What happens after a client orders
The path from checkout to a print on someone's doorstep, and what you have to do (very little).
The sequence
- The client pays by card in the gallery. The money goes to your Stripe account.
- Once payment succeeds, the order is sent to your lab automatically with the full-resolution file — cut to the client's crop, and converted if they chose black & white.
- The lab prints, packs and ships direct to the client. Nothing passes through you.
- Status updates flow back as the lab moves the order along, and you can follow them under Store → Orders.
Orders are submitted after payment clears, not at checkout. A card that fails means no order reaches the lab — which is the behaviour you want.
Checking orders before they print
If you'd rather see every order first, switch on Check orders before they go to the lab. Paid print orders then wait for you: open the order, look over each print's crop, and press Approve & send. You get a notification as each one comes in.
If the lab refuses an order
Occasionally a lab won't take an order — an address it can't deliver to, or a moment when it's down. The client has paid but nothing is being printed, so you're emailed straight away with what the lab said. Lumi HQ retries every 15 minutes, up to five times, and emails you again if it stops. Once you've fixed whatever it needed, press Retry on the order.
Order statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Paid | Payment succeeded; about to go to the lab, or waiting for your approval |
| Submitted to provider | The lab has it and will start production |
| In production | Being printed |
| Shipped | On its way, usually with tracking |
| Cancelled | Stopped before production |
Problems with a print
Damaged in transit, or a colour that's clearly wrong: contact us with the order number and a photo of the problem, and we'll take it up with the lab, which will usually reprint at its own cost. To refund the client, open the order under Store → Orders. A refund gives the client their money back from your Stripe account; once the prints have been made, their cost and the card fee aren't returned.
The most common print complaint isn't quality, it's a crop that lost the top of someone's head. Clients can drag and zoom to choose exactly what's printed, the store shows a landscape photo on a landscape print, and it warns them when a size will trim the edges or print soft. The order page shows each print's crop so you can see what was chosen. If you'd rather the lab always centres and fills, switch off Let clients crop their prints under Store → Settings.