Get started with the Mockup Creator

Use the Mockup Creator to build a 2D or 3D customer proof (mockup, or mock up) inside a job on a quote or sales order. A mockup file is the visual proof your customer reviews for art approval. A production file is the print-ready file your shop uses to produce the order. See Mockup vs Production Files for the difference.

What the Mockup Creator does

The Mockup Creator opens inside your job with the Products panel expanded by default. Every mockup you build stays attached to that job's Mockup Files tab:

• Left toolbar: Switch between Products, 3D, and Templates, upload artwork in Image, and edit text, shapes, layers, or measurements.
• Document header: View the job and order details, rename the design, and check its publication or approval status.
• Top-right actions: Set Paper Size and Orientation, Save a draft, or Publish & Close the finished proof.
• Right-hand panels: Check read-only Job, Items, Services, Comments, and Files details while you work.

Open the Mockup Creator from a new job

Start a mockup while adding a new job to a quote or sales order.

1. Open a quote and choose Job. In the Jobs section, click + Job (not the Job tab).

   

2. In the Create Job drawer, open Mockup Files. This tab is selected by default near the bottom of the drawer.

   

3. Scroll down in the Create Job drawer and click Create Mockup.

   

   You can create a mockup before saving the new job, and it stays attached while you work. When you return to the Create Job drawer, click Save and Close to save the job.

The Mockup Creator opens for the job. Next, choose how to build the mockup.

Open or reopen a mockup on an existing job

Open an existing job on your quote or sales order to start a new mockup or edit a design you already built.

1. On the order, find the job and click its Mockup Files count badge. The badge shows the current count, such as 1 Mockup or No Mockups.

   

   You can also open the ⋯ menu on the job card and select View Job to open Job Details. On a new quote you have not saved yet, the job card opens the Edit Job drawer instead.

2. In the Job Details window, scroll down past Services and Tasks to the Mockup Files tab.

   

3. To start a new design, click + Create Mockup above the Mockup Files table. Select the mockup you want to reopen. Choose Edit from the ⋯ menu at the right end of its row (or click its Preview thumbnail on the left).

   

   The pencil icon beside a mockup's name only renames the file inline. In the unsaved Create Job or Edit Job drawer, click the edit pencil icon at the right end of the row to reopen the design.

Choose how to build the mockup

Pick the starting point that fits the proof you want to build:

• 2D product photo: Place your artwork on a supplier product photo or your own uploaded image when you need a flat product proof. Follow Make a 2D mockup on a real product.
• 3D model: Place your artwork on a rotatable 3D model when the proof needs depth or more than one angle. Follow Make a 3D mockup.
• Template: Start from a YoPrint Gallery layout or a saved shop template when your shop repeats the same proof layout. Follow Start from a template.

Save a draft and publish the finished mockup

Save your work as a draft while you build the proof, then publish the finished design when it is ready for customer PDFs or artwork approval.

The document title at the top left becomes the mockup's name on the job. Click the pencil icon (Rename document) beside the title to rename it.

1. Click Save.

   

   Save keeps a draft in the Mockup Creator; the job shows it as Unpublished and Draft, and the draft stays off customer PDFs. In Mockup Files, Show in PDF shows a cross (✕).

2. When the design is ready, choose Publish & Close.

   

   Publishing closes the editor, changes the row in Mockup Files to Published, and sets Show in PDF to a green tick (✓). Publishing does not email or notify your customer.

3. To publish a saved draft directly from the job, choose Publish from the row's ⋯ menu in Mockup Files.

   

4. To change whether a published mockup prints on quote or sales order PDFs, choose Don't show in PDF or Show in PDF from the row's ⋯ menu in Mockup Files.

   

   Don't show in PDF sets the column to a cross (✕) and keeps the published mockup on the job without printing it on PDFs.

5. To return a published design to a draft while in the editor, choose Unpublish from Publication actions (the ⋯ icon beside Save & Close).

   

6. To return a published design to a draft from the job, choose Unpublish from the row's ⋯ menu in Mockup Files.

   

   Unpublishing changes the row back to Draft and clears Show in PDF to a cross (✕).

Continue with the mockup task you need

Open the guide for your next task:

• Make a 2D mockup on a real product: Place artwork on a 2D product photo.
• Make a 3D mockup: Place artwork on a 3D model and add views to the proof.
• Start from a template: Use a YoPrint Gallery or shop template, or save a design as a template.
• Replace an image: Swap the artwork on an existing mockup or template.
• Change the product: Switch the product on an existing mockup without rebuilding the layout.
• Reuse a Job Order by Cloning: Copy an existing job to another order.