Cmsmart Product Designer Settings Guide: Complete WP Admin

Applies to Cmsmart Product Designer (NBDesigner) 2.17.0 · Updated October 2026. Every screen below is from a live 2.17.0 install; fields and defaults are read from the admin, not from memory.

In short

  • The outcome: a settings guide that maps every Cmsmart screen in WP Admin, so your team configures the plugin on purpose instead of leaving it on whatever shipped by default.
  • How it works: install and activate the plugin, then work through one settings table per screen group — General, Upload design, Output, Printing Options and the rest — each with its default, a recommended value per business type, and where the effect actually shows up.
  • What it takes: about one working session to install, activate and tune the handful of settings that matter before your first real order; everything else can wait.

Cmsmart Product Designer (formerly NBDesigner) adds more than a dozen screens to WordPress admin, and most are never opened after install. This hub covers installing and activating the plugin, the settings that change storefront and production behavior, and links to the deeper chapter on the full tab set.

What does it cost your print business when Cmsmart Product Designer stays on default settings?

Every setting left on its factory default is a guess made by someone who never saw your products. Cmsmart Product Designer ships with reasonable defaults, but a print shop, a POD apparel brand and a B2B supplier need different answers for resolution, mobile behavior and file handling — and nothing in the admin says which is which.

  • Low-resolution files reach production. Default output resolution is 150 DPI for every product; a litho job usually wants 300.
  • No one notices the print-ready PDF isn't automatic. With Auto export off, a staff member must open Create PDF by hand on every order.
  • Watermarked files go out after the sale. Watermark defaults to Always, including files a buyer downloads after paying.
  • Uploads nobody can use. Allowed file types defaults to a short list; a B2B shop taking agency artwork often needs ai, eps or tif added.
  • Staff time lost hunting through tabs — there's no map of which of the eleven Settings tabs holds which field.

This is not a small audience: WooCommerce itself reports 4M+ online stores, representing 31% of the top one million ecommerce sites (Store Leads data, accessed 2026-10-05) — most never touching a plugin's defaults after install.

What would it look like if every Cmsmart screen matched the way your business actually works?

Picture opening Cmsmart's admin menu for the first time and already knowing what each entry does and which two or three fields actually matter. Cmsmart Product Designer's settings don't change after that first pass very often, so getting them right once means every order afterward behaves the way your business needs, not the way the plugin happened to ship.

Example scenario. An operations lead at a POD apparel shop opens the Cmsmart menu for the first time and finds eleven unfamiliar entries under five section headers. Instead of guessing, they work through a settings guide screen by screen: resolution, watermark, upload rules, mobile behavior. By the end, every setting has a reason behind it, and the shop's first real order that week needs no manual rework before it reaches the printer.

How does Cmsmart Product Designer organize every screen across WP Admin?

Cmsmart Product Designer groups its screens under one Cmsmart menu plus a Settings tab set under WooCommerce > Settings. Overview and Update Center sit alone; Sales, Production, Catalog & Assets, Configuration and Content & AI group the rest; Settings & System holds the eleven settings tabs, License, System info, Tools and Ticket.

Cmsmart Product Designer settings guide: Cmsmart Overview dashboard in WP Admin showing revenue, orders in production and quick links to every settings screen
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, WP Admin > Cmsmart > Overview: the dashboard every other screen in this guide is reached from.

The table below is the map: every screen, one line on what it controls, and a link to its own chapter once it exists. Screens without a published chapter yet point at the Community hub rather than a dead link.

Menu > submenuWhat it controlsChapter
Cmsmart > OverviewRevenue, orders, alerts and shortcutsThis chapter
Cmsmart > Update CenterPlugin update historyNot yet published
Cmsmart > OrdersEvery design order and its production statusNot yet published
Cmsmart > Custom quotesQuote requests before they become ordersNot yet published
Cmsmart > ClientsCustomers who ordered or requested a quoteNot yet published
Cmsmart > FilesEvery uploaded and designed file, searchableNot yet published
Cmsmart > ProductsWhich products have the designer enabledNot yet published
Cmsmart > Import ProductsBulk-create design-enabled products from a feedNot yet published
Cmsmart > Design LauncherShortcuts into a product's editor for staffNot yet published
Cmsmart > TemplateReady-made templates buyers can start fromNot yet published
Cmsmart > ClipartsThe clipart library inside the editorNot yet published
Cmsmart > FontsFonts offered in the editor's text toolNot yet published
Cmsmart > BackgroundsBackground images and colors per productNot yet published
Cmsmart > Printing OptionsPrice matrices, reusable across productsNot yet published
Cmsmart > Quote form builderFields on the public Request a Quote formNot yet published
Cmsmart > Template FieldsMaps template placeholders to order dataNot yet published
Cmsmart > Template TagsTaxonomy to filter templates by categoryNot yet published
Cmsmart > Printing FAQsFAQ accordion on design-enabled product pagesNot yet published
Cmsmart > Cmsmart CloudAI Tools, Storage and Billing: preflight, rendering, tokensNot yet published
WooCommerce > Settings > Cmsmart (eleven tabs: General, Appearance, Design Tool, Colors, Upload design, Output, Libraries, Printing Options, Request Quote, Designers, Live chat & Design monitor)Store-wide settings, field by fieldSettings deep-dive
Cmsmart > LicenseActivation, plan and re-syncThis chapter, below
Cmsmart > System infoPHP/WordPress/WooCommerce versions, server checksNot yet published
Cmsmart > ToolsScheduled actions, cache, diagnosticsNot yet published
Cmsmart > TicketSupport ticket submission from WP AdminNot yet published
Products > (edit) > Setting Cmsmart boxEnable Design and the design/product area, per productThis chapter, below
Printing Options list in wp-admin showing option sets such as Business card, T-shirt and Advanced Options with their assigned products
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, WP Admin > Cmsmart > Printing Options: each option set and its price matrix is reusable across every product you assign it to.

