Mockup Generator & Visual Proof Approvals

The Mockup Generator in Print Life Software empowers print shops, graphic designers, and sales reps to create photo-realistic, multi-angle garment proofs in seconds. Built directly into the Quote Builder, the generator features continuous artwork placement across garment colorways, precision canvas crop framing to eliminate catalog padding, customer proof inspection on public approval portals, and automatic synchronization to shop floor Production Travelers.

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1. Feature Scope & UI Navigation

How to Access the Unified Decoration & Mockup Studio

The Decoration Configuration and Mockup Generator are unified into a single full-screen studio inside the Quote Builder:

1. Open any quote or invoice at /quotes-invoices/[id] (or click + Quote to start a new project).
2. Scroll to the Project Items & Decorations section.
3. Click + Add Decoration in the project header (to add a new decoration and build its proofs) or click Edit Specs & Mockup on the bottom action bar of any existing Decoration Card to open the fullscreen Unified Decoration & Mockup Studio.

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  [ 1. Decoration Specs ]   [ 2. Mockup Studio (2) ]                                    [ ✕ ] │
├──────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────┤
│ Left Sidebar:        │ Center Column:                               │ Right Sidebar:         │
│ 1. Select Garment    │ Live Spec & Color Book Swatch HUD Bar:       │ 2. Select Artwork      │
│    Canvas            │ [ Screen Print ] [ Front · Left Chest ]      │                        │
│ ┌──────────────────┐ │ [ 3.5" × 3.5" · 4" from collar ] [ Swatches ]│ ┌────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Bella 3001       │ │ [ Reset Crop ] [ 0° · Reset ] [ Flip ]       │ │ Logo_Vector.svg    │ │
│ │ • Black          │ │ ──────────────────────────────────────────── │ │ 300 DPI • 3 Colors  │ │
│ │ • Heather Navy   │ │ ┌──────────────────[══]────────────────────┐ │ └────────────────────┘ │
│ │ • White          │ │ │            ┌──────────────[🗑]            │ │ ┌────────────────────┐ │
│ └──────────────────┘ │ │   [║]      │ Draggable Art │      [║]    │ │ │ Mascot_White.png   │ │
│                      │ │            └──────────────[↻]            │ │ │ 300 DPI • 1 Color   │ │
│                      │ └──────────────────[══]────────────────────┘ │ └────────────────────┘ │
│                      │                                              │ [ + Upload Artwork ]   │
├──────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────┤
│ Assigned Proofs (2): [ Proof 1: Black ] [ Proof 2: Navy ]             [ + Assign for Black ] │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Studio Interface Overview

