Creation of an offer using automatic print price calculation

Toscana Systems has more than 20 years of experience developing software solutions for the graphics industry. Their specialized ERP&CRM cloud solution for the print and sign industry is based on modern technologies and thorough industry knowledge. Through a series of educational articles started in the last issue of Print Magazine, they will point out the most common problems of printing houses and offer an innovative solution.

Given that printing houses deal with a relatively wide range of products and different printing methods, it is necessary to know at least the basics in order to be able to create an offer, i.e., to make a calculation. In most cases, printing houses have one or two people who know how to make calculations, and all price calculations that must be delivered to the client depend on them. With an increased volume of work, calculations take longer, the possibility of errors in transferring information from one employee to another increases, and in the end, the client waits too long for an offer.

Speed up the creation of offers, and reduce errors to a minimum

The automated calculation covers all printing methods and is subject to any changes and needs of the client. It consists of a list of items each printing house defines according to its needs. After the complete calculation for all products is set, we get the overview shown in the picture. Such a module can be integrated into the website so clients can choose which item they want, which size, and which options. Of course, the final price may or may not be shown. If the client places an order online, it ends up directly in the system and only needs to be forwarded to production with a work order. Otherwise, if such a module is used only internally and is not shared on the web (both are possible), then of course, additional options are displayed, i.e., display of purchase price, margin, the possibility of changing any calculation parameter, the definition of discount and similar.

During the calculation, a table with a cost list is generated in the background so that the price of individual elements of the calculation is known precisely, which means the price of paper, printing, lamination, etc. The calculated price and description are entered into the offer in just one click. After the items are entered in the offer, it is possible to review it and, if necessary, change the description, price, or any other parameter. Also, through the calculation, it is possible to increase the quantity of the selected item and declare it an option. Different quantities will be visible in the offer under the option's name. Every offer, as well as every modification to the offer, is archived, after which the system provides the possibility to send an e-mail to the client via the client's integrated e-mail.

Automated calculation significantly speeds up the process of making offers. The employees who make the offer do not need to be professionally trained to make the calculation. Ultimately, you do not have to worry about the correctness of the prices because, with a predefined calculation, the possibility of error is reduced to a minimum.