Spreadconnect API (Spreadshirt) + Polotno: embedded apparel editor

Polotno + Spreadconnect pairs Polotno's embedded design editor SDK with Spreadconnect, the print-on-demand API from Spread Group (Spreadshirt), formerly SPOD. Your users design apparel inside your app, your backend creates the product and the order through the Spreadconnect API, and Spread Group prints and ships.

Try it below. Design the shirt, then press Send to Spreadconnect: the editor exports each side at the size of Spreadconnect's print areas, and Spreadconnect's API returns its own product previews. Nothing is ordered.

The full code, editor and server, is on GitHub: polotno-spreadconnect-demo. It runs on Polotno SDK, so it needs a Polotno API key. To compare it with the other print APIs, see the print on demand API comparison.

The problem Spreadconnect doesn't solve

Spreadconnect gives partner apps Spread Group's catalog, production and order flow. The designer is left to you. Their native designer stays on Spreadshirt's site; external sites and Shopify stores are left to build their own.

Teams integrating Spreadshirt without a design layer usually:

Link users off-site to Spreadshirt's designer, breaking the flow
Build a bare upload UI and leave layout to the customer
Commit to one garment because recomposing designs per product is a project

Polotno goes in front of Spreadconnect so Shopify and custom stores get a web-native designer tied to Spreadconnect's product types and print areas.

How to create Spreadconnect products with the API

Design: User picks a garment and base color from Spreadconnect's product types. Polotno loads the canvas with print-zone overlays.
Edit: User composes artwork, selects placements (front, back, sleeve).
Export: Your app exports a PNG per placement using store.toDataURL . Spreadconnect takes PNG artwork under 10 MB.
Preview: Your backend can ask Spreadconnect for product previews of the design before the order.
Order: Your backend creates the article with the artwork, then POSTs the order to the Spreadconnect API.
Fulfill: Spread Group prints and ships. Status updates arrive on your webhook.

What a request looks like

// 1. Export a PNG per placement. Spreadconnect takes PNG under 10 MB.
const frontPng = await frontStore.toDataURL({ mimeType: "image/png", pixelRatio: 4 })
const frontUrl = await uploadToYourStorage(frontPng)

const spreadconnect = (path, body) =>
  fetch(`https://api.spreadconnect.app${path}`, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "X-SPOD-ACCESS-TOKEN": SPREADCONNECT_API_KEY,
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify(body),
  }).then((r) => r.json())

// 2. Optional: product previews of the design, without changing anything.
await spreadconnect(`/productTypes/${PRODUCT_TYPE_ID}/previews`, {
  /* appearanceId, configurations with the design and hotspot, width, height */
})

// 3. Create the article with the artwork (an image URL or a designId),
//    then the order. See https://rest.spod.com/docs/ for the full schemas.
const article = await spreadconnect("/articles", {
  /* title, variants, configurations: [{ image: { url: frontUrl }, ... }] */
})
await spreadconnect("/orders", {
  /* orderItems, shipping, email, phone, externalOrderReference */
})

What Polotno handles vs. what Spreadshirt handles

Polotno (in your app)

Per-garment templates + print-zone overlays
Embedded editor UI
Multi-placement design (front, back, sleeve)
Garment color + size preview, built in your app around the editor
PNG export per placement

Spreadconnect (backend)

Spread Group's garment catalog
Product previews from the API
Printing and fulfillment
Order and shipping status webhooks

Technical details

Export: PNG per placement via store.toDataURL . Spreadconnect accepts PNG artwork under 10 MB, by URL or uploaded first with POST /designs/upload .
Endpoint: https://api.spreadconnect.app , with a separate staging environment and its own account.
Auth: your API key in the X-SPOD-ACCESS-TOKEN header. Create it under Connect Integration at login.spreadconnect.app.
Previews: POST /productTypes/{id}/previews renders the design on the product without changing anything.
Webhooks: signed with an HMAC in the X-SPRD-SIGNATURE header.
Rate limit: 60 calls per minute per integration.
Rendering modes: Client, self-hosted, or cloud .

What you can build

Any garment or accessory in the Spreadconnect catalog:

T-shirts, long sleeves, tank tops
Hoodies and sweatshirts
Kids and baby apparel
Bags and accessories
Phone cases
Caps

FAQ

Do I need a Spreadconnect account?

Yes. Create an API integration at login.spreadconnect.app to get the key. Staging uses a separate account.

Is Spreadconnect the same as SPOD?

Yes. SPOD, Spread Group's print-on-demand service, is now called Spreadconnect, and its API docs live at rest.spod.com/docs.

Start building

The code for the demo above is on GitHub: polotno-spreadconnect-demo. Clone it, add a Polotno API key (a trial key from your Polotno dashboard works) and your Spreadconnect API key, and the editor-to-order flow runs locally.