SKU Variants: Map Products to Print Jobs Automatically

A phone case in 5 colors and 3 sizes doesn't need 15 separate SKUs. With Printago's variant system, it's one SKU with two variants. When an order comes in for "Blue, Large," Printago resolves each variant independently and applies both to the job. Add a new color? One mapping, not fifteen.

How Variants Work

The system has three layers that make it more flexible than a flat lookup table.

Variants are the customer-facing option names: Color, Size, Theme, Finish. These must match your e-commerce listing names exactly (capitalization included) for automatic order processing.

Values are the choices within each variant: "Blue," "Large," "Matte Black." These also need to match your listing options exactly.

Properties are the production mappings. A property connects a value to something actionable in your workflow. Three types cover most use cases:

• Material Properties map a value to a specific material and color in your library. "Blue" maps to Blue PETG, and Printago routes the job to a printer with that material loaded.
• Text Properties pass values to parametric model parameters. A customer enters "Carmen" and that text flows to your OpenSCAD model's name parameter.
• Plate Quantity Properties control how many of each plate to print based on the selection. Useful for multi-pack products where quantity varies by option.

A single value can have multiple properties. A "Barbie" theme option could simultaneously set the primary color to pink and the secondary color to white. One customer selection drives the entire production configuration.

Personalization Variants

Personalization variants capture freeform customer text instead of a fixed list of options. When a customer enters their name on your Etsy or Shopify listing, that text flows through to Printago and gets passed directly to your parametric model parameters.

Combined with standard variants, a customer can select "Large" and enter "Carmen," and Printago resolves the size from one variant and passes the name from the other. The model generates, slices, and queues automatically.

Compound Properties

Most products don't need this, but when a property genuinely depends on a combination of two or three variants, Compound Properties handle it. A matrix editor lets you define values for each combination. If a multi-plate 3MF has different plate layouts depending on both Size and Style together, that's the use case.

Independent Variants Scale Better

Color and Size are configured as two independent variants, not a combination table. Five colors and three sizes means 5 + 3 = 8 mappings, not 5 x 3 = 15. Every new color you add is one mapping. Every new size is one mapping. The math stays simple as your catalog grows.

Reusable Across SKUs

Variants aren't tied to a single product. A "Color" variant with your standard colorway mappings can be shared across every SKU that offers those colors. Define it once, apply it everywhere. When you add a new color to the variant, every SKU that uses it picks it up automatically.

For products that need a subset, filter modes let you include or exclude specific values per SKU without creating a separate variant.

What Happens When Something Doesn't Match

When an order comes in with a value that isn't mapped yet, Printago flags it for manual review and tells you exactly what's missing. You add the mapping, reprocess the order, and that fix applies to every future order automatically.

This means you don't need to map your entire catalog before going live. Start taking orders and configure as they come in.

SKU Suffixes

If your e-commerce platform uses variant-specific SKU codes (like "CASE-BL-LG" for Blue Large), Printago can parse those automatically and match them to the right base SKU and variant values.

Getting Started

SKU Variants are available on all Printago plans. Set them up from Products > SKU Variant Setup in the dashboard.

• Full SKU Variants Documentation
• SKU Playbook Blog Post

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to map every variant before going live?

No. You can start taking orders immediately and map variants as they come in. When an unmapped value appears, Printago flags the order and tells you exactly what's missing. Once you add the mapping, reprocessing applies it to that order and all future ones.

How do SKU variants work with Etsy and Shopify?

Variant names and values in Printago must match your listing option names exactly, including capitalization. When an order arrives, Printago reads those option values, resolves each variant independently, and routes the job with the correct material, parametric parameters, and print settings.

Can I reuse variants across multiple products?

Yes. Variants are defined once and can be applied to any number of SKUs. If you maintain a standard "Color" variant with your full colorway mappings, every product that offers those colors shares it. Add a new color once and every SKU picks it up automatically.

What happens when a customer orders a variant I haven't mapped yet?

The order is held for manual review and Printago surfaces exactly which value is missing. You add the mapping in the variant editor, then reprocess the order. That mapping is immediately available for all future orders containing that value.

Is there a limit on how many variants a SKU can have?

There is no enforced limit on the number of variants or values per SKU. Independent variants also keep the mapping math linear rather than exponential. Five colors and four sizes is nine mappings, not twenty.