• Top Header Navigation:
  • 1. Decoration Specs (Tab): Full-screen centered 4-phase configuration form (Price Matrix & Method Label, Location & Placement, inline Print Dimensions & Specs (Print Width, Height, Unit, and Collar / Distance Offset), Method Detail & Color Books including Screen Printing underbase and Embroidery Calculate from Art stitch estimator, and Production Notes).
  • 2. Mockup Studio (Tab): Full-screen 3-column interactive visual proof studio.
• Tab 2 (2. Mockup Studio) 3-Column Layout:
  • Left Sidebar (1. Select Garment Canvas): Automatically lists every product style and colorway selected on the quote's garment line items.
  • Center Artboard Canvas:
    • Live Spec & Color Book Swatch HUD Bar: Pinned above the canvas, displaying real-time badges for active Matrix/Method, Location, Placement, inline Print Dimensions & Offset, Color/Stitch counts, live Color Book Swatches (color dot, name, and Pantone/thread code), and quick Reset Crop, [N]° · Reset, and Flip buttons.
    • Direct On-Canvas Edge Crop Handles: Drag the top, bottom, left, or right edge pill handles directly on the garment canvas to trim excess catalog blank space above the collar, below the hem, or along the sides (double-click any handle or click Reset Crop to restore uncropped framing).
    • Interactive Artwork Placement, Scaling, Rotation & Delete: Drag artwork to position, drag the top-left or bottom-left corner handles to scale proportionally, drag the bottom-right circular Rotate (↻) handle to angle the design (snaps gently at 0°, ±90°, and 180°; double-click to reset to 0°), or click the top-right Trash button on the artwork box to remove it from the canvas.
  • Right Sidebar (2. Select Artwork — Customer Art Library Panel): Directly pulls from the client's permanent brand asset vault (see docs/ART_LIBRARY_AND_COLOR_SEPARATIONS.md), including all artwork and mockups created in the past. Clicking a card's thumbnail places it onto the active garment canvas and links it as the decoration's source asset. Hovering over any card reveals three quick action buttons matching the Customer Art Manager:
    • Checkmark (Assign as Mockup Proof): Immediately assigns a previously generated mockup or image directly to Assigned Proofs for the job without needing to re-create or re-render a new mockup (marking the card with a ✓ Proof badge).
    • Rename (Rename File): Opens inline filename editing directly on the card with Auto-Fill Specs, Cancel, and Save actions.
    • Delete (Delete): Opens the Delete Design Asset? confirmation dialog to permanently remove the file from the customer's library.
• Unified Persistent Bottom Footer Bar (Assigned Proofs (N) Dock + Strictly One Button Per Tab):
  • Left Side (Assigned Proofs (N)): Displays thumbnail previews of all generated colorway proofs assigned to that decoration location across both tabs.
  • Right Side (Context-Aware Single Action Button):
    • When on 1. Decoration Specs: Displays Update Decoration (when editing) or Commit to Project (when adding).
    • When on 2. Mockup Studio: Displays Assign for [Colorway Name] (or Assign Mockup), which captures the composite proof for the active garment colorway, adds it to Assigned Proofs, and automatically persists any spec changes made on Tab 1.

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2. Capabilities & Operational Boundaries

Supported Capabilities

• Unified Configuration & Proofing in One Studio: Define your price matrix, location, placement, inline print dimensions, and Color Book ink/thread swatches on 1. Decoration Specs, then switch to 2. Mockup Studio to position artwork and generate proofs with live spec badges above the canvas.
• 1-Click Reuse of Previously Created Mockups: Hover over any previously created mockup in the right-hand Design Assets panel on 2. Mockup Studio and click the Checkmark (Assign as Mockup Proof) button to immediately attach it to the current job—or rename and delete library assets inline without leaving the studio.
• Auto-Synced Embroidery Stitch Estimator (Calculate from Art): Clicking Save 3D Stitch for Mockup or Apply [N] Stitches + [M] Threads inside the Embroidery Stitch Estimator automatically loads the 3D stitch render or analyzed customer artwork directly onto the active Mockup Canvas and syncs the physical dimensions.
• Multi-Proof Assignment per Location: A single decoration placement (e.g., Full Front) can hold multiple colorway proofs (e.g., Black Tee, Heather Navy Tee, White Tee). Each proof tracks its own individual customer approval state, rejection feedback, and timestamp.
• Continuous Artwork Placement: Once an artwork graphic is sized and positioned on the artboard canvas, its X/Y coordinates, scale, and rotation persist across colorways. Users can cycle through 5 different shirt colors and generate 5 proofs in seconds without re-uploading or re-aligning artwork.
• Direct On-Canvas Crop & Framing Engine: Eliminates empty white margins commonly found in supplier catalog feeds (SanMar, S&S, AlphaBroder) by dragging the top, bottom, left, or right edge handles directly on the canvas. Framing locks across the entire session, ensuring every colorway proof exports with matching physical scale and zero letterbox/pillarbox bars.
• Responsive Mobile & Tablet Stepper: On screens smaller than 1024px, 2. Mockup Studio adapts into a full-width 3-step segmented tab stepper (1. Garment Canvas $\rightarrow$ 2. Artboard Canvas $\rightarrow$ 3. Artwork Library).
• Granular Customer Approval Lifecycle: Clients review proofs on their public approval portal with individual per-colorway approvals or itemized revision requests.
• Automated Production Traveler Sync: Approved colorway proofs automatically populate shop floor Production Travelers (/quotes-invoices/[id]/print/traveler) and Contractor Work Orders.

