A customer orders a 40 x 60 canvas. Before it can be printed, someone needs to find the right artwork file, confirm the size, match the product code, and send everything to the printer.
That’s manageable for one order. It gets old fast when you sell hundreds of designs across different sizes, materials, frames, and finishes.
The new Order Desk and Pictorem integration handles that handoff for you. Order Desk can prepare each order with the product details and artwork Pictorem needs, send it for production, and pull the shipment details back in once it ships.
Your team spends less time matching files to product codes, and your orders keep moving without someone having to copy the same information from one system to another.
This integration started with a customer request
Bobbie from Toe Fish Art had been using Order Desk for years and wanted a direct connection to Pictorem. Fabien from Pictorem had been asking for the same thing from the fulfillment side.
The need was clear: give art sellers a direct way to move orders from Order Desk to Pictorem for production.
So, we built it.
When the first order was successfully transmitted from Order Desk to Pictorem, Fabien sent us this:
“And we got our first order being correctly transmitted from Order Desk. Champagne tonight.”
A pretty great way to mark the occasion!
A little about Pictorem
Pictorem turns digital artwork and photography into made-to-order wall art. Its product range includes canvas, acrylic, metal, wood, framed prints, fine art paper, murals, and other custom formats.
That gives sellers plenty of ways to offer the same image. One photograph could be sold as a framed print, a stretched canvas, or a brushed metal piece, with several sizes available for each.
The catalog can grow very quickly. So can the number of product codes and artwork files you need to keep straight.
How the Order Desk and Pictorem integration works
Say you sell one photograph in three materials and five sizes. That’s already 15 product combinations before you add frames, finishes, or another image.
Pictorem needs the correct product code and artwork file for the exact version your customer ordered. Order Desk can prepare those item details and send the order directly to Pictorem.
Once Pictorem ships it, the shipment details are pulled back into Order Desk. They can also be sent to the original shopping cart when your store is configured to do that.
You’ll need to set up the integration and tell Order Desk how your products should be handled first. After that, the repeated handoff can happen without your team rebuilding every order by hand.
Add the correct product code and artwork file
Each item sent to Pictorem uses a few specific fields. The two you’ll work with most are:
- print_sku: the required Pictorem product code for the item
- print_url: a link to the artwork file Pictorem should print
You can also send a collection ID, item notes, or a custom border color when needed.
These details tell Pictorem what to make and which image belongs on it. That distinction matters when the same artwork is available in several formats. A customer who ordered a framed print will probably notice if a large brushed metal version turns up instead.
Build Pictorem product codes without guessing
Every combination of material, size, and product option needs the right Pictorem code.
The Product Code Builder in the integration takes you to Pictorem’s builder, where you can choose the product options and generate the code. Copy that code into Order Desk as the item’s print_sku.
It saves you from trying to remember which string of letters and numbers belongs to which canvas size. Your brain has better things to store.
Send the same product to multiple printers
Different printers often use different print_sku codes for the same product. Product Code Match connects those codes so you can send one item to more than one printer.
For example, one printer may use 1000 for a canvas, while Pictorem uses PRT-X-4454. You can match the two codes in Order Desk, and the correct one will be sent when Pictorem fulfills the order.
If you need to connect your store’s own SKU to a Pictorem product code, you’ll add Pictorem’s print_sku to the item’s inventory metadata instead.
Keep selected products out of the Pictorem workflow
If only part of your catalog is fulfilled by Pictorem, Product Code Skip lets you list the SKUs that shouldn’t be sent there.
This works best for a simple setup. If one order contains products that need to go to several fulfillment partners, splitting the order is usually the better option. Each item can then follow its own fulfillment path without the rest of the order getting tangled up with it.
See where each Pictorem order stands
You can choose which Order Desk folder an order moves to after it’s sent to Pictorem, after shipment details come back, or if the order is canceled.
That makes it easier to check what has been submitted, what has shipped, and what needs attention without opening several tabs and piecing the story together yourself.
Build rules around your art catalog
Some orders need more than the standard workflow. You may want to update an order just before it’s submitted, move it after submission, or flag it when Pictorem rejects an invalid SKU.
The integration includes Pictorem-specific events and an action in the Order Desk Rule Builder. You can create rules that run:
- when an order is scheduled for Pictorem
- before or after it’s submitted
- when Pictorem cancels it
- when an invalid SKU, a general error, or a lack of valid products stops submission
There’s also a Submit Order to Pictorem action for rules that should send an order to the integration.
This gives a store like Toe Fish Art room to keep adding artwork and product combinations without asking a person to repeat the same steps for every order. The team can focus on the orders that genuinely need a closer look.
How to connect Pictorem to Order Desk
To set up the integration:
- In Order Desk, go to Manage Integrations.
- Open the Print on Demand tab.
- Find and enable Pictorem.
- Enter your Pictorem API key and select Connect.
- Choose the folders you want to use after an order is submitted, shipped, or canceled.
You’ll need to request your API credentials directly from the Pictorem team. Order Desk can’t find or reset them for you, so keep a secure copy once you receive them.
For the full setup process, follow the Order Desk and Pictorem integration guide.
Need a hand getting everything connected? Reach out to the Order Desk support team. We’ll help you get your workflow up and running.
