Print calculator for wide format & Flatbed.

[Pauly]

Im looking for software that can calculate your prints.

Something that i can enter a list of stock, paper, vinyls, corrugated plastic, banners etc in it
list Printers specs
then tell it your print size and quantity and it'll tell you what it costs.

I don't care to much about other features, just looking for the pricing part.

I've created my own excel calculator (as some here may know), but it's limited by my knowledge in excel. Although it's pretty advanced, sometimes i need to spend hours on it trying to make it do something particular or debugging an issue after making a modification.

 

[Stacey K]

Here's what I can do in SignTracker $50mo I think, best money I spend each month. I have an Excel spreadsheet that I update and upload into SignTracker with all my pricing.

FREE Option: What about having someone make pivot tables for you in Excel? They are pretty easy. Maybe an Access file? - I hate that program so I'm zero help but it has it's uses.

 

[dejancurk]

Just wondering. How much do you guys quote for the one table of flatbed printer. Lets say CMYK or white->CMYK. What is the base price for the mentioned calculator. For example my LEF2-200 has a bed of 508x330mm. I have jigs for 50 pens. Or is it by time?

 

[GB2]

Pauly, do you plan to assign a flat rate printing cost or are you expecting to perform a calculation to determine the cost to operate certain types of printing? For example $4 per SQFT for digital printing vs ink cost + electricity + operator expense + etc.
I feel like we've had this conversation before and the best answer leads to a Filemaker solution but a simple Excel sheet can be an easy option too.

 

[Pauly]

Here's what I can do in SignTracker $50mo I think, best money I spend each month. I have an Excel spreadsheet that I update and upload into SignTracker with all my pricing.

FREE Option: What about having someone make pivot tables for you in Excel? They are pretty easy. Maybe an Access file? - I hate that program so I'm zero help but it has it's uses.

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i made a free account, looks nice and simple. yet to test it.

I could make pivot tables on excel, but i dont need to stack jobs/quotes. It's more to get a price of 1 product with different quantities. So i can build my products.

do you guys quote for the one table of flatbed printer. Lets say CMYK or white->CMYK. Wh

Everyone has their own business model what works for them. We go by time and a minimum time. + ink + consumables etc etc.

Pauly, do you plan to assign a flat rate printing cost or are you expecting to perform a calculation to determine the cost to operate certain types of printing? For example $4 per SQFT for digital printing vs ink cost + electricity + operator expense + etc.
I feel like we've had this conversation before and the best answer leads to a Filemaker solution but a simple Excel sheet can be an easy option too.

I believe we've had this convo previously. it would be digital printing with ink costs, consumables, electricity, expenses etc. so the price is not linear with more volume.

Yeah while i could use file maker, there's another app called Appsmith which looks similar that im messing with.
But im looking for something that already exists. if it does.

Mine in excel does what i want it to do, To the point i can actually create workflows and get pricing per workflow. (workflow: Media, printer, print speed, and other variables) it's pretty complex i must admit. It works great, but each time i need to change something, i can easily break the functions which gets annoying.

Im just being antsy about it.

 

[dasigndr]

Pauly, do you plan to assign a flat rate printing cost or are you expecting to perform a calculation to determine the cost to operate certain types of printing? For example $4 per SQFT for digital printing vs ink cost + electricity + operator expense + etc.
I feel like we've had this conversation before and the best answer leads to a Filemaker solution but a simple Excel sheet can be an easy option too.

I agree. You need to factor in a flate rate for any one job. We have ours at minimum of $35. so that $24 decal now becomes $59. if they order more than one decal, well then that $35 starts to break down the price. e; for 3 decals would be ($35 + $24 + $24) = $27.67 ea.

 

[Pauly]

I agree. You need to factor in a flate rate for any one job. We have ours at minimum of $35. so that $24 decal now becomes $59. if they order more than one decal, well then that $35 starts to break down the price. e; for 3 decals would be ($35 + $24 + $24) = $27.67 ea.

You may have miss understood. He's talking about the configuration of the calculation.
If im looking to calculate a flat rate for a product, or dynamic depending on the volume of the job.
For example:

Corrugated plastic:
Flat rate - $100 per sheet at any quantity.
Dynamic - $100 for the first sheet, $150 for 2 sheets, $180 for 3 sheets. and so on.


But yes, all jobs should include a flat rate/minimum when calculating a price. otherwise your little job could end up being $5 and you make nothing on it.

 

[ColorCrest]

it's limited by my knowledge in excel.

I'm convinced your Excel knowledge is already plentiful unless you're looking to build a calculator which optimizes nesting but that's not really necessary for costs or pricing. Nesting can optimize your profit but customers don't need to know your profit.

Your particular challenge is that of layout in order to best view your data points. One may certainly fit a single, most common sign product on say, a sheet of letter paper or spreadsheet screen, but when it comes time to create another line item is when a true database is required.

More soon.

