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.

Print Estimate Setup

Navigation

Main Menu > Customers > Quotations > New - Quotation > Select Customer > Add Estimate > Printing

Discover Print Estimates Setup

Complete the following tabs to accurately create a Print Estimate:

1. Description
2. Pre-Press
3. Printing
4. Finishing
5. Material
6. Despatch
7. Costs
8. Pricing
9. Overrides

1. Description

This is where you enter all the basic information of the Customer.

1. Description - Here you can enter an Estimate Description.

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.

• To edit the Size Lookup list simply click on the Menu button (7) and select Edit Size Lookup.

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.

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.

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:

• Update Estimate from Setups - When Setup information has changed, this will update the Quote applying the changes. Once you have clicked Update Estimate from Setups an Update Quotation window will appear. See image below:

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.

• Cancel all Price Fixes - This will undo all the price fixes.
• Revert to Default Adjustment - This allows you to reset the Adjustments back to the Default settings set in Branches.
• Delete all Quantities and Prices - This will delete all the quantities entered on the Estimate along with all their prices.
• Don't Round off - If this function is selected none of the Prices will be rounded.
• Round Selling Price -If this function is selected the Selling Price will be rounded.
• Round Unit Price - If this function is selected the Unit Prices will be rounded.
• Delete Item - This allows you to delete this Item form the Quotation.
• Edit Size Lookup - This allows you to edit the lookup list for the Size field (2)
• Create/Update Material - This allows you to Create or Update a Material Item from the Estimate. Once you've selected Create/Update Material a Create/Update Material from Estimate window will appear. See image below:

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:

• Fixed Qty - All the Quantities on the Estimate will be replicated to the Material and you are then only allowed to transact in one of the fixed quantities only.
• Unit Price - One Unit Price will be added to the Material which is based on the Active quantity on the Estimate and you are then able to transact in any quantity.
• Save and Restore Grid (All Users) - This allows you to save or restore the data grid for all Users.

2. Pre-Press

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.

1. Service Category - This allows you to select a Service Category. You can set the default Service Category in Main Menu > Setup > Settings & Defaults > Settings > Quotations > Printing: Defualt Service Category for Pre-Press.
2. Item - Select the Pre-Press items required for the job from the drop-down list.
3. Quantity - Enter the number required.
4. Add - This will add the selected Service. The following additional functionality becomes available when you click on arrow:
   • Add Custom Item - This allows you to add a Custom Item.
   • Add & Edit - This will add the Service and open the Service's setup window allowing you to edit the selected Item. You are also able to edit Services by right-clicking on the desired Service and selecting Edit Item.
   • Update selected Item - This will add and Update the selected Service.
5. Delete - Clicking this button will delete all the selected items. This button is available on the Pre-Press, Finishing and Materials tab.
6. Green - If the item is performed in house then it will show as green. Red - If the item needs to be outsourced then it will show red.
7. D - This check box allows you to determine if it will appear on the quotation letter or not. You are able to double click on the Pre-Press item to open the Pre-Press Services setups, see image below:

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:

3. Printing

This section guides you through the printing process and filters the available selections according to the selected printing type.

1. Add - Click Add and select the Printing Type from the drop-down list.

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.

• Impo - Check if the Printing Imposition diagram is correct.
• Press - Check that the rate per hour, station front and back, Make Ready details, Speed, Wash Up, and Make Ready Overs details are correct. These are all pulled through from details specified in the Setup stage of installing QuickEasy BOS in the business, and are linked to the machine and job spec in the back end.
• Material - This used to be called ‘Other Material’ and includes any Material needed to complete the job, over and above your paper and ink. For now it is blank, as we have not clicked to the main Material tab yet.
• Note - You can make notes in this section.

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:

4. Finishing

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

1. Click on the Item drop-down list and select a service.
2. Click on the Qty Types drop-down list and select a Qty Type.
3. Enter the qty.
4. Click Add.

Services are created in Setup Menu.

• Finishing - Qty Types - The Section sq.m and Section m quantity types does not require the Finishing Service to be linked to a Section. When the Service is not linked to a Section, the Qty will be set to the combined area of all the Sections and the Section field in the data grid will display 'All'.

5. Material

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:

• Fixed - This will add a Fixed Qty of the Material Item.
• Est X - This will take the Estimate Qty and multiply it with the Material Item's Qty specified in the Qty field (f). For example if the Estimate has a Qty of 100 and you add a Material Item set Est X with a Material Item Qty of 2, then 200 Material Items will be added to the Estimate.
• Est / - This will take the Estimate Qty and divide it with the Material Item's Qty specified in the Qty field (f).

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:

• Add Custom Item - This allows you to add a Custom Item. The data grid will populate with a new empty row where you can enter the Custom Material Item's description, Qty, Unit and Unit Cost.
• Add & Edit - This will add the Material Item and open a Material Edit window (image below) where you can edit the Material Item.

The Menu button allows you to Drilldown to linked Material Item as well as to Convert: Multiple Quantities > Setu Quantity + Unit Quantity.

• Update Selected Item - This will add and update the selected Material Items.

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:

• Edit Item - This will open the selected Material Item's Edit window (image above).
• Delete Item - This will delete the selected Material Item.
• Open linked Material Item - This will open the linked Material Item.
• View Material Summary - This will open the Material Summary of the selected Material Item.

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.

6. Despatch

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.

7. Costs

The Cost tab in Accounting provides a summary of all the costs on the estimate. See image below:

• The Ordering of records in the Costs tab matches the Estimate. This makes grouping on an Output template easier.

8. Pricing

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:

• Fix Price for selected Qty - This will make the total cost of the quantity fixed. When the total cost is fixed, the amount in the total column will be marked red.
• Cancel Price fix on selected Qty - This will cancel the fix of the quantity total cost.
• Delete Qty - This will delete the quantity.

9. Overrides

This tab lists all the variances between the production parameters and costs on the Estimate compared to those in the setups.

• By right-clicking on records in the Overrides data grid will provide the following additional functionality:
  • Open linked Service - This will open the linked Service.
  • Open linked Material Item - This will open the linked Material Item.
  • View Material Summary - This will open the Material Summary.

How to create a Print Estimate

Watch this short video on how to create a basic Print Estimate. For an example of how to create a Quotation, click here.

Here are examples of how to create the following Estimates:

• Magazine Estimate
• Poster Estimate
• Business Card Estimate
• Folder Estimate