing options (Sticker, T-shirt with print option, the Business Cards – Advanced Options pair) bring a quantity/size price matrix instead of a flat price.
  • Cmsmart Cloud on the order side. None of this is cosmetic — once a buyer finishes a design on an imported product and checks out, the same rendering pipeline that powers every other product kicks in: Cmsmart Cloud renders the print-ready PDF that matches the order, so the sample catalog behaves exactly like a catalog you built by hand.
Import sample products woocommerce product designer checklist screen with Select All and 23 pre-configured demo products
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, WP Admin → Cmsmart → Catalog & assets → Import Products: every sample row is checked by default; the Templates and Printing options badges flag which ones carry a design template or a price matrix.

Cmsmart insight: the import screen has no per-row preview or "assign to category" step, so the fastest route is importing everything once, then pruning. Don't leave every sample row published, though — a lean demo catalog turns into unrelated clutter in your live Products list within a week. Review and archive what you don't sell before your own products go in alongside it.

What's the business value of starting from a pre-built catalog?

The value isn't the demo products themselves — it's the hours a team doesn't spend building product-designer plumbing (templates, price matrices, design areas) before they can show a working store, test checkout, or start layering in their own branded range.

TaskBuilding it by handImporting sample products
Create a design-enabled WooCommerce productOne at a time, with category/price/designer flag set manuallyPre-filled on every checked row
Attach a starter design templateDesign or source artwork, then upload and position it in the editorAlready loaded (rows with the Templates badge)
Build a quantity/size price matrixNeeds print-pricing experience to avoid under- or over-chargingPre-built (rows with the Printing options badge)
Demo or test the storefrontWaits until the first real product is finishedPossible the same day, using sample rows as placeholders

Rough time-saved worksheet: take the number of product types you'd otherwise have to configure by hand (design area, template, price matrix), multiply by the minutes your team actually spends getting one of those right end to end, and divide by 60 for hours. A shop replacing six product types this way is comparing that figure against the near-zero time it takes to tick six boxes and click Import — the gap is what the Import Products screen buys back for setup work instead of production work.

WooCommerce is the platform this time is spent on either way: it runs 47.6% of all e-commerce systems W3Techs tracks (October 2026), so getting a WooCommerce catalog live faster is a real competitive edge, not a niche concern.

Manager Products screen after importing sample products shows 34 designer products and 29 attached templates
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, Manager Products: after an import, the designer-product count and attached-template count update immediately — the same dashboard you'll use to prune or edit sample rows.

How to Set Up Your Demo Catalog in Cmsmart Product Designer

Setting up sample products takes one visit to Cmsmart → Catalog & assets → Import Products: review the pre-checked list, deselect anything off-brand, click Import, then spend a few minutes confirming pricing and categories before you publish to buyers.

  1. Go to WP Admin → Cmsmart → Catalog & assets → Import Products.
  2. Read the intro line, which explains that these are sample products pre-configured with printing options and templates to help you set up a product quickly.
  3. Leave Select All checked to import every row, or untick it and choose individual cards — Business Card, Poster, Banner, Flyer, Menu, Mug, Door Hanger, Invitation, Phonecase, Cap, Envelope, Label, Sticker, Bag, Pillow, Catalog, Tag, Badge, T-shirt with print option, Business Card – with print option, Poster – with print option, and the two Business Cards – Advanced Options rows.
  4. Note which rows carry a Templates badge (ready-made designs, like Business Card's 20) versus a Printing options badge (a quantity/size price matrix instead of a flat price).
  5. Click Import at the bottom of the list.
  6. The import runs in the background and keeps going even if you close the tab; a menu badge and progress indicator report where it's up to, and any row that fails can be retried from the same screen.
  7. Open Cmsmart → Catalog & assets → Products (Manager Products) to confirm the new rows: the Designer Products and Templates-on-this-page counters update to reflect what just imported.
  8. Open one imported product's edit screen and check its base price, category and (for Printing options rows) its price matrix against your own market before publishing.
  9. Visit the matching storefront product page and confirm the "Start and upload design" / "Design here online" flow opens correctly for a real buyer.

This is a different tool from WooCommerce's own built-in product CSV importer/exporter: the official importer moves data you already have into WooCommerce, while Import Products supplies ready-made demo data — templates and price matrices included — for a designer-enabled store that has none yet.

The settings on this screen are the sample-product checklist itself, not a configuration form — here's what each part controls, what ships checked by default, and where the effect shows up once a buyer visits the store:

Field (as shown)What it doesDefaultRecommended by businessWhere it shows on the storefront
Select AllToggles every sample row on or off togetherChecked (all included)Print shop: keep all, prune after · POD apparel: keep all, then drop non-apparel stationery · B2B: keep all, then feature Catalog + Advanced OptionsControls which products appear in the shop at all
Business Card (Templates 20)Imports the product with 20 ready-made card designs loadedCheckedPrint shop: keep · POD apparel: usually drop · B2B: keep for stationery reordersTemplates panel inside the online designer on the Business Card product page
Sticker (Printing options)Imports with a quantity/size price-matrix instead of one flat priceCheckedPrint shop: keep · POD apparel: keep (die-cut packs) · B2B: drop unless bulk labels are soldA pricing table on the product page before Add to cart
T-shirt with print option (Printing options)Imports an apparel product with size/colour print-option pricingCheckedPOD apparel: keep as the primary SKU · Print shop: optional · B2B: usually dropThe size/colour/print-option selector on the product page
Business Cards – Advanced Options / – Group as Panel (Printing options)Imports the advanced, multi-side price-matrix demo used for grouped print jobsCheckedB2B: keep for quote-style ordering · Print shop: keep · POD apparel: usually dropA grouped panel-option UI on the product page
Import (button)Runs the one-time bulk import of every checked row; not a saved setting—Run once per batch; re-open the screen later to add rows you skippedNew rows appear in Manager Products and the storefront once the background job finishes

Going Further: What Can Cmsmart Build on Top of Your Sample Catalog?