 

[ColorCrest]

Something that i can enter a list of stock, paper, vinyls, corrugated plastic, banners etc in it
list Printers specs

So, create a spreadsheet of said items. A single table of materials, printer, and also services such as design, etc. It's important to devise a strict naming convention as I've mentioned recently elsewhere in other posts on the forum. Maybe name the spreadsheet "Components."

You will also need to create another spreadsheet of "Products" using a strict naming convention and each product will list its components of make-up. (similar to Stacey K's earlier post of the SignTracker image.) A spreadsheet will immediately become unwieldy for this task but create at least one product.

then tell it your print size and quantity and it'll tell you what it costs.

Create yet another spreadsheet and maybe name it "Line Item Breakdown." This is where you'll enter the print dimensions and quantity but it will also show the product make-up along with the calculated values of components which are determined by the print size and qty.

All three tables of this data which are related, get related further to another table of Quotes. And again, this spreadsheet will immediately become unwieldy for the task in practical use. However, the exercise is useful as a reference and to clearly explain the necessity of a true database along with relationships and the design of layouts.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any current web-based solutions that will display such related data as clearly and compact as we've already had for decades now.

More later.

 

[Stacey K]

In the short term...can you use an IF statement in added columns?

If quantity in XXX is 1, then apply no discount. If quantity is 5-10 then apply 15% discount, etc.

This is what mine looks like. I stopped using it a while ago when I started using SignTracker. It's all drop-downs. It works very well and I can use either square foot pricing or linear pricing. I could add some columns after M and create discount pricing easily enough.

 

[Pauly]

So, create a spreadsheet of said items. A single table of materials, printer, and also services such as design, etc. It's important to devise a strict naming convention as I've mentioned recently elsewhere in other posts on the forum. Maybe name the spreadsheet "Components."

You will also need to create another spreadsheet of "Products" using a strict naming convention and each product will list its components of make-up. (similar to Stacey K's earlier post of the SignTracker image.) A spreadsheet will immediately become unwieldy for this task but create at least one product.


Create yet another spreadsheet and maybe name it "Line Item Breakdown." This is where you'll enter the print dimensions and quantity but it will also show the product make-up along with the calculated values of components which are determined by the print size and qty.

All three tables of this data which are related, get related further to another table of Quotes. And again, this spreadsheet will immediately become unwieldy for the task in practical use. However, the exercise is useful as a reference and to clearly explain the necessity of a true database along with relationships and the design of layouts.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any current web-based solutions that will display such related data as clearly and compact as we've already had for decades now.

More later.

I have 6 tables,
Calculator | Workflow | Stock list | Fees & Data | Print modes | Printers
(in that order)
It works backwards.

In printers, I have everything to do with costs of running each machine. from maintenance, inks, consumables, electricity, etc.

Printmodes - Every printer listed with every print mode. calculates what it costs to use each print mode from the "printers" table

Fees & data is just extra dropdowns used here and there

Stock list - list of all stock. with pricing, area pricing etc.

Product workflow - A table with every product we have. every column has a dropdown to define what's in that workflow. for example "posters". I'll have a column for Printer, Print mode, Stock, Extra supplies, Waste length and a few others.
They're dropdowns from the other tables so you just pick and select.

The calculator - choose the workflow, enter your size and quantity. It'll take that workflow and calculate the cost.
It'll show what it costs to run the printer, how much the total stock will cost and how much profit is left.
I know the calculator is good. I was more looking for something similar that's already software

 

[Pauly]

In the short term...can you use an IF statement in added columns?

If quantity in XXX is 1, then apply no discount. If quantity is 5-10 then apply 15% discount, etc.

This is what mine looks like. I stopped using it a while ago when I started using SignTracker. It's all drop-downs. It works very well and I can use either square foot pricing or linear pricing. I could add some columns after M and create discount pricing easily enough.

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this is pretty neat.
I have plenty of "IF" statements, and many more other formulas.

I dont have a % discount for quantity. Our shop has a flat hour rate we work off. so if it's $300 per hour. and $100 to start the job with a min of 30 mins.
the job is calculated with the time it takes, + all running costs.
So x1 small job in this example will cost $160 (min rate + stock + machine costs)
if the quantity was x100 and it took 2 hours. the job will be (hour rate + stock + machine costs) which will be something like $800.

 

[ColorCrest]

I know the calculator is good. I was more looking for something similar that's already software

At this point your calculator is a working prototype from which to build a database app and related spreadsheet tables such as yours is exactly how most DBs begin. However, you're asking for the "heart" of sign shop targeted vertical market solutions. So, I can't imagine you'll find just a "sign pricer" module alone.

I suppose you have some choices of 1) Converting your existing spreadsheet solution yourself to either MS Access or FileMaker along with finding a coach, or 2) Outsourcing the spreadsheets to a developer who can create a final tool in their choice of platform.

If you pursue either choice, I would be interested in any quoted fees the experts are asking these days.

