BOSPrint has robust Estimating functionality that gives your estimators the information they need to produce fast, accurate estimates. BOSPrint automates so much of the estimating process, you reduce the risk of errors, and improve overall efficiency.
A Printing Estimate gives you built-in functionality for every possible Printing scenario - NCR, Digital, Litho to name a few.
Main Menu > Customers > Quotations > New - Quotation > Select Customer > Add Estimate > Printing
This is where you enter all the basic information of the Customer.
The reference entered in the Quotation can be set to automatically copy to the Estimate description when an Estimate is created.
To enable this functionality, navigate to Main Menu > Setup > Staff > Settings > Quotations > Copy Quotation Reference to Estimate Description - Yes. For more about Staff Quotations Settings, click here.
2. Size - You can select the appropriate size from the dropdown list or input a custom size. This field indicates the finished and flat size of the job and can be populated from a lookup list.
3. Category - The category list consists of the types of print work the organisation offers, each of which is linked to the relevant machines, overheads and productivity models that will inform the rest of the estimate.
4. Numbering - For more about Numbering, click here.
5. Quote Description - This is where the details that are captured throughout the Quotation process are automatically displayed. The Quote Letter description is automatically generated from the services and materials that are added to the estimate. The Quote Description is generated using a Stored Procedure in the database - QT_UPDATE_DESCRIPTION.
6. Internal Notes - You are able to add Internal Notes to Estimates. The Add button will add a time-stamped note or you can click the Edit button to edit the notes directly. The Notes can be added to a Template using the QT_Int_Note data pipeline.
The Notes entered in the Internal Notes field (6) will be added to the Sales Order's Specification field and to the Work Order's Note field when the Estimate is copied to a SO or WO.
By setting the Add Note from Estimate to Item Specification setting in Main Menu > Setup > Settings & Defaults > Settings > Quotations to Yes, you are able to copy the Estimate's Note to the Quotations Item's Specification which in turn is copied to the SO and WO Specification fields.
For more about Settings & Defaults, click here.
7. Add Qty - Type in the value of the quantity needed on the print job. You can add multiple quantities and select the desired quantity by checking the check box in the data grid.
It is important that you remember to click Add Qty or press Enter in this step, else your quote value will remain ‘0’ - even if you have applied all the correct steps in your quote and completed it. Once you have clicked Add Qty your quote specifications will start to reflect the value in the summary (6) on the right of the screen.
8. Summary - This section automatically updates costs, Materials and Services based on the quantity and selections made in the Estimating process.
9. Menu - The Menu button provides the following additional functionality:
a. Scroll - This allows you to scroll through the Estimates on the Quotation.
b. Update - Click this button to update the Estimate.
c. Items and Parameters - Here you can specify the Items and Parameters you wish to update.
a. Create New Material - This allows you to create a new Material Item form the Estimate, using the Estimate to calculate the Costs and Pricing, allowing you to create Fixed Price Lists..
b. Select Category - Select a Category for the Material you wish to create.
c. Update Linked Materials - This allows you to update the Linked Material Items.
d. Update Linked Materials (Cost Price only) - This will only update the Linked Material's Cost Price.
When a Material is Updated from an Estimate, it will update the Item according to the Price Type set in Material Categories of the Material Item, however if a Material Item is updated from an Estimate and the Price Type is changed from Fixed Qty to Unit Price or vice versa, all the existing prices will be removed and replaced by new Prices.
The valid Price Types used for creating Material Items from Estimates are:
The application guides you through the job specification, starting with Pre-Press. Pre-Press is everything that the person handling the job might need to know before starting the job, such as ‘artwork provided’ or if the design-work needs to be done in-house, if the client requires a proof to be done before approving the print job, and so on.
8. Section - This shows the section that the Pre-press item applies to.
9. Direct - This field shows what the direct costs are for the service. Knowing direct costs has its advantages: Direct costs are typically for Materials and output required to fulfill that job, that have a cost implication. It reasons then that if the job has to be reprinted, and the direct costs are more than 50%, that the reprint costs more than the profit of the job. It is therefore best practice to try keep direct costs to 40% and less. Direct costs can also be used as a gauge to see how your quote compares with your competitors, as most printers have the same direct costs, with the difference primarily being in labour rates.
10. A - This check-box indicates if a Adjustment is added to the Pre-Press total price. See image below:
You are able to edit a Cost Centre from the Estimating Interface. Simply double-click on a Service or right-click and select Edit Item and the Service's Setup window will appear.
Here Users are able to change the Cost Centre's Rates (see image below). This functionality is enabled by default. To disable this functionality navigate to Main Menu > Setup > Staff > Edit User > Settings > Quotations > Default: Disable Cost Centre Rares in Estimating - Yes.
For more about Staff Quotation Settings, click here.
This section guides you through the printing process and filters the available selections according to the selected printing type.
The following process is unique to the selected Printing Type. In the example below the Digital Printing Type is selected, the steps for a Flexographic Printing Type will be slightly different.
