28 problems commercial printers bring us, each with the cause, what it costs and what we build to fix it.
Print estimates stall on stock prices, imposition and finishing rules. We build estimating tools that price commercial print jobs from your own rates.
Print artwork arrives without bleed, in RGB or at low resolution, and preflight becomes a bottleneck. We automate the checks and the replies to customers.
Print proof approvals get buried in email and the wrong version reaches press. We build a proof approval system that records exactly what was signed off.
Handwritten job bags and tickets send the wrong stock or finish to the press floor. We build digital job tickets from the approved order for printers.
Printers find out a paper or board stock is short when the job reaches the press. We build stock control that checks every scheduled job against stock.
Print press scheduling on a whiteboard breaks when jobs slip or rush work lands. We build a schedule that links presses, finishing and delivery dates.
Printers retype web-to-print storefront orders into the MIS, adding errors and delay. We connect the storefront so orders arrive as ready-made jobs.
Print repeat orders get re-estimated, re-proofed and reset from scratch. We build reorder tools that pull the last job's spec, artwork and price for printers.
Printers lose track of outwork sent to trade printers and finishers for foiling, binding or large format. We build outwork tracking tied to each job.
Printers rarely compare estimated with actual press time, paper and spoilage per job. We build print job costing that shows which jobs made money.
Printers lose margin when author's corrections, extra proofs and changes never reach the invoice. We build capture of chargeable extras on every print job.
Print jobs split across many delivery addresses lose track of quantities and proof of delivery. We build split delivery planning and tracking for printers.
Printers lose hours to customers ringing about print job status. We build live job tracking so customers and account handlers see progress without asking.
Print colour complaints and reprints get settled by argument, not evidence. We build a reprint log with press sheets, proofs and causes for commercial printers.
Printers typeset corporate business cards by hand from emailed names and titles. We build template ordering with approval so cards arrive print-ready.
Personalised print and mailing jobs fail on messy data files with duplicates and bad addresses. We build data checks and merge proofs for printers.
Printers lose cutting formes and die records for repeat folders and cartons. We build a die library that links each forme to its jobs, rack and dieline.
Printers holding printed stock for clients lose track of balances and call-off orders sent by email. We build stock and call-off systems for print firms.
Printers send estimates that are never followed up, so jobs go elsewhere. We build print estimate tracking that prompts follow-up and records why jobs are lost.
Printers put jobs on press for trade and business accounts already on stop. We build credit checks into print order intake so accounts see problems first.
Printers running shifts lose half-finished jobs and press problems in handover notes. We build a shift handover log tied to each print job and machine.
Printers cannot see how much press time goes on breakdowns, waiting and maintenance. We build a downtime and maintenance log for litho and digital presses.
Printers find FSC chain of custody records hard to keep across jobs, stock and invoices. We build traceable certified-paper records for print jobs.
Trade printers blind shipping for resellers let their own branding slip onto parcels and paperwork. We build white-label dispatch rules for trade print.
Print managers rebuild the same sales, margin and press reports from the MIS every week. We build automatic print business reporting from the data you hold.
Printers with framework and key account rate cards price jobs inconsistently against them. We build rate card pricing and checks into print estimating.
Printers get swamped by hundreds of small seasonal orders for Christmas cards and calendars. We build ordering and batching that makes the peak manageable.
Print enquiries, orders and artwork get lost in a shared inbox nobody owns. We build intake that sorts print emails into jobs with owners and next steps.