Printcart logo

Getting started

Printcart's REST API lets you create a store, design products and generate print-ready PDFs without using the dashboard. This page shows the three calls that take you from nothing to an authenticated request: create an account, create a store, then call the API with that store's key. Read Authentication next to see which credential to use.

Updated . Maintained by the Printcart team.

What you can build

The Printcart REST API covers the whole headless web-to-print path. With it you can create a store, add products, define print sides with bleed and safe zones, upload fonts and artwork, save designs from the customizer, turn designs into projects (orders) and generate print-ready PDFs. Every Printcart plugin and app is built on the same API.

  • Base URL: https://api.printcart.com/v1
  • Format: JSON requests and responses over HTTPS
  • Versioning: v1 is the only version in service. Changes inside v1 are additive, so clients must ignore response fields they do not know.
  • Machine-readable spec: /docs/openapi.json (OpenAPI 3.1), rendered in the interactive API reference

Make your first request

Three calls take you from nothing to an authenticated request. Replace the placeholders with your own values and never paste real credentials into code that ships to a browser.

bash
# 1. Create an account (no credential needed). The response carries a JWT.
curl -X POST https://api.printcart.com/v1/account \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"name":"Acme","email":"dev@example.com","password":"<strong-password>"}'

# 2. Create a store with that JWT. The response carries the store sid and secret.
curl -X POST https://api.printcart.com/v1/stores \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $JWT" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"store_name":"Acme Print"}'

# 3. From here on, call the API with the store key.
curl https://api.printcart.com/v1/stores/store-details -u "$SID:$SECRET"

If you already installed a Printcart plugin or app, your store already exists. Copy its credentials from the dashboard instead of creating a new account.

Where to go next

  1. Authentication: the credential types and which one to use from a server or a browser.
  2. Conventions: response envelopes, cursor pagination, errors and rate limits.
  3. Build path guide: product, sides, design, project and print-ready PDF, end to end.
  4. Webhooks: get notified when products, designs and projects change.
  5. Design Tool SDK and Uploader SDK: embed the customizer or an artwork uploader in a storefront.
  6. AI Services and Studio AI: pay-per-token background removal, preflight, upscaling, face crop, bulk QR and face matching.
  7. API Reference: every published endpoint with request and response schemas.

Plans and API access

The reference is public. The credentials every Printcart plugin already uses (the store key and the public unauth token) work on every plan. Creating developer API keys (sk_ and pk_) requires the Advanced plan; below Advanced the key-creation endpoints answer 402 with the code capability_not_available. Keys that already exist keep working.

Support

Questions & answers

Do I need to install a Printcart app before using the API?

No. The REST API is independent of any specific app or plugin. Create an account and a store directly with POST /account and POST /stores, then call the API with the store's credentials, the same way every Printcart app does.

What is the base URL for every request?

https://api.printcart.com/v1. v1 is the only version in service today, and new response fields are added in a backward-compatible way, so existing integrations keep working.

Where do I find the full list of endpoints?

The API Reference lists every endpoint with its request and response schema, generated straight from the live OpenAPI specification.

Can you work with a merchant in my country?

Yes. Printcart services are delivered remotely, so we work with merchants in any country. Netbase JSC, the company behind Printcart, has worked with clients in 80+ countries.

Do you support my industry?

Printcart services are not tied to one industry. Full stores, custom development, integration and support are delivered remotely; tell us what you sell and we will say plainly whether Printcart fits.

How do I pay securely?

You sign the contract with and pay the company, Netbase JSC. App plans are billed through Shopify or Wix for stores on those platforms, and through PayPal for WooCommerce and direct stores. Full-store orders on solution.printcart.com check out through PayPal. Service work is quoted in writing in your Helpdesk ticket before any payment.

Who do I talk to?

Talk to our CEO, Huy Nguyen (David), on WhatsApp at https://wa.me/84937869689 or by email at support@printcart.com.

Sources