Start with the final download
Make an original manifest with four columns: file name, purpose, intended buyer and revision. Keep the list short enough to read beside the checkout description. A buyer should be able to identify the starting document without opening every PDF or guessing whether a ZIP contains different material.
Separate essential and optional files
Instructions may be essential for everyone while a print format is useful only to a subset of buyers. Label that distinction explicitly. Do not create purchase variants merely to separate files that belong in every package. Conversely, do not advertise an all-formats bundle when only one format is assigned to the purchased option.
Use a synthetic example
An illustrative package might contain Readme-v1.pdf, Instructions-v1.pdf and Home-print-v1.pdf. These names show a structure, not a tested pattern or a recommendation that every craft needs printable sheets. A knitting chart, embroidery design and sewing layout have different requirements; your manifest must describe the real files.
Check the complete route
Compare the manifest with the product page and intended download view. Every promised file must have a clear place, and every extra file should have a purpose. Preserve a dated copy before later changes. When a buyer reports a missing item, the manifest gives you a precise question instead of an argument about what “everything included” meant.
An original working example
For an original dry review, ask someone unfamiliar with the folder to identify the first file, the purpose of each alternative and the current version using only the manifest. They do not need to make the item or place an order to expose confusing labels. Record the question they ask, then repair the label or explanation rather than coaching them through an undocumented shortcut. This is a proposed review method, not a test we have conducted. Do not use unpublished customer material in the exercise. Keep the result focused on navigation and completeness; it cannot substitute for professional review of the pattern itself.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- Adding a digital product — Merchant documentation · help.payhip.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-27
- Digital product variants — Merchant documentation · help.payhip.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-27