Operational Boundaries

• Interactive Visual Proof Arranger (Not Vector Drawing Software): The Mockup Generator is designed to composite, scale, position, and frame artwork proofs onto real blank apparel. It is an interactive mockup arranger, not a vector node drawing tool or illustration canvas.
• Per-Proof File Formats: High-resolution proof exports are rendered and saved as high-density composites (PNG) for instant browser review and print traveler display.

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3. Step-by-Step Operating Procedures

Workflow 1: Launching the Studio, Configuring Specs & Positioning Artwork

1. In the Quote Builder (/quotes-invoices/[id]), click + Add Decoration or click Edit Specs & Mockup at the bottom of an existing decoration card.
2. On 1. Decoration Specs, select your Price Matrix, Location, Placement, inline Print Dimensions & Specs (Print Width, Height, Collar / Distance Offset), and Color Book ink or thread swatches.
3. Click the 2. Mockup Studio tab in the top header.
4. To assign an existing mockup that was already created in the past: Hover over the mockup card in the right sidebar (2. Select Artwork) and click the Checkmark (Assign as Mockup Proof) button to immediately attach it to Assigned Proofs. You can also click the Rename icon on hover to rename the file (with Auto-Fill Specs) or the Delete icon to remove it.
5. To build a new garment mockup:
   • In the left sidebar under 1. Select Garment Canvas, click a garment colorway.
   • In the right sidebar (2. Select Artwork), click an existing customer logo thumbnail (outside the hover buttons) or upload new artwork.
   • Drag to position the artwork on the central garment canvas, drag the top-left/bottom-left corner handles to scale, or drag the bottom-right circular rotate handle to angle the art.

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Workflow 2: Framing Supplier Catalog Blanks with On-Canvas Edge Handles

Wholesale catalog photos frequently have excessive empty white space above the collar or below the hem:

1. On the central garment canvas, drag the Top edge pill handle downward (up to 45% crop).
2. The empty space above the collar is cropped away, moving the shirt up to fill the viewport naturally.
3. Drag the Bottom, Left, or Right edge pill handles to center the chest area (or double-click any edge handle / click Reset Crop in the HUD bar to reset).
4. The framing immediately locks for your entire session—any subsequent garment colorway you select will maintain identical scale and framing!

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Workflow 3: Multi-Colorway Continuous Proofing

1. With your artwork positioned and framed on the first garment (e.g., Black), click Assign for Black in the bottom-right footer bar.
2. The proof immediately saves to the bottom Assigned Proofs dock.
3. In the left sidebar under 1. Select Garment Canvas, click the next colorway (e.g., Heather Navy):
   • The shirt background updates instantly.
   • The artwork stays locked in the exact same physical coordinates, scale, and rotation!
4. Click Assign for Heather Navy in the bottom-right footer bar to capture the second proof.
5. Repeat for remaining colors (e.g., White).
6. Clicking Update Decoration (or Commit to Project) on 1. Decoration Specs applies your specs in-place (✓ Specs Updated) without closing the dialog, and switching tabs or closing the studio via the top-right X button automatically saves your specs and assigned proofs.

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Workflow 4: Reviewing Customer Proof Approvals & Revisions

1. When you email proofs to a customer, they open their private review portal.
2. The client browses through each assigned colorway proof:
   • If satisfied, they click Approve Artwork.
   • If changes are needed on a specific color (e.g., "Please change text to white on the dark shirt"), they click Request Changes and type their notes.
3. When a revision is submitted:
   • The quote status automatically updates to Needs Revision.
   • The specific rejected proof displays a red revision badge with the customer's exact feedback in the Quote Builder.
4. Staff can click Edit Specs & Mockup, switch to 2. Mockup Studio, swap the artwork file to white ink, and click Assign for [Colorway] to update the proof.

