Applies to Cmsmart Product Designer (formerly NBDesigner) 2.18.0 · Updated October 2026. Covers WP Admin > Cmsmart > Orders, the order detail screen (production timeline, shipping & fulfillment, internal notes, Create PDF) and the WooCommerce order screen's Customer Design approval box.

In short

  • Outcome: review, approve or reject a customer's artwork, start production and track shipping from one order screen instead of emailing proofs back and forth.
  • How it works: the Orders dashboard lives in WP Admin > Cmsmart; the Customer Design box sits on the WooCommerce order screen so approval, notes and the print-ready PDF stay with the order.
  • What it takes: no extra setup — a few Settings > General fields decide who gets notified when a design is approved.

WooCommerce design order approval settings decide how fast a custom print order moves from upload to press-ready, and most shops never open the screen that controls it. Cmsmart Product Designer puts order status, shipping, Customer Design approval and the print-ready PDF on one order — this guide shows every field, its default, and what to change for a print shop, a POD apparel store or a B2B account.

What does manual artwork approval really cost your print shop?

Cmsmart Product Designer keeps the proof, the approval decision and the print file on the order itself, so a manual email thread stops being the system of record. The cost of the status quo shows up as staff minutes per order, reprints from stale files, and orders that quietly sit in "awaiting review" for days.

Before a shop puts approval on one screen, the pain usually looks the same regardless of what is being printed:

  • Proofs live in email. A PNG goes out, "looks good" comes back three days later, and nobody owns the thread once the sender is out sick.
  • The wrong file goes to press. Someone attaches an older version because the latest one was in a different email — the reprint comes out of the shop's margin.
  • Tracking lives in a spreadsheet. WooCommerce says "Processing" while the real production stage exists only in someone's head or a shared sheet.
  • Nobody can say how long review takes. Without a timestamped approval, "how long does a proof sit" is a guess, not a number you can improve.
  • Staff manually reconcile orders and files. Matching an order to a design file, a tracking number and a note across tabs is unpaid admin time.
Manual email approvalCmsmart Orders approval
Proof sent as an email attachment; approval tracked in whoever's inbox repliedDesign, approval status and notes live on the order in Cmsmart Orders
Reprints happen when an older file version ships by mistakeCreate PDF's default settings always match the order's certified print-ready file (2.17)
Anyone with file access can resave over an approved designThe approved-artwork lock refuses the save with a clear message
Tracking number lives in a spreadsheet or the carrier's own siteTracking number and ship date save on the order's Shipping & fulfillment panel

What would approval look like if nothing sat in an inbox?

Cmsmart Product Designer turns proof-and-approve into a same-screen action: an admin opens the order, checks the design, clicks Accept, and the proof status updates immediately — no attachment, no separate thread, nothing else to check before the job goes to print.

Example scenario: a buyer finishes a design and checks out. Next morning, an admin opens Cmsmart Orders, filters to awaiting review, checks the uploaded design, clicks Accept and GO, types one line, and sends the notify mail. The timeline moves to in production, the print-ready PDF is already rendered, and the file is one click away on Download design — no email thread, no guessing which file is current.

How does Cmsmart's order and approval screen work?

Cmsmart Product Designer's Orders dashboard, order detail screen and the WooCommerce Customer Design box work together: the dashboard shows every order's status, the order detail screen holds shipping, payment and notes, and the Customer Design box approves, rejects and emails the artwork back to the customer.

WP Admin > Cmsmart > Orders lists every order with status, time and type filters, bulk actions and Export CSV:

WooCommerce design order approval settings: Cmsmart Product Designer Orders dashboard with status and payment filters
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.18.0, WP Admin > Cmsmart > Orders — every order with production status, revenue and carts-pending count.

Opening an order shows a production timeline (Placed → Paid → Awaiting review → In production → Shipped → Delivered), line items with each print file, Shipping & fulfillment, Payment, Internal notes, and Quick actions:

Cmsmart Product Designer order detail screen with production timeline, shipping and tracking, and internal notes
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.18.0, Orders > Order detail — the production timeline, shipping & fulfillment, payment and internal notes.

The approve/reject control sits in the Customer Design box on the standard WooCommerce order screen (HPOS-compatible since 2.17): check the design, pick Accept or Reject under "With selected," click GO, then optionally write a reason and send the notify mail:

Customer Design box before approval, with the design unchecked and no artwork accepted yet
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.18.0, Customer Design box — before approval: unchecked.
Customer Design box after approval, with the design checked, Accept and GO applied
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.18.0, Customer Design box — after approval: checked, Accept + GO applied.

Once approved, saving over the design is refused — the approved-artwork lock (2.17). Create PDF's default settings produce the print-ready PDF that matches the order (2.17): the same paper size, margin and bleed the automatic export and Cmsmart Cloud use. Changing those settings builds a custom layout instead; Regenerate print-ready PDF re-renders the certified file whenever the design changes:

Create PDF tab with print-ready PDF status, paper size, margin and bleed line settings
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.18.0, Order detail > Create PDF — default settings behind the print-ready PDF, plus layout and Regenerate controls.