Related chapters. This post is the hub. For the full field-by-field walkthrough, read the WooCommerce Product Designer settings guide; not installed yet? Start with the free 30-day trial. Rows marked Not yet published above link to their own chapter as the series grows. See also our web-to-print solutions overview and the Cmsmart Product Designer product page.

What's the business value of getting these Cmsmart Product Designer settings right?

Configuring Cmsmart Product Designer once, instead of default, turns into fewer reprints, less staff time on manual PDF exports, and files that match what you sell. None of it needs a new dashboard — ordinary store metrics already track it.

SettingLeft at defaultConfigured for your business
Auto export design to PDFOff — staff open Create PDF by handOn — the print-ready PDF that matches the order is already waiting in Orders
WatermarkAlways — even after the order is paidBefore complete order — clean file once the buyer has paid
Default output resolution – DPI150 regardless of print method300 for litho/offset, 150–200 for DTG or sublimation
Allowed file typesjpg, pdf, psd, iddd for every shopExtended with ai, eps or tif for B2B agency artwork

Where misconfigured settings cost you (use your own numbers):

  • Staff minutes saved per month = orders/month × minutes per manual PDF × share affected while Auto export is off.
  • Reprints avoided per month = orders/month × (current reprint rate − expected rate once resolution matches your print method).

Cmsmart Product Designer settings guide: how do you install, activate and configure every screen?

Upload the plugin .zip, activate it, connect a license in the setup wizard, then open WooCommerce > Settings > Cmsmart to configure the tabs that change buyer and production behavior. Cmsmart Product Designer's defaults are generic; the table below shows each setting, its default and what to change it to.

Install and activate:

  1. Upload. WordPress admin > Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, choose the plugin .zip, click Install Now.
  2. Activate. Click Activate Plugin — a new Cmsmart menu appears, and a fresh install opens the setup wizard.
  3. Connect a license. Enter your store email and click Activate my license: it finds an existing license or starts a 30-day trial automatically, no key to paste.
  4. General setup. Pick the dimension unit and font subset — two General tab fields covered below.
  5. NBD Pages. Keep Create default NBDesigner pages ticked, then finish on the overview shown above.
WordPress Plugins screen showing the active Cmsmart Product Designer plugin, version 2.17.0, requiring WooCommerce
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, WP Admin > Plugins: the row that confirms the version and the WooCommerce requirement after activation.
Video thumbnail for how to activate a license key on the Cmsmart Product Designer WooCommerce plugin
Video: how to activate your license key (Cmsmart on YouTube).

If you skip the wizard, activate later under Cmsmart > License.

The settings table. Field names are exactly as shown in WooCommerce > Settings > Cmsmart; default is what a fresh 2.17.0 install shows unless noted.

Cmsmart Product Designer General Settings tab showing default design editor layout, output DPI, dimensions unit and hide design editor on smartphones options
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, WP Admin > Cmsmart > Settings > General.
Field (General tab unless noted)What it doesDefaultRecommended — print shop / POD apparel / B2BWhere it shows on the storefront
Default design editor layoutEditor a buyer getsModernAll three: keep Modern (Classic is deprecated)The editor after Design here online
Default output resolution – DPIResolution baked into exports150Print shop: 300; POD apparel: 150–200; B2B: 300Not visible — changes the file only
Dimensions UnitUnits for sizing the design areadefault: as installedUS shops: in/ft; metric shops: cm/mm; digital POD: pxUnits staff see when sizing an area
Hide design editor on smartphonesBlocks the designer on phonesNoPOD/B2B: keep No; complex print products can test YesMobile capture below: button stays visible
Allow save design for laterLets a buyer resume laterYesKeep Yes for all threeA resume-design link for return visits
Watermark (Output tab)Stamps files before they're a paid orderAlwaysShops exposing pre-purchase downloads: Before complete orderOn any file a buyer downloads pre-checkout
Auto export design to PDF (Output tab)Renders the print-ready PDF in the backgroundNoAll three: turn this onNone visible; changes what's waiting in Orders
Order status for auto export design (Output tab)Status that triggers that renderCompletedB2B/print shop: Processing for a head startHow soon staff see a ready PDF
Allowed file types (Upload design tab)Extensions the upload chooser acceptsjpg,pdf,psd,idddB2B/agency files: add ai,eps,tifExactly what the chooser below allows
Max upload size (Upload design tab)Largest file a buyer can upload100 MBB2B with large print files: raise itAccept/reject at the chooser
Upload design settings tab listing allowed file types, max upload size and minimum resolution DPI for customer uploads
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, WP Admin > Cmsmart > Settings > Upload design.
Output settings tab showing watermark, PDF password, show bleed and the Auto export design to PDF synchronize options
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, WP Admin > Cmsmart > Settings > Output — this is also where AI preflight is linked to Cmsmart Cloud.

