Proof links, cart, and checkout

Summary

Create proof link and Add to cart, in Export, are the two paths from a finished design toward sharing or ordering it. Add to cart is gated behind the same acknowledge-warnings confirmation dialog as Print PDF + Silhouette cut guide. Proof links are unguessable, tokenized URLs managed in a per-browser list with Copy, Revoke, and Forget actions.

Use it when

• Use Create proof link to get a shareable link for reviewing a design without editing access.
• Use Add to cart, followed by the Cart page, when you're ready to order a printed blotter.

Before you begin

Have visible artwork on the artboard. Add to cart shows the same blocking rules as Production readiness — an empty or fully-hidden design blocks it the same way.

Steps

Create proof link

1. Open Export and select Create proof link.
2. No confirmation dialog appears — it runs immediately, uploading the current design.
3. A status message confirms success and attempts to copy the link to your clipboard automatically. If your browser blocks that, the message says so and points you to the Copy action described below.
4. Find your link under Saved proof links (this browser), listed by format name, with Copy, Revoke, and Forget actions.

Add to cart

5. Open Export and select Add to cart.
6. Read the Production readiness — Add to cart dialog (same content and structure as Print PDF + Silhouette cut guide's confirmation).
7. Check I understand the warnings above and want to proceed anyway. — Confirm is disabled until you do.
8. Select Confirm. A status message confirms success: Design added to cart. View cart or keep designing.

Cart and account

9. Select Cart in the site header (or go directly to /cart) to view your cart.
10. Select Sign in in the header (or go to /account) to sign in or create an account: Sign in to save drafts, view ordered creations, and manage your account.

What changes

• Add to cart requires the same explicit acknowledgment as the print PDF export — its Confirm button is disabled until the warnings checkbox is checked.
• Create proof link shows no confirmation dialog at all before running, unlike Add to cart and the print PDF export.
• A created proof link is a real, tokenized URL — captured directly, it follows the pattern https://blotterbuilder.tdl.fyi/proof/{id}?token= {token}, where {id} is a UUID and {token} is a long random string. It is not a guessable or sequential URL.
• Proof links are tracked per browser under Saved proof links (this browser), each with independent Copy (re-copy the link), Revoke (invalidate the link so it no longer works), and Forget (remove it from this browser's local list only, without revoking it) actions.
• A successful Add to cart populates the Cart page with a line item showing the format, size, a per-copy and additional-copy price, a line total, quantity controls, Edit design, and a ⋯ menu, plus an order summary (Merchandise, Order total).
• The Cart page also includes a Shipping address section (with address autocomplete, address validation against live carrier rates, and an option to encrypt the address to TDL's PGP key before sending) and an optional Email me when this order ships notification field. A Place order button is present but stated as requiring a validated shipping address and service first.

Print note

Not applicable — none of these actions change the artwork itself. They package the current design for sharing or ordering.

Warnings and limits

• Do not treat a proof link as private in the sense of being access-controlled beyond its token. Anyone with the link can view the proof — it relies on the URL itself (including its token) not being guessed or shared, not on a login. Use Revoke if a link should stop working.
• This documentation does not include a real proof link URL, cart contents, or shipping details, consistent with keeping customer/order data out of published examples.
• This article did not proceed past reviewing the Cart page's pre-checkout state — no real shipping address was entered, no shipping service was selected, and Place order was not exercised. Completing an actual order is outside the scope of this research.
• Creating an account or signing in was not attempted in this research.
• Historical note: in earlier testing during this documentation project, both Create proof link and Add to cart failed on the backend (HTTP 500) in every attempt. Those issues were resolved; the steps and outcomes above reflect the current, working behavior, reverified after the fix.

Desktop and mobile

Create proof link, Add to cart, the Cart page, and the Account page were all confirmed reachable and functional on both desktop and mobile — the Add to cart success message was confirmed identically at 390 × 844.

Troubleshooting

Related topics

• Production readiness
• Print PDF + Silhouette cut guide
• Device recovery
• Cloud drafts & accounts

Verification note

Verified against Blotter Builder on 2026-07-22 (original research 2026-07-20; backend failures found then were later resolved and reverified on this date).

Source notes

Primary observations — all from the live application at https://blotterbuilder.tdl.fyi. Network and clipboard activity were captured by intercepting navigator.clipboard.writeText and by reading [role=status] messages directly, rather than relying on visual confirmation alone.

• Observed (2026-07-20) — selecting Create proof link triggered POST /api/proofs, which returned HTTP 500 with body Internal Error. ID: 01KY4H5FEPGBBC1G3CK6SK1EBB; no visible UI error appeared.
• Observed (2026-07-20) — selecting Add to cart after completing the acknowledgment dialog returned a status message reporting failure, with no navigation to Cart.
• Observed (2026-07-22, reverification) — repeating Create proof link: status progressed from Creating proof link… to Proof link created, but this browser blocked copying it. Use Copy in the list below to get it. A Saved proof links (this browser) list appeared with an entry labeled by format name and Copy/Revoke/Forget buttons. Intercepting navigator.clipboard.writeText and triggering Copy captured the link's exact structure: a /proof/{uuid} ?token={token} path, confirmed to be a long, non-sequential token rather than a predictable identifier.
• Observed (2026-07-22) — repeating Add to cart: status progressed from Adding design to cart… to Design added to cart. View cart or keep designing.
• Observed (2026-07-22) — navigating to /cart after a successful add showed a populated cart: a line item (Classic square #1, size, per-copy/additional-copy pricing, line total), quantity controls, Edit design, a ⋯ menu, an order summary (Merchandise, Order total), a Shipping address section (autocomplete, validate-and-calculate-shipping, PGP-encrypt-address option, save address), an optional ship notification email field, and a Place order button stated as requiring a validated address and service first. Testing stopped at this point — no address was entered and no order was placed.
• Observed (2026-07-22) — at 390 × 844, repeating Add to cart produced the identical Design added to cart. View cart or keep designing. status message.

Verification log