I thought a forum thread designed for new shopkeepers with information, tips and advice about using Quick Create might be helpful. (Also sometimes called, QC, Quick Product Create, or QPC.)
Please feel free to add your own methods of using the Zazzle Quick Create tool, and any tips or advice for shopkeepers who are new to using Quick Create, or more advanced information for those who have been using QPC for a while. Some Zazzle help pages about Quick Product Create:
Using Quick Product Create for Products and Templates
http://zazzle.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/579/How do I create template products using Quick Product Create?
http://zazzle.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/536/How to quickly create multiple products:
http://zazzle.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/528/How do I create more than one template field in my Quick Product Create products?
http://zazzle.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/537/How can I use the edit options, customize, and delete links in Quick Product Create?
http://zazzle.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/539/This is also relevant, about bleed lines and safe areas:
http://zazzle.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/858/How I use would use QPC to create products with an image and some text:Much of this is similar to creating an individual product design.
Say I wanted to create a range of products that had a festive greeting, and a picture.
The 3 different designs might be:
A snowflake and "Seasons Greetings"
A tree and "Merry Christmas"
A Santa cartoon and "Happy Christmas"
Start Designing- I would use images with a clear background, and a size of about 4000px square. Starting with a nice big graphic of a snowflake, and using an image editing program, make the image background a clear square.
- Create a new store category, for the first design, in this case something like: Snowflake and Seasons Greetings.
- Go to one of the following pages and pick the first product to design:
http://www.zazzle.com/createhttp://www.zazzle.com/sell/allhttp://www.zazzle.com/newcustomgifts- In the box that says "Get Started!" which appears over the product design page add the image and text, and click the 'make it now' button.
Image- Press the 'Design' button above the product image.
Make sure that the little button with a dotted square on it is pressed, so that the safe area and bleed lines show. ( On mouseover the button says "show/hide the workspace overlay" it is to the right of the Design button)
- Presuming that the pictures are the kind where the whole image should be shown, and not have it hanging off the edge of the product...
While the blue highlight line is around the name of the image on the right side of the page, press the minus or plus sign in the panel above it, until the black dotted line, indicating the outline square of the image, fits nicely within the red dotted line of the safe area, or smaller.
Move the image to where I want it with the arrow buttons.
Make sure there is no warning triangle showing, if there is, mouseover it to see what the issue is.
Some products don't show a safe area, in this case the design just needs to be within the white area in the center.
- Click the gears symbol in that same panel that says 'show/hide advanced options' on mouseover.
Choose, 'Make this a template object'
The two boxes will be filled in, with something like
Image 1
image1
The URL parameter name is important. This must be the same for all the same images, that to be changed at once in QPC.
In this case, all snowflake images on all products I'm about to create will have a URL parameter name of:
image1
Choose Fit from the drop down menu where it says:
'Inner fit/fill mode'
I leave the box at the bottom ticked, to allow editing on the product page.
Click the x in the corner of the little box to close it.
Text- Click on the line (above or below the highlighted image name) that says the text entered in this case "Seasons Greetings"
To change the font, click the 'f' in the panel,
Move the text to where I want it using the arrow buttons,
To change the text color, click the little square, usually black by default,
To change the size use the little + or - sign, use the drop down next to them, or type in a number.
Note. The number is not the same system as used in text documents.
Make sure that the text fits in the safe area marked out by the red dotted line, and I think it is best to start with the longest line of text out of the different designs, or maybe leave enough space for any of the messages that will be longer than this one.
I would make it so that the text is always on one line, and not going over onto two.
- Click the gears button again
Choose 'Make this a template object'
The two boxes will again be filled in, with something like
Text 2
text2
I can leave the labels as they are or change them, but the URL parameter name for all text lines that say the "Seasons Greetings", must have the same URL parameter name or some won't change in QPC, but it must be a different name to the one chosen for the image.
So in this example,
All snowflake images have a URL parameter name of image1
All text lines that say "Seasons Greetings" have a URL parameter name of text2
URL parameter names don't have spaces or capital letters.
I again leave the box at the bottom ticked, to allow editing on the product page.
Click the x in the corner of the little box to close it.
Check the design- Click the 'Product' view button, above the image to check the item looks good.
Post for sale- Click 'Post For Sale'
Fill in the title and description and chose categories
Put it in the store category created earlier
Add tags
Under Additional Information, choose a rating
In this case, the product would be Public, as these products will have an actual design for sale, with a snowflake image and a greeting, if I was making template products for my use only, that are not actual products and I don't wish them to be seen by others, I would choose 'Hidden'.
Make the Product a template?
Yes
Show Customize it Button?
Yes
If I don't make it a template, it may not work in QPC
I always show customize it button, so people can add there own message or pictures if they wish.
Choose a royalty and tick the box at the bottom as I agree with the statement.
click 'post it'
Next itemGo back to the create page, choose the next product,
Create in the same way, be sure to use the same URL parameter names as the first item.
So,
First item,
Image of a snowflake URL parameter name:
image1
Text line saying "Seasons Greetings" URL parameter name:
text 2
Second item,
Image of a snowflake URL parameter name:
image1
Text line saying "Seasons Greetings" URL parameter name:
text 2
Save to the same store category as the first item.
Be sure to select Yes for 'Make product a template' on the product information page.
Check category, in store- When I have created all the products that I wish to design (max 100 items) wait until they show up in the store category. Could be longer than 24 hours at busy times, but usually faster IMO.
Create new designs, with Quick Create- Go to the Products tab of the 'My Account' area
If more than one store, choose the store from the drop down menu where the template folder is.
Click the "Quick Create" button.
Click 'Select' where it says:
"Use your own templates: ( Select )"
Browse to the new category, and click done.
I should now see an orange 2 in a circle with "Place images or text on your products:" next to it.
Under this should be the name of the image label, in this case, 'Image 1'
and a thumbnail of the snowflake, click the image to choose the new design image.
There should also be a box with the text in it, in this case "Seasons Greetings" change this to new text, remember to consider the length of the line of text, if it is too long it may go out of the safe area, or make a strange layout.
I leave option 3 'Choose fit/fill option' as 'Use template defaults'
Click create products.
- The first time using a new template, check everything is there, and that all the images have changed, if they have not, I remake that product, and wait until it shows up in the store category again.
- Make any changes and edits the things I see in the QPC previews if I wish. Then click 'next'
- Fill out the details as I wish.
To create a new store category for these items, click 'clear' where it says: "Store Category ( Change | Clear )"
Then click 'New' to bring up a box where I can add a new store category.
This is how I would make these designs.
Please feel free to add your own methods, advice, or tips on using Quick Create.