After a successful drop publish, if you don't have a saved card on file, a dialog appears prompting you to add one. This is the post-publish card gate. It's non-blocking — the drop publishes either way.
Why it exists
When customer orders come through, theprintspace charges your saved card for the production cost (print, frame, COA, letter, packaging, shipping) at fulfilment time. Without a card on file, the order falls into a payment_failed state and the customer's order is delayed until you add a card. The gate prompts you to add one before that happens.
Two paths
Add the card now
The dialog title is Add a payment card for orders and reads: "Your drop is publishing now. In order to fulfil the orders you get, we require a payment card on file. We advise you to add it now to avoid delays in fulfilment."
Inside the dialog is the same Card on file form you'd use in Settings → Financial — a Stripe SetupIntent against your residency-routed Escher V2 account. You can complete it inline without leaving the wizard:
- Enter your card details in Stripe Elements.
- Confirm the SetupIntent.
- The card is saved and the dialog closes.
Add it later
Click I'll add it later. The dialog closes and the publish proceeds. The system sends one reminder email and shows a toast: "We'll email you a reminder — You can add a card any time from Settings."
That's a single reminder on skip — there are no recurring reminders.
When the gate appears
- Only after a successful publish.
- On every publish where you have no saved card. The publish flow re-checks your card status each time, so if you skip, you'll see the gate again on your next publish.
- Once you've saved a card, the gate stops appearing.
If the card-status lookup fails (for example a network error), the gate is skipped and you go straight to your drops — it never blocks publishing.
Adding a card later
You can add a card any time from Settings → Financial, in the Card on file card. It binds to your residency-routed Stripe account (UK / US / DE); changing your residency country invalidates the saved card and you'll need to add it again.