Connecting a Custom Printer to Marq

If you're a print partner evaluating how to connect with a Marq customer, this guide explains your options and helps you identify which integration fits your workflow. Share your preference with your Marq contact and they'll connect you with the right team to get started.

Choosing Your Integration Method

The most important question is: do you want Marq to own the print checkout experience, or do you want to own it?

Marq owns the checkout → Print Portal or Print Partner API

Users complete their print order entirely within Marq — selecting products, configuring options, reviewing a PDF proof, and entering shipping details. Once the order is placed, Marq routes it to your printer either through a manual portal (managed by the Marq customer's team) or automatically via API.

Print partner owns the checkout → Print Partner Publish Extension

Users complete their design in Marq, then are handed off to your ordering system to finish the transaction. You control pricing, paper options, production speeds, and any other custom checkout configuration. Marq's role ends when it securely passes the user and their print-ready PDF to your platform.

Option 1: Print Portal

Note: This option is managed entirely on the Marq customer's side — no action or development is required from the print partner.

The Print Portal is a Marq-hosted dashboard where the customer's internal print administrators receive, review, and download orders for fulfillment. After a user places an order, admins are notified by email, log into the portal, and download a .zip file containing the print-ready PDFs and order details. They then send that to you through whatever existing process you have in place.

This works well for customers who don't have engineering resources and are comfortable with a manual handoff to their printer.

Option 2: Print Partner API

Best for: Print vendors who want fully automated, system-to-system order routing — with Marq still owning the checkout.

When a user completes checkout in Marq, Marq automatically pushes the completed order to your API endpoint. Your system receives the order details and a pre-signed URL to download the print-ready PDF, then processes it without any manual steps.

You can also push status updates back to Marq (SentToVendor, ReceivedByVendor, Printing, Shipping, OnHold, Cancelled) so the Marq customer's team can track orders in real time.

What you need to provide to Marq:

• Your receiving endpoint URL
• Technical and support contact emails
• Brand assets and product catalog (if applicable)

Engineering required: Yes — your team builds and hosts the receiving endpoint.

Developer reference: developers.marq.com/reference/list-all-print-orders

Option 3: Print Partner Publish Extension

Best for: Print partners who want to own the checkout experience entirely — controlling pricing, paper options, production speeds, and other custom ordering details within your own platform.

When a user clicks to order prints, instead of going through Marq's checkout, they are redirected to your platform. Marq generates a signed JWT token containing the user's identity and a secure link to download their print-ready PDF. Your system validates the token, downloads the file, and takes the user through your own ordering flow from there.

Important: You must download the PDF server-side immediately when the token arrives — before showing the user any confirmation UI. The download link is only valid for 1 hour, and your checkout experience depends on having the file in hand before proceeding.

The JWT token gives you everything you need to route the order:

• jti — unique token ID; verify this hasn't been processed before to prevent replay attacks
• userId — the user's Marq email address, for mapping to your customer records
• projectId — unique identifier for the Marq document
• projectName — name of the design, useful as an order reference for the user
• downloadUrl — pre-signed URL to download the print-ready PDF (valid for 1 hour)
• contentLength — file size in bytes
• mimeType — content type (typically application/pdf)

The token is signed using RS256. Your system validates it with Marq's public key before processing anything.

For enterprise partners who need stronger security guarantees, a SAML-based flow is also available. Marq POSTs a signed XML assertion to your endpoint instead of redirecting with a JWT. Both flows carry the same core order data. See the full developer guide for SAML details.

What you need to provide to Marq:

• Your destination URL
• Preferred authentication method (JWT or SAML)
• Your public key (JWT) or X.509 certificate (SAML)
• Icon image and logo for the Marq app marketplace
• Supported file formats

Engineering required: Yes — your team builds and hosts the destination endpoint and checkout flow.

Developer reference: developers.marq.com/docs/print-partner-extension

Summary

Ready to move forward? Reply with which option best fits your workflow and your Marq contact will connect you with the right team to get started. If you have questions before deciding, reach out to partnerships@marq.com.