Review orders and hand approved designs to production
Production starts with a paid order and the exact design version that the customer approved. Staff should review those records together before preparing the machine. The Personalizer workspace records workflow progress; it does not send operating commands to equipment.
Jump to a step
On this page: 1. Locate the order and approved version · 2. Compare the proof with the physical item · 3. Download the staff source pack · 4. Prepare the job in the manufacturer workflow · 5. Record production and completion
1. Locate the order and approved version
Open the order in its commerce provider and confirm the purchased product, variation, options, shipping information and payment state. Then open Personalizer and locate the corresponding entry in Engraving workspace or Order production jobs.
Check the design and approval associated with that order line. A customer may have several drafts or two different personalized copies of the same SKU. Use the order-linked snapshot rather than whichever draft was most recently edited. Approval alone is not evidence that the order has been paid.
2. Compare the proof with the physical item
Inspect every saved face, the names and dates, crop, margins and selected option. For crystal jobs, compare the 3D preview with the saved 2D artwork reference. For model jobs, inspect the original model and approved pose.
Confirm that the real blank or print material matches the ordered SKU, size and material. If the source cannot be manufactured as approved, pause the job and use your normal customer-review process. Do not silently substitute a different crop, product, material or machine result.
3. Download the staff source pack
Use the protected staff download for the order. The pack contains its manifest, approval information, dimensions, recipe and available original images, saved proof PNGs and model sources. Keep the pack with your normal controlled production records.
Read the included instructions. The source pack is not a machine-ready program, not proof of payment and not a calibrated internal laser point cloud. Access currently requires an administrator with the manage_options capability; a dedicated production-staff permission is not yet provided. Do not distribute administrator credentials to solve a staffing workflow.
4. Prepare the job in the manufacturer workflow
Import the appropriate source into your established preparation software. Confirm physical dimensions, orientation, origin, safe area and the material profile. Run the checks and sample tests your equipment requires. For filament printing, review slicing, supports and toolpaths; for laser processes, use your confirmed material and machine settings.
The approved recipe documents the customer composition. It does not determine exposure, passes, focus, power, speed or thermal behavior. Your operator remains responsible for converting the source into a verified production job using the actual machine workflow.
5. Record production and completion
Once the order is in the required paid state and your team is ready, use Start production. This changes the job workflow status only. Operate the machine through your normal controls, inspect the finished item against the proof, and use Mark completed when the production task is complete.
The server rejects unsupported skipped, reversed or stale transitions. If an order is refunded, canceled or otherwise changed, review it in the commerce provider and stop or adjust your physical workflow as appropriate. A web status update does not automatically stop a machine that is already running.
Update manual machine status and Accept new production orders separately to communicate capacity. Job completion does not establish live telemetry. Keep delivery and fulfillment updates in the commerce provider, and retain source files under the shop’s stated retention policy.
About the restricted Pro connection preview
Cloud slicing, printer connections, production notifications and customer webcams belong to Pro. Help4WordPress offers a restricted cloud-slicing preview on the filament demo. Camera viewing has its own owner setup and remains off until a camera is paired. Direct manufacturer integrations are coming soon.
After setup, a signed-in purchasing customer can view updating camera snapshots for an eligible paid order while staff run the machine. The preview does not capture a camera itself, stream continuous video, report machine telemetry or send production commands. The owner can turn it off centrally.
Restricted Pro camera-preview setup (off by default)
Eligibility and the owner switch
Core editing, product setup, proofs and configured product-and-option quotes are free. Pre-sliced filament uploads, material-rate estimates and merchant review are included in the free core. Connected production is the restricted development preview for future Pro printer connections, notifications and customer webcams. The separate Pro cloud-slicing panel can now prepare an STL using the offered experimental profile on a private worker. WordPress forwards the job and reads the result; it does not run the slicer. Its production allowlist is exactly https://help4wordpress.com and https://www.help4wordpress.com. Other sites keep the free editor and commerce features without this preview.
The owner switch is off by default. On an eligible site, open Personalizer > Connected production and select Enable connected production preview only when the shop is ready to pair its camera and test access. Keep transactional email off during setup. A host can force the preview off in wp-config.php with this constant:
define( 'H4PE_CONNECTED_DISABLED', true );Turning the owner switch off closes all viewing windows. Saving any owner setting revokes current connector keys and viewing permissions, so cameras must be paired again. This switch controls the website preview; operate and stop physical equipment using its normal controls.
Pair a shop-controlled JPEG source
Register an enabled production machine first. Under Pair a camera snapshot connector, enter the camera name, choose its approved machine and select Save and pair camera. Store the one-time pairing configuration in a private file outside the website, repository and shared folders. Never paste the key into a page or support message.
The reference connector needs Python 3.10 or later and a camera application that writes a fresh JPEG. It does not discover cameras or capture from a webcam itself. Configure the shop camera application to isolate this customer’s work and exclude other people and orders. Use one connector process per pairing.
Use JPEGs no larger than 256 KB and 1920 × 1080 pixels, replace the export file atomically and keep the computer clock synchronized. A source file older than about ten seconds is rejected. Pairing signs outbound heartbeats and snapshot messages; it does not establish manufacturer telemetry or dispatch.
python3 help4-camera-connector.py --config /private/path/pairing.jsonConfirm a paid run and let its customer view
Choose an existing paid Personalizer job on the camera’s approved machine. Confirm that the camera shows only that customer’s work, then choose Confirm production has started. This records the staff confirmation; it does not start the laser or printer. A run supports one paid order line and one isolated camera view. Shared customer plates are not supported; a reprint needs a new confirmed run.
The purchasing customer must sign in. They can open Watch my production run from their WooCommerce order, or from a private account page containing the following shortcode. Guest viewing is unavailable; access is checked against the account and approved order line.
[help4_connected_orders]The page shows updating JPEG snapshots, not continuous video. The connector sends them only while an authorized viewer requests them. Closing or pausing all viewers stops snapshot requests after at most sixty seconds; heartbeats continue. The player rejects stale images and stores only the latest private JPEG for the run. There is no recording, audio or time-lapse feature.
Close viewing and choose whether to notify
Choose a viewing window from one minute to twelve hours. Use Complete and close viewing or Stop viewing when appropriate. Completion, refunds, expiry, camera re-pairing and owner settings changes revoke further viewing. Neither button sends a command to physical equipment.
Optional start notifications are off by default. The owner can enable Send a transactional email when staff start a paid customer run. It reports the merchant-confirmed start and links to the private sign-in view; it does not certify automatic machine telemetry, email delivery or that the customer read the message.
This release supplies a reference snapshot connector. Supported manufacturer drivers, automatic machine availability, job dispatch and instant production remain future work.
Continue the walkthrough
Manage machine availability · Protect source files and resolve errors
Pre-sliced filament jobs
Customers with a prepared filament job can upload supported sliced files, choose the shop’s material and request a quote based on grams and selling price per kilogram. Merchants configure custom materials, a safety allowance, weight rounding, setup fees and minimum charges. The original file stays private for review and manual fulfillment. WordPress does not run a slicer.
Pre-sliced filament printing: materials, pricing and review
Your equipment, a print partner, or both
The free Fulfillment workspace lets you assign products to your own shop, an outside provider, or choose a destination for each reviewed order. Printful, Printify and Gelato product references can be organized for print-on-demand planning; custom manufacturers can be recorded for separately agreed 3D printing and engraving jobs. WooCommerce orders keep local routing drafts and their review history. Provider account connections and automatic external ordering are still in development.