Sample products are a starting shelf, not a finished storefront. Once your own range replaces them, Cmsmart builds what pre-built rows can't cover: bespoke product types, pricing tied to your real costs, and integrations with your existing systems.

  • Custom product types. Gang-sheet builders, 3D car-wrap previews or packaging mockups aren't on the sample list — Cmsmart builds them as custom development, modeled on your real print process.
  • Pricing rules beyond the sample matrix. Tiered B2B price lists, company-level discounts or MOQ rules on top of the imported price-matrix structure.
  • ERP/MIS and print-API sync. Pushing imported-and-edited products, and the orders they generate, into the production system your shop already runs.
  • Bulk, branded re-import. For a multi-location or franchise rollout, Cmsmart can script a larger import pass than this screen's 23 rows, seeded with your own templates instead of the demo set.

One exception: AI Print Preflight is already built into Cmsmart Product Designer, not a custom build. Once real artwork replaces the sample templates, it checks resolution and layout before a job reaches the press, billed from the same AI token wallet as the designer's other AI tools.

That matters most for print-on-demand apparel sellers: the global print-on-demand market is estimated at USD 13.1 billion in 2026 (Grand View Research), and a faster path from "plugin installed" to "first branded product live" is a direct edge in that growth.

Plan my custom product catalog

Why Work With Cmsmart to Build Out Your Catalog?

Cmsmart has run Cmsmart Product Designer (formerly NBDesigner) as a Netbase JSC division since 2012, supporting the plugin, the sample-product import and the custom development that follows it for print shops, POD brands and B2B sellers on WooCommerce.

  • 6,300+ client projects and 4,600+ delivered since 2012, with 1,800+ stores live today across 80+ countries.
  • 500+ custom-development projects completed alongside the core plugin, and 120+ client engagements running five years or more.
  • Rated 4.2 on Trustpilot (404 reviews).

From a published review: "We have had the NB Designer plugin installed for three years and have experienced absolutely no problems during that time… The designer works exceptionally well across all devices and allows us to create the exact customisations required to perfectly fit our products and our business model." — Web Developer, Trustpilot, September 2026.

See how the core plugin and the custom work fit together on the Cmsmart Product Designer plugin page, or start from the web-to-print solutions hub. For tailored design-feature work beyond the sample catalog, see the product designer customization service.

Online designer opened on an imported sample product showing a ready-made Invitation template on the canvas
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, storefront online designer: a template attached by the sample-product import opens straight into the editor, ready for a buyer to personalize.
Mobile view of an imported sample product page with the design button above Add to cart
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, mobile (390px) product page: an imported sample product is mobile-ready from the moment it's created, no separate mobile build.
How would you like to design chooser with upload a full design or design here online options
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0: imported products with a print-option price matrix still offer buyers the same choice — upload artwork or design online — before they confirm pricing.
Video thumbnail: How to download Cmsmart Product Designer and kickstart your ecommerce fast
Video: How to Download Cmsmart Product Designer & Kickstart Your Ecommerce Fast (Cmsmart on YouTube) — the install step that comes right before this Import Products screen.

Related chapters in this admin settings guide: start from the installation and setup hub, then see the full WooCommerce Product Designer back-end settings guide, the printing options price-matrix setup guide for the pricing your imported products use, and print-ready PDF output settings for what happens after an imported product gets its first order.

Frequently asked questions about importing sample products

Does importing sample products place real orders or charge me anything?

No. Importing only creates WooCommerce products with their design templates or printing-option price matrices attached; nothing is sold and no payment is taken until you publish a product and a buyer orders it.

Can I re-run the import later or add rows I skipped the first time?

Yes. Revisit Cmsmart → Catalog & assets → Import Products whenever you like; the import runs in the background, survives closing the tab, and a progress indicator and menu badge report where a batch is up to, with a retry option for anything that fails.

Which sample products come with a price matrix instead of a flat price?

Rows carrying the Printing options badge — Sticker, T-shirt with print option, Business Card – with print option, Poster – with print option, and the two Business Cards – Advanced Options rows — import with a quantity/size pricing table already built.

I only sell apparel — do I need to import all 23 sample rows?

No. Untick Select All and choose only the rows relevant to your range, such as T-shirt with print option; the rest of the list stays untouched and can be imported later if you expand your catalog.

Do the imported templates match our brand, or are they placeholders?

They're demo placeholders meant to prove the design and pricing flow works end to end. Replace the artwork and template set with your own designs — or have Cmsmart build a branded template set as custom development — before sending buyers to the live product.

How do I pay securely?

Contracts and payments go to the company, Netbase JSC: plans are paid through PayPal; services are invoiced by Netbase JSC under a written proposal and paid by bank transfer to Netbase JSC's company account or by PayPal Business. Cmsmart (Cmsmart Ecommerce) is the ecommerce brand of Netbase JSC, a company based in Hanoi, Vietnam.

How do I contact Cmsmart or get a quote?

Message the Cmsmart team on WhatsApp at +84 937 869 689 or email project@cmsmart.net; the contact page at cmsmart.net/contact lists every channel, and Request a quote (cmsmart.net/project-proposal) sends a project brief. Customers with a licence open a ticket from the dashboard.

Further reading