Download design exports per-design production formats: SVG, high-resolution PNG, CMYK JPG with an ICC profile, and PDF:

Download design tab with SVG, PNG, CMYK JPG with ICC profile and PDF export buttons
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.18.0, Order detail > Download design — SVG, PNG, CMYK JPG with ICC profile and PDF.

The table below lists every field above, with its default and a recommended value for three common setups.

Field (as shown)What it doesDefaultRecommended valueWhere it shows on the storefront
Tracking numberCarrier tracking numberEmptyPrint shop: at label print · POD: from supplier · B2B: before fulfillmentShown to buyer after Mark as shipped
Est. ship dateDate you expect to shipEmptyPrint shop: next day · POD: per supplier SLA · B2B: per PO termsShown with tracking after shipping
Internal notesAdmin-only log; status changes auto-notedEmpty + auto status notesPrint shop: press instructions · POD: supplier routing · B2B: PO contactNever shown to the customer
With selected: Accept / Reject + GOBulk-approves or rejects the checked design(s)No design checkedPrint shop: same-day · POD: daily batch · B2B: route to account manager firstFlips the buyer's proof pill, triggers the approved-artwork lock
Reason accepted / declined + Files accepted / Send mailWrites and sends the customer-facing approval messageEmpty reason; "Files accepted" defaultPrint shop: state the fix · POD: template DPI issues · B2B: note the CCCustomer receives the notify email
Download allDownloads every design file for the ordern/a (button)Print shop: before the press run · POD: before batch export · B2B: before hand-offAdmin-only
Paper Size / Product size / Margin / Show Bleed Line (Create PDF)Layout Create PDF renders when changed from default"As product size"; Bleed: No; margin 0Print shop: enable bleed + margin · POD: leave default · B2B: match the dielineAdmin/production only
Regenerate print-ready PDFRe-renders the certified fileAuto on Process/status; manual any timePrint shop: after any edit · POD: rarely needed · B2B: before releaseBuyer's proof pill reads "Ready" once current
Design file type download (SVG / PNG / JPG CMYK with ICC / PDF)Production formats an admin can exportAll four availablePrint shop: CMYK JPG · POD: PNG for DTF/DTG · B2B: SVG for prepressAdmin/production only
Send mail to admins when approve designs / Admin emails (Settings → General)Pings a second admin mailbox on approvalNo / blankPrint shop: on with 2+ reviewers · POD: off · B2B: on, list the managerInternal only, separate from the customer Send mail action

Cmsmart insight: Create PDF ships with Show Bleed Line set to No and the margin at zero, matching the product's exact size. That is the right default for a file a customer downloads to preview, but it is the wrong file to hand an offset press — add bleed and a safe margin before export, or the shop (not the plugin) absorbs the trim risk.

What's the business value of approving artwork inside Cmsmart?

Cmsmart Product Designer turns "someone eventually looked at the proof" into a timestamped, order-attached decision, which shows up as fewer reprints, a shorter awaiting-review stage, and an admin team that can say exactly where every job stands without opening email.

BenefitHow it shows up in your businessKPI to track
Faster proof turnaroundApprove/reject happens on the order, not an email thread someone has to findHours from Awaiting review to In production
Fewer reprints from stale filesCreate PDF always matches the order's certified print-ready file (2.17)Reprint rate per month
No accidental overwrite of approved artThe approved-artwork lock refuses saves over an approved itemApproved-order edit incidents
Admin time backOne dashboard replaces inbox searches, a tracking sheet and a notes docAdmin minutes per order reviewed

ROI worksheet — plug in your own numbers: orders needing proof review per month (O) × minutes saved per order by reviewing on the order instead of email (M) × your admin's hourly cost (H) = monthly review time saved. Add avoided reprints separately: your reprint rate × your cost per reprint.

How do you set up WooCommerce design order approval settings in Cmsmart?

Cmsmart Product Designer needs no extra install for order approval — it ships on the order screen — but setting the notification fields in Settings > General first means the right people hear about a new design or an approval the moment it happens, instead of someone checking the Orders dashboard on a guess.

Part A — configure who gets notified (WooCommerce → Settings → Cmsmart → General):

  1. Go to Settings > General, Notifications section.
  2. Set Admin notifications to Yes for an email whenever a design is saved or changed (default: Yes).
  3. Set Recurrence (default: Hourly) so active sessions don't flood your inbox.
  4. Enter Recipients, comma-separated — blank falls back to the site admin email.
  5. Set Send mail to admins when approve designs to Yes if a second person should know a proof was approved (default: No).
  6. Enter Admin emails who receive notification when designs approved if you turned the previous setting on.
Cmsmart Settings General notification fields: admin notifications, recurrence, recipients and send mail to admins when approve designs
Cmsmart Product Designer, WP Admin > Cmsmart > Settings > General — the admin notification fields behind the last two rows of the settings table above.