Cmsmart insight: if you only check two fields before your first real order, make them General > Default output resolution and Output > Auto export design to PDF. Those two decide whether that first order needs manual rework or lands print-ready on its own.

Before and after on the storefront. Two settings above have a visible effect a buyer actually sees:

Storefront chooser offering Upload a full design or Design here online, the buyer-facing result of the Upload design and per-product settings
The Upload design tab's Allowed file types and a product's Enable Upload Design checkbox together decide what shows in this chooser.
Mobile product page at 390 pixels wide still showing the design button, the visible effect of Hide design editor on smartphones set to No
General > Hide design editor on smartphones is No by default, so the design button stays on a 390px phone screen.

Enable the designer on a first product:

  1. Go to Products and edit a product.
  2. In the Setting Cmsmart box, tick Enable Design. Optionally tick Enable Upload Design and Enable Upload Without Design.
  3. Set the Product area and Design area, and choose the Modern editor layout.
  4. Update the product and open it on the storefront — the chooser and design button now appear for buyers.
WooCommerce product edit screen with the Setting Cmsmart box showing Enable Design and Enable Upload Design ticked
Cmsmart Product Designer 2.17.0, WP Admin > Products > (edit product): the Setting Cmsmart box that turns the designer on per product.

Common mistakes and troubleshooting:

  • Raising DPI without checking Imagick. JPG export and CMYK/ICC conversion need the PHP Imagick extension, or downloads fail silently.
  • Editing Allowed file types without Disallowed file types. A conflicting entry in both produces a confusing rejection instead of a clear format list.
  • Warnings about max_input_vars or max_file_uploads. Large Printing Options groups or multi-side designs need those PHP limits raised.
  • Status stuck on Expired or LITE after renewing. Use Re-sync licence on the License page — status is cached for up to 6 hours.

What can Cmsmart build beyond the standard settings screens?

The settings tabs cover what every store needs: resolution, file handling, pricing display. Cmsmart, a custom development partner since 2012, builds what one specific business needs on top — production integrations, custom pricing logic and branded editor tools — delivered with discovery, design, sprints, QA, launch and support.

  • MIS/ERP and production integration. The Output tab already syncs files to FTP, SFTP, Dropbox, S3 or Google Cloud Storage. Cmsmart builds the next step as custom development: pushing order data into your MIS or ERP so nobody re-keys it.
  • Pricing beyond the price matrix. For MOQ tiers, custom formulas or B2B price lists, Cmsmart builds a pricing engine for your store.
  • Branded editor tools. When a catalogue needs more than the standard toolset, Cmsmart builds custom tools, templates and product-specific rules on top of the Modern editor.
  • Done-for-you setup. Skip the tab-by-tab work: Cmsmart's product designer customization service installs, configures and loads a print-shop preset for you.

Get my Cmsmart settings configured for me

Why work with Cmsmart on your Product Designer setup?

Cmsmart has built ecommerce and web-to-print stores since 2012 as a division of Netbase JSC, with 6,300+ client projects behind it. The settings table above comes from a live 2.17.0 install, not a manual — Cmsmart's own setup work on client stores is where that detail comes from.

6,300+ client projects and 500+ custom development projects since 2012 (WorkSuite project records, Sep 2026), rated 4.2 on Trustpilot (404 reviews). See real work on our projects page.

"The plugin used is really top, time saving and complete features. Ultra easy installation and configuration," writes Adrien Darmon, a verified Trustpilot reviewer (France, 2024 review).

Frequently asked questions

What DPI should I actually use for Default output resolution?

150 is the default and is fine for on-screen previews. For anything going to an offset or litho press, 300 is the safer setting; DTG and sublimation printers usually tolerate 150–200.

Is the Classic editor layout still an option?

It's still selectable per product, but the General tab marks it "deprecated" and the plugin has stopped adding features to it. Modern is the recommended default.

Why does Watermark default to Always, and should I change it?

Always protects every downloadable file, including ones a buyer grabs after paying. If your checkout never exposes a download link before payment, Before complete order is usually the better fit.

My license shows Expired or LITE even though I just renewed. What do I do?

Open Cmsmart > License and click Re-sync licence. The plugin caches license status for up to 6 hours, and this forces an immediate check against the server.

Can these settings connect to our MIS or ERP?

Not out of the box. Cmsmart builds that connection as a custom development project once your order and file flow is running on the standard settings.

Where is AI preflight configured?

Not on the Output tab itself — a note there points to Cmsmart > Cmsmart Cloud > AI Tools, where preflight is enabled, given a required DPI, and set to run on orders.