2. Select Section - This window offers a selection of Section. Select the appropriate Section and click Select. For more about Section setups, click here.
3. Edit Section - If required, the Section can be edited in this popup window. You can also specify the quantity to be either 100% of the quoted quantity, or a fixed item quantity, or a set imposition quantity. You can also specify the bleed and the Depth and Height of the job, but these are usually linked to the category and size that you selected in the Header section. Click Next to continue.
4. Select Press and Ink - Choose the Press and Ink needed for the job specifications. Click Select to Continue. If there is a Default Pre-Press Option applied to the selected Press, it will be added in the Pre-Press tab.
6. Edit Printing - This screen allows you to make changes to the Imposition, Press, Material and add any Notes that might be useful during Production. Click Next to continue.
7. Select Paper - Select the Paper, Paper size and Supplier. Click OK to continue.
A. Data Grid - All the Paper available for this Printing Type will be listed in the data grid.
B. Unit - Once you selected the desired paper, you can select the desired size. This will prevent wastage.
C. Supplier - All the suppliers who supply this specific paper, will be listed here. If the Paper Price has not been updated within thirty days, this field will be marked red to alert the user. For more on Paper Price Updating, click here.
8. Edit Paper - This is a final check over the Paper selection, price, quantity, cut out and size specifications. If a special paper price has been negotiated, the List price can be updated or an adjustment can be added. Add a Note to remind the buyer who the price was negotiated with. Check that the cut out diagram looks correct. Check that the waste percentage (W%) is within limits. The Maximise checkbox will change the worksheet size to match the full size of the stock sheet or the maximum size of the press, whichever is smaller. This is done to eliminate unnecessary pre-cutting. Click Next to continue.
9. Summary - Review the Summary page with the summary of the job spec. Click Finish if you are satisfied.
Once you clicked Finish the Section, Printing and Paper fields in the Printing tab will be populated. See image below:
Finishing Services are added here. At this point, there may be some Finishing Services already added - this is because these are linked to the Section that was selected.
If anything else needs to be added
Services are created in Setup Menu.
For Section sq.m, the area is actually calculated on Worksheet size and Worksheet qty to allow for bleed and overs.
This is the section where any Material needed to complete the job, other than paper and ink, will be added by the system, or can be manually added or updated by selecting the desired Material from the drop-down list and clicking Add. All services needed to complete the job are linked to the Materials section and will update this section if those Services have been specified previously.
a. Material Category Filter - This allows you to filter the Material Items drop-down list (c) by Material Category.
b. Search - Enter a description here and the Material Items drop-down list (c) will populate with relating Items.
c. Material Items - Select the desired Material Items from the drop down list.
d. Qty Option - This is how the Estimate Quantity will be calculated. You can select from the following parameters:
e. Qty - Enter the amount of the Material Item you wish to add to the Estimate here.
f. Add to Quote Description - If this box is checked, the Material Item will then be added to the Quote description.
g. Add - Click Add to add the selected Material Item to the Estimates Bill of Materials. The Add button provides the following additional functionality by clicking on the arrow:
The Menu button allows you to Drilldown to linked Material Item as well as to Convert: Multiple Quantities > Setu Quantity + Unit Quantity.
h. Delete - This will delete the selected Materials.
i. Additional functionality becomes available when you right-click on a Material Item in the Material data grid:
Material Items can be created from the Estimate. Navigate to the Menu button and select Create/Update Material, check the Create a new Material check-box, select a Category from the Category drop-down list and click on the Create/Update button.
When you create a material from the Estimate, all the Quantities, including the Cost and Selling price will be added to the material.
Specify how this order will be delivered to the client. Click the Packaging drop down menu and select what the work will be packaged in and select the Destination with its Delivery Option and click Add.
The Cost tab in Accounting provides a summary of all the costs on the estimate. See image below:
If Inventory Items are added to the Estimate, an additional In Stock Qty field will be displayed (hidden by default) in the Costs data grid.
Because Items are not yet linked to a Location, the In Stock qty is the sum of all the Locations. When the In Stock qty is less than the Estimated qty, the field is highlighted in Red.
View the list of all quantities, costs and profits here. Quantities (Qty) and markup (MU %) can be changed manually in this tab. You can also override and fix a price or a unit price by double-clicking in the appropriate field. When prices are fixed they are displayed in red to alert you of this.
When right-clicking on a quantity in the Pricing data grid, you are able to select from the following additional functionality:
This tab lists all the variances between the production parameters and costs on the Estimate compared to those in the setups.
You are able to Copy an Estimate to a Work Order. When you copy an Estimate to a Work Order, the Work Order Header (Customer. Contact, Rep, Reference, Category) is also copied from the Quotation containing the Estimate. The Quotation's Status will be set to Accepted by default.
Watch this short video on how to create a basic Print Estimate. For an example of how to create a Quotation, click here.