The problem
Every quote at a print shop means working out stock, clicks or plates, finishing and delivery, often in an old spreadsheet only the owner understands. At 25 quote requests a week and 12 minutes each, that's 5 hours a week, over 21 hours a month, and slow replies lose jobs to online printers.
What the AI does
Printlogic is print management software (a print MIS) built for print businesses. Its pricing page lists a quoting system and job management on the Starter plan, and its features page describes print estimating with templates, markups and repeatable quote-to-job costing. You set up templates for the products you quote most, with your own stock and finishing costs and markups, so a quote is a few choices rather than a calculation. An accepted quote becomes a job, and invoices can sync to Xero, Sage or QuickBooks.
A worked example
A digital and litho print shop in Stoke-on-Trent with 4 staff quotes about 25 jobs a week: business cards, leaflets, booklets and roller banners. The owner and one member of staff build templates for their 15 most common products in the first month.
Before
25 quotes a week at 12 minutes each: 300 minutes, 5 hours a week (21.5 hours a month)
After
25 quotes at about 4 minutes each from templates: 100 minutes a week (about 7.2 hours a month)
What it's worth
About $572£430€512A$826C$808 a month in time saved: 200 minutes a week, times 4.3, is about 14.3 hours a month, at an assumed $40£30€36A$58C$56 an hour. Printlogic Starter is $153£115€137A$221C$216 a month for up to 5 users. Xero is shown because invoices can sync to it; if you already use Xero, Sage or QuickBooks there's no extra cost.
How to set it up
- Book Printlogic's demo and ask to see quoting for your own three most common products.
- List your stocks, click or plate costs, finishing costs and the markup you want on each product type.
- Build templates for your 15 most-quoted products first and test each against a few recent quotes you priced by hand.
- Quote every new request in Printlogic for a month, checking odd jobs by hand before sending.
- Connect invoicing to your accounting software once quotes and jobs are running smoothly.
What goes wrong
- Templates are only as good as the costs in them. Update stock and click costs whenever your supplier prices change, or every quote will be wrong the same way.
- Unusual jobs still need a person: special finishes, odd sizes and outsourced work need checking before the quote goes.
- Starter covers 5 users; a sixth person moves you to a second block or the $306£230€274A$442C$432 Enterprise plan.
- Printlogic's site offers a demo rather than a free trial, and moving your price lists in takes time. Allow a few weeks before it's quicker than the spreadsheet.