Printhouse — custom web-to-print platform

What problem was this solving?

Print sales die in the gap between what a customer uploads and what a press can actually run. Every job needed a human to check bleed, resolution and colour space, and every quote needed a human to price paper, finish and quantity combinations.

What did we build?

A full web-to-print platform with a live design configurator, print-file automation and twenty-nine-plus structured product pages.

• In-browser design configurator with live preview and AI design assistance.
• Real-time pricing across paper stock, finish and quantity combinations.
• Print-file engine: auto-resize to trim size, 3mm bleed, 300 DPI upscaling, FOGRA39 CMYK conversion, PDF/X-1a:2001 output.
• AI vectoriser converting raster logos into scalable vector artwork.
• Twenty-nine-plus structured product pages built for search and for direct ordering.

What does it integrate with?

The integration surface technical buyers ask about.

• Artwork upload pipeline feeding the print-file engine.
• Pricing matrix driving both the configurator and the product pages from one source.
• Ordering flow direct from the configurator, removing the quote-chasing step.

How does the system actually work?

The decision path in order. Client-confidential detail is deliberately excluded.

• 1. Configure — Customer designs in-browser with live preview and AI suggestions.
• 2. Price — Paper, finish and quantity resolve against a single shared pricing matrix.
• 3. Validate — Artwork is resized to trim, given 3mm bleed and upscaled to 300 DPI.
• 4. Convert — Colour converted to FOGRA39 CMYK and output as PDF/X-1a:2001.
• 5. Order — Press-ready file and order placed in one flow, with no quote round-trip.

What made it hard?

The real engineering constraints on this build.

• Press output is unforgiving: a file that is nearly right is rejected, so the engine validates against the PDF/X standard rather than approximating it.
• Colour conversion has to be right the first time — an RGB file that looks fine on screen prints wrong and the cost lands on the printer.
• Configurator pricing and product-page pricing must never diverge, so both read from one matrix.

What was the outcome?

Printhouse sell configurable print products directly online with press-ready files produced automatically. Printhouse have not authorised publication of order-volume or revenue figures, so none appear here. No measured performance figures are published for this engagement because the client has not authorised their release.

What capability does this demonstrate?

Engagement band: Custom platform band.

• PDF/X-1a:2001 generation with FOGRA39 CMYK conversion
• Browser-based design configuration with live pricing
• AI-assisted vectorisation
• Commercial catalogue architecture at scale

Is this an off-the-shelf print plugin?

No. Web-to-print plugins fail on the file engineering — bleed, colour space and PDF/X compliance. This is a custom platform built around the press requirements first and the shop second.

Could a similar configurator work for another product category?

Yes. The pattern — configure, price live, validate the output, order in one flow — transfers to any product where the customer's input has to meet a production standard before it can be manufactured.

Who owns the platform code?

The client. Full source-code ownership at handover is standard on every Digital Bridge engagement, with no vendor lock-in.

A note on what is published here

Case studies on this page describe work Digital Bridge delivered. Client-confidential detail, credentials and internal data structures are deliberately excluded. Where a client has not authorised publication of measured figures, outcomes are described qualitatively rather than quantified — we do not publish numbers we cannot evidence. Last reviewed 2026-08-18.