 

[ColorCrest]

I have 6 tables,
Calculator | Workflow | Stock list | Fees & Data | Print modes | Printers

You only need three tables...

Combine | Fees & Data | Print modes | Printers into your Stock List table and consider renaming the table something such as COMPONENTS.
Rename your | Workflow | table simply as PRODUCTS.
Rename you Calculator table simply as LINE ITEMS.

 

[Pauly]

At this point your calculator is a working prototype from which to build a database app and related spreadsheet tables such as yours is exactly how most DBs begin. However, you're asking for the "heart" of sign shop targeted vertical market solutions. So, I can't imagine you'll find just a "sign pricer" module alone.

I suppose you have some choices of 1) Converting your existing spreadsheet solution yourself to either MS Access or FileMaker along with finding a coach, or 2) Outsourcing the spreadsheets to a developer who can create a final tool in their choice of platform.

If you pursue either choice, I would be interested in any quoted fees the experts are asking these days.

Yeah i think you're right. I was more to curious if there was such app.

Im looking at an app called "Appsmith" https://www.appsmith.com/
I can host it on my server and build it with that. probably a future task.

You only need three tables...

Combine | Fees & Data | Print modes | Printers into your Stock List table and consider renaming the table something such as COMPONENTS.
Rename your | Workflow | table simply as PRODUCTS.
Rename you Calculator table simply as LINE ITEMS.

My calculator page is a calculator, It doesn't do line items.
Its primary task is to build products and pricing to use on our system.
With it, we can see how much margin we make, how much the stock is costing us, ink etc.

I could turn it into line items if need be...

 

[ColorCrest]

My calculator page is a calculator, It doesn't do line items.
Its primary task is to build products and pricing to use on our system.
With it, we can see how much margin we make, how much the stock is costing us, ink etc.

I could turn it into line items if need be...

Your calculator is commonly known as a Line Item Breakdown. Typically a simple alternate tabbed view showing the calculated costings of the product's components using their charge-out factors based on the print dimensions and qty. What's missing in particular is the customer's name, the quote or order number, and the line item number. The hinderance is the fact that it's a spreadsheet and thus one would need to save a gazillion individual files if a history is required. However, your existing spreadsheets make a very good springboard to build a more practical solution.

Im looking at an app called "Appsmith" https://www.appsmith.com/
I can host it on my server and build it with that. probably a future task

Best of luck with that.

 

[Pauly]

Your calculator is commonly known as a Line Item Breakdown. Typically a simple alternate tabbed view showing the calculated costings of the product's components using their charge-out factors based on the print dimensions and qty. What's missing in particular is the customer's name, the quote or order number, and the line item number. The hinderance is the fact that it's a spreadsheet and thus one would need to save a gazillion individual files if a history is required. However, your existing spreadsheets make a very good springboard to build a more practical solution.

Best of luck with that.

Yeah pretty much i wanted to use it for quoting.

Thanks, if i have updates i'll post it here.
I was hoping not having to go down the path of building my own. but here i am.

 

[White Haus]

Yeah i think you're right. I was more to curious if there was such app.

Im looking at an app called "Appsmith" https://www.appsmith.com/
I can host it on my server and build it with that. probably a future task.



My calculator page is a calculator, It doesn't do line items.
Its primary task is to build products and pricing to use on our system.
With it, we can see how much margin we make, how much the stock is costing us, ink etc.

I could turn it into line items if need be...

I checked out that appsmith platform, looks like a somewhat simplified version of Filemaker with a pretty affordable pricing model. I'm going to play around with it a bit. I like the option to pull data from Google sheets - this could potentially work with your application?

That calculator is great you've obviously put a lot of time and effort into it. Thanks for the inspiration!

Hope you find what you're looking for. We're also on the hunt for a perfect solution and always seem to fall back on "we need to build it ourselves / pay someone to create exactly what we want".

 

[White Haus]

oops....typing before coffee

 

[Pauly]

I checked out that appsmith platform, looks like a somewhat simplified version of Filemaker with a pretty affordable pricing model. I'm going to play around with it a bit. I like the option to pull data from Google sheets - this could potentially work with your application?

That calculator is great you've obviously put a lot of time and effort into it. Thanks for the inspiration!

Hope you find what you're looking for. We're also on the hunt for a perfect solution and always seem to fall back on "we need to build it ourselves / pay someone to create exactly what we want".

Appsmith is opensource so you can self host it for free and it's always free. the paid version is if you wont want to self host it.
Yes, i can use Google sheets or any database software with API really. and that is an option which i'll be looking at.

I can't say if it is or isn't more simplified than file maker, as it'll have less menu options but you're open to code anything you want in it. (like most opensource software)

There's a bit of time in that calculator, not to much. a few day nights of developing, and tweaks here and there.
If i can built it in appsmith, i'll be happy as there will be less formulas, but all in JS. Good thing is, you cannot accidently change a formular by pressing the wrong cell (i know you can lock them)

I was hoping there was any solution but there's none that i can see.