Part B — review and approve an order:

  1. Open WP Admin > Cmsmart > Orders and filter by status, e.g. "Awaiting review."
  2. Click into the order for the production timeline, line items and print file.
  3. Scroll to the Customer Design box on the WooCommerce order screen; use View detail for a closer look.
  4. Check the design, choose Accept or Reject under "With selected," click GO.
  5. Type a reason in "Reason accepted / declined," confirm the Files-accepted dropdown, click Send mail.
  6. On the order detail screen, open Create PDF, confirm Print-ready PDF reads Ready; Regenerate if the design changed.
  7. Fill Tracking number and Est. ship date under Shipping & fulfillment, click Save shipping info.
  8. Add production notes in Internal notes, click Save note — admin-only.
  9. Click Mark as shipped, or use Quick actions to download the print PDF, refund or cancel.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Approving without writing a reason — a bare approval email tells the customer nothing if a problem shows up later.
  • Changing Create PDF's layout settings just to see what happens — that builds a custom layout, not the certified print-ready file.
  • Marking an order shipped before saving the tracking number — the Shipping & fulfillment fields belong together.

Troubleshooting

  • Customer Design box missing from the order screen. Confirm you're on 2.17+; the box was fixed to load there that release.
  • Print-ready PDF still shows the old design. Click Regenerate — an edited design queues a fresh render, but a stale certificate won't update itself.
  • Customer never got the approval email. Check Send mail was actually clicked — approving and notifying are separate actions.

Related chapters: the installation hub, the artwork approval workflow guide (buyer-facing side), exporting a design as PDF, and per-product settings.

What can Cmsmart build on top of order approval?

Cmsmart's team builds custom development on top of the standard Orders and Customer Design screens when a shop's approval chain is more than one reviewer clicking Accept — multi-level B2B sign-off, ERP/MIS status sync and a branded customer approval portal are common requests from stores that outgrow the default flow.

  • ERP/MIS production sync. Re-keying status and tracking wastes time; Cmsmart builds the two-way integration.
  • Multi-level B2B sign-off. One Accept/Reject isn't enough when a client's approver signs off after your account manager; Cmsmart adds a second approval stage before the artwork lock applies.
  • Branded customer approval portal. The stock WooCommerce order-view page looks unfinished next to a custom storefront; Cmsmart builds a white-labeled proof page to match your brand.
  • Reject-reason routing and SMS/WhatsApp alerts. Email gets missed on rush orders; Cmsmart routes a reject reason outside the inbox.
  • Reprint and defect analytics. Orders and Files show single orders, not patterns; Cmsmart builds a rollup dashboard surfacing the products or vendors driving the most rejects.

Delivery follows the same path for all of these: discovery call, solution design, build sprints, QA, launch and support — see real examples on our delivery model and project case studies.

Get a custom approval-workflow quote

Why work with Cmsmart on your approval workflow?

Cmsmart has built and supported Cmsmart Product Designer since 2012 as a division of Netbase JSC, with order-approval and print-ready PDF features shipped and documented in public release notes, not just promised — the same team that builds the plugin builds the custom approval workflows on top of it.

Cmsmart is a Netbase JSC division running web-to-print and WooCommerce projects since 2012: 6,300+ client projects, 4,600+ delivered, across 80+ countries. Reviews are public and verified: 4.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot (404 reviews). Browse real delivery work, the Cmsmart Product Designer product page, the web-to-print solutions hub, or product designer customization services if your approval chain needs more than the default screen.

Frequently asked questions

How long does artwork review take with Cmsmart versus email?

No fixed number — it depends on your team — but the proof, Accept/Reject and the notify-mail button all sit on one order, so a reviewer never searches an inbox first. The buyer's proof pill updates the moment you act.

Does Cmsmart stop someone from accidentally overwriting approved artwork?

Yes. Since 2.17, saving over an already-approved design is refused on the server, from any link or open designer tab. Shops needing a different rule can adjust the nbd_ordered_design_edit_locked filter.

Can more than one person approve designs?

Send mail to admins when approve designs plus a comma-separated admin email list let several people hear about an approval. A true multi-step sign-off — account manager, then client — is custom development.

What happens if I edit a design after the order already shows Ready?

Editing an ordered design queues a new print-ready render, flags the order as changed, returns a declined proof to pending review, and adds an order note (2.17).

Can Cmsmart sync order status to our ERP or MIS automatically?

Not out of the box — that's an integration. Cmsmart builds the connector that pushes status to your ERP or MIS and back, so nobody re-types updates.

Does Cmsmart check print file quality before I approve it?

That's separate: AI Preflight checks a design in the Cmsmart Cloud AI tools, with its own toggle and audience setting. It runs in the design tool, not this screen, and spends wallet tokens rather than being part of the free approval flow.