We are excited to announce our first major update of the year! The February 2026 release for SendMyAd brings a range of user interface improvements, workflow optimizations, and powerful new customization options designed to streamline your ad operations.
Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming release.
User Experience & Interface Enhancements
Customizable Login Experience: First impressions matter. You can now fully brand the SendMyAd login page to match your organization’s identity. This site setting allows you to customize the logo, colors, and background image while maintaining full support for SSO options. This feature is optional and can be toggled per portal.
Publisher User Dashboard: We have introduced a new home screen for publisher users. This dashboard highlights recent ad activity and key information upon logging in. Users can customize their preferences to land on this dashboard by default and manage which events trigger emails versus in-app notifications.
In-App User Notifications: Stay in the loop without cluttering your inbox. A new notification bell in the header provides real-time in-app alerts about ad activity. You can view read/unread states and access a "View All" page to see history. These updates are pushed instantly, so you’ll see them without needing to reload the page.
Enhanced Ad Management & Workflow
Visual Approval Steps: Understanding the status of an ad is now easier than ever. We have redesigned the publisher approval section in the ad details view. It now displays as a visual flow, clearly showing the sequence of steps, parallel approvals, and who is responsible for pending or completed actions for both print and digital ads.
Redesigned Ad Actions Menu: To reduce clutter, we have reorganized the print ad Actions menu. Options are now grouped into clear categories like Workflow, Inspect, and Manage, making it faster to find exactly what you need.
Advertiser Reminders: Chasing down approvals just got easier. Publishers can now send approval reminder emails to advertisers whose ads are uploaded but still unapproved. This can be done individually or in bulk from the list views. The sender is automatically CC’d for record-keeping.
Collapsible Main Toolbar: To maximize your screen real estate, list and thumbnail views (such as Print Ads, Deliveries, Issues, Users, Groups and Companies) now utilize a collapsible filter bar. You get a cleaner, wider grid view with filters just a click away when you need them.
Digital Ad & File Handling Improvements
Direct Selection of Digital Ad Units: We’ve streamlined the upload process. With a new site setting, advertisers can skip the generic "ad type" step and select the specific digital ad unit they want to upload to directly. The form automatically adjusts to show the correct fields (image, HTML, native, etc.) for that unit.
EPS Vector Previews: The system now generates thumbnails and previews for EPS vector files uploaded as auxiliary files for digital ads. You can now view these logos and graphics directly in the portal just like any other image file.
Improved Multi-Size Digital Ad Uploads: Publishers now have greater control over digital ad units that support multiple image sizes. You can specify exactly which size is required, rather than being restricted to the first size listed. The system has been updated to seamlessly handle uploads and previews even when the primary size is optional or omitted.
Selective IAB Import: When importing IAB standard digital ad units, you now have the flexibility to tick checkboxes for only the specific sizes you want, rather than importing the entire set.
Customization & Usability Tweaks
Customize Ad Type Names: Terminology matters. Publishers can now rename the built-in "Print Ad" and "Digital Ad" labels to match their internal naming conventions. To ensure the interface remains tidy, the system limits the length of these custom names so they fit cleanly in menus and navigation.
Ad Background Color Toggle: In the ad viewer, you can quickly switch the background behind the ad between white, gray, and black. This is perfect for reviewing ads with transparent elements or very light/dark edges.
Issue Names on Thumbnails: In print ad thumbnail views, the booked issue name now appears directly under the image, allowing for quick identification without opening the ad.
New Default Note Color: To make feedback stand out, new markup boxes now default to Red instead of Orange. Users can change their preferred default color in User Preferences.
Under the Hood: Performance & Compliance
Core System Modernization & Stability: We’ve completed a major internal modernization of the Process Server that handles background workflows. The processing engine now uses a more structured internal architecture with better workload management, clearer logging, and safer startup/shutdown behavior. These updates improve how the system behaves under load, ensuring consistent, predictable processing for uploads, merges, and deliveries as usage scales.
PDF Processing & Standards Upgrades: We have updated our core PDF libraries to better support modern formats. This includes improved reliability when merging partial page PDFs in Virtual Publisher, as well as updated processes for removing printer marks and splitting multi-page spreads. While the user workflow remains the same, these changes ensure dependable output and standards compliance across a wider range of files.
Optimized Digital Receipt Creation: Digital receipts are now generated by a dedicated background service, making receipt creation faster and more reliable, especially for complex or multi-page ads. This update also allows the system to better track the status of receipts, clearly indicating whether they are in progress, completed, or have failed.
Virtual Publisher Optimization: For our Virtual Publisher users, we have optimized the display of the book plan list view, ensuring a snappier experience when viewing plans and the magazine viewer.
GDPR Compliance: We have added features to support GDPR compliance. Users will be asked to agree to cookie usage upon their first login post-update. Enhanced privacy information is now available in user settings.
SmartFile API: Campaigns: For developers, the SmartFile API now includes endpoints to create campaigns and assign ad requests to them, allowing external systems to organize digital ad work programmatically.
These enhancements to SendMyAd are part of our ongoing commitment to providing a superior ad management platform that meets and exceeds your needs. Whether you’re a new user or have been with us for years, these updates are designed to improve productivity and simplify workflows across your team.
We invite you to stay connected as we continue to innovate and enhance SendMyAd. For any questions please contact our customer success team at customersuccess@blansys.com.
Here’s to making your advertising efforts even more successful with SendMyAd!