How Momentu broke free from legacy software and built a resilient, future-proof platform with Polotno
Momentu is an Austria-based web-to-print platform specializing in personalized products for life’s most meaningful events – births, weddings, birthdays, and more. Customers browse thousands of design templates, customize them online, and receive high-quality printed goods tailored to the moment. From single-page invites to 100-page personalized newspapers, Momentu brings real-world memories into beautifully crafted print.
Struggling with legacy systems and vendor lock-in
Back in 2010, when Momentu launched, the idea of designing printed materials directly in a browser was new. They built their own system from scratch. It was basic, but it worked – and it stood out in the local market.
But by 2015, maintaining that custom system was holding them back. So they partnered with a German agency that offered an online editor and e-commerce solution built on Magento. It looked like the right call. Until Adobe bought Magento and tore up the playbook.
Adobe rewrote the entire platform. Years of Momentu’s work – including custom code and deep integrations – became worthless overnight. The worst part? All their design templates were hardwired to that specific editing system. They couldn’t migrate easily, couldn’t update flexibly, and couldn’t fix what was broken. They were locked in.
And that lock-in cost them – time, money, customers, and morale.
They knew they couldn’t afford to depend on vendors whose business priorities could change at any moment. Especially not when every change impacted Momentu’s bottom line.
They needed out. Not just out of Magento. Out of the cycle of dependency.
Custom backend, Polotno frontend – no more compromises
In 2020, Momentu hit reset.
They began building a new backend system – ERP, CRM, and e-commerce – entirely from scratch, using frameworks they’d developed through years of internal software projects. This wasn’t just a rebuild. It was a bet on control.
But they still needed a frontend design editor. And nearly all the online editors they evaluated had the same core flaw: proprietary systems, rigid template formats, and no source code access. Most were built for scale, not flexibility.
Momentu had already explored Fabric.js in the past. That’s when they rediscovered Polotno – a web-based design SDK created by Anton Lavrov. Polotno was built differently: it was modular, modern, and gave developers full control via SDK (shortly after Momentu acquired source code access).
They got in touch with Anton, the founder. The collaboration clicked. Fast.
Momentu and Anton worked together to build the features that truly mattered for print-ready design:
Bleed areas, fold lines, and high-res output
Multi-page performance tuning (critical for 60+ page newspapers)
Clean integration with their custom backend
SDK hooks for custom features they could build themselves
They didn’t just plug Polotno in. They made it their core creative infrastructure – replacing Adobe InDesign and Acrobat completely for internal teams. Designers now create templates directly in the editor. No intermediate steps. No PDF gymnastics.
Everything is streamlined, editable, and connected.
Full-stack control reduced support tickets and dev overhead
The shift to Polotno wasn’t just technical. It was cultural.
Control without compromise
Momentu now owns every layer of their system – backend, storefront, and editor. They’re no longer hostage to vendor updates or sudden policy shifts. With access to the Polotno SDK – and source code – they can debug, tweak, or extend any part of the editor.Performance that scales
Multi-page products load faster. Design elements render smoother. Features like bleed and high-res exports are built-in, not hacked on. They’ve seen major improvements in speed and reliability, especially on large projects.Happier customers
Support tickets related to design tools have dropped. Before, browser quirks and editor bugs were common – and unsolvable without vendor help. Now, Momentu can respond in hours. Sometimes even faster than that.High dev velocity
Their team can build and deploy new features directly on top of the SDK. They don’t have to wait weeks for a response or hope someone upstream fixes a bug. They just fix it.Daily scale
Thousands of customers use the editor every day. Every purchase goes through the design tool. And it just works.
Support tickets related to design tools have dropped. Before, browser quirks and editor bugs were common – and unsolvable without vendor help. Now, Momentu can respond in hours. Sometimes even faster than that.