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Workflow 5: Generating Production Travelers for the Shop Floor

1. Open any approved quote or invoice at /quotes-invoices/[id].
2. In the top action bar, click Print Paperwork $\rightarrow$ select Production Traveler.
3. The Print Life automatically formats a visual proof gallery:
   • Displays every approved colorway mockup alongside its garment color badge (e.g., Heather Navy).
   • Displays placement notes, ink/thread colors, and print size dimensions.
   • Press operators see the exact proof visual at the press with zero guesswork.

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4. Business Logic & Alignment Formulas

1:1 Pixel Export Alignment

When exporting high-resolution composite proofs, The Print Life calculates the natural aspect ratio and scales artwork coordinates to match the source photography:

$$\text{Export Scale} = \frac{\text{Source Image Natural Width}}{\text{Rendered Artboard Width}}$$ $$\text{Physical Art X} = \text{Canvas X} \times \text{Export Scale}$$ $$\text{Physical Art Y} = \text{Canvas Y} \times \text{Export Scale}$$

This mathematical alignment ensures that whether you position a 3.5″ pocket logo on a laptop screen or a phone display, the final exported proof maintains exact proportional placement on the physical garment.

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5. Troubleshooting & Diagnostic Matrix

Symptom / Question	Root Cause	Exact Remediation Step
Artwork changes position when switching colors	Artwork was deleted or re-selected manually.	Continuous Placement automatically locks artwork coordinates. Simply click a new colorway under 1. Select Garment Canvas in the left sidebar without deleting the active artwork.
Catalog garment has large empty space above the collar	Distributor photo padding.	Drag the Top edge pill handle on the garment canvas downward to remove empty margin and center the neckline.
Crop framing resets between colorways	Session was closed or refreshed.	Framing locks continuously during an active studio session. Adjust framing before assigning proofs.
Customer rejected one shirt color out of three	Colorway-specific revision request.	Click Edit Specs & Mockup on the decoration card, switch to 2. Mockup Studio, update the artwork on that specific color, and click Assign for [Colorway].
Where do proofs appear on the shop floor?	Traveler paperwork view needed.	Open the Work Order $\rightarrow$ click Print Paperwork $\rightarrow$ select Production Traveler to view the full visual proof gallery with colorway badges.
Can I mirror the garment horizontally?	Symmetrical or opposite-side preview needed.	In the HUD bar above the canvas, click Flip to mirror the garment horizontally.

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6. Frequently Asked Questions & Action Prompts

How do I create mockups for multiple shirt colors under the same decoration?

1. Click Edit Specs & Mockup on any decoration card (or + Add Decoration when creating a new decoration).
2. Configure your decoration specs on 1. Decoration Specs, then click the 2. Mockup Studio tab at the top.
3. Click your first garment color under 1. Select Garment Canvas in the left sidebar.
4. Select your artwork in the right sidebar, position and scale it on the canvas, and click Assign for [Colorway] in the bottom-right footer bar.
5. Click your second shirt color in the left sidebar—your artwork remains locked in place!
6. Click Assign for [Colorway] again, and repeat for all remaining colors.

[How do I remove blank space above shirt collars?](chat:How do I remove blank space above shirt collars in mockups?) • [Show me Quotes & Invoices](chat:Show me the Quotes page)

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How do I remove blank white space above a shirt collar?

On the 2. Mockup Studio tab, drag the Top edge pill handle at the top of the garment canvas downward. This trims empty catalog margins above the neckline and centers the garment on the artboard. The crop setting remains active across all shirt colors in your session.

[How do customer proof approvals work?](chat:How do customer proof approvals work?)

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How do customer proof approvals work?

When you email proofs to a customer, they can review each colorway proof individually on their approval portal. They can approve all proofs or reject a specific colorway with written feedback (e.g., "Make text yellow on the black hoodie"). If rejected, the quote automatically flags as Needs Revision on your dashboard.

[Show me the Dashboard](chat:Show me the Dashboard)