Paper Services Guide Follow

Overview

This article will explain what a Paper service is, How Printer's Plan uses the information for cost estimation and how to build a Paper Material Service in Printer's Plan.

Paper Services are a specific type of Service designed to capture costs and pricing based on materials used for production of items.

• How It Works
• General Properties
• Pricing Properties
• Setup & Run Table
• Additional Service Fields
• More Service Properties
• Envelopes
• Carbonless Papers
• Other Papers

How It Works

What is a Service?

A Service (with a capital S) is a term Printer's Plan uses to define a cost estimation calculation component that will be used on orders. These Services are built differently depending on the need of the service and how it will be used. 

Figure 1 - A job item with a paper service assigned. Size, Sides printed, colors, sheets, and vendor are displayed. 

What is a Paper Service?

Paper services will use information such as parent size, caliper, number of parts, and cost per thousand in order to accurately calculate production needs. There are additional features such as waste and time (for offset presses) that can be used to make sure the material amounts are estimated correctly when used on orders. 

Figure 2 - A Letterhead item with a paper service used and the paper specs showing. 

Using Paper Services

When a Paper Service is used on a quote or order, the Paper Specs window will appear and collect additional production information such as Run Size, Finish Size, Sides Printed, Colors Used, and Difficulty Selections. Each section of this Paper Specs window will affect production in different ways.

The Printing Method assigned in the Settings tab under General Settings > Shop Options determines whether the Paper Specs window will present either Digital Printing options or Offset Press options.

Figure 3 - The General Settings > Shop Options Menu where Printing Method is located.

• Digital Printers will have the options Black or Color for each side option. The digital printer may be producing it's respective impression pricing based on the option selected here. 

Figure 2 - The Digital Printing selections within the Paper Specs window for how sides will be printed. 

• Offset Presses will have expanded options for the number of colors being used per pass on each side. 

Figure 3 - The Offset printing selections within the Paper Specs window for how sides will be printed.

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Paper Specs Window

Figure 4 - The Paper Specs Window

Service Info

Figure 5 - The Service Info section of the Paper Specs window

• At the top of the Paper Specs window is a section containing some basic information such as the service name, the date last modified, the inventory quantity and any reminders that may be associated. These fields are important to remind the user that the cost may need to be updated based on the date last modified.
• Additionally, the inventory may not be in stock and may be on-order (Inventory Tool). 

How Many? 

Figure 6 - The How Many section of the Paper Specs window

• Sheets: Number of single or double-sided originals. 
• Paper Color: A note for updating the paper color used for this job. 
• Vendor: A default vendor may be displayed and the vendor can be updated from this window. 

Sizes

Figure 7 - The Sizes section of the Paper Specs window

• Parent Size: Populated from the Size field on the Service. If blank, the Run Size is considered the Parent Size.  
• Run Size: The size that will be run through the printer or press. Cut-to-Run is added automatically when updated. 
• Finish Size: The finish size of the document. Cut-to-Finish is added automatically when updated.

Side

Figure 8 - The Side section of the Paper Specs window

• Front: Select The Print Options for the front side
• Front Color: Select or type in a color or colors separated by commas in order to update the press washes. 
• Back: Select The Print Options for the back side
• Back Color: Select or type in a color or colors separated by commas in order to update the press washes.
• Print As: Regular: one original per impression, Work & Turn: Print one side, then manually rotate or flip page, Signature: Multiple originals per impression. 

Difficulties

Figure 9 - The Difficulties section of the Paper Specs window

• Allows each printer or press to use the Difficulty Table in order to modify the production rates and waste amounts for this job. Difficulties can be updated based on Coverage, Resolution, and Bleeds. These options 

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Service Setup

Figure 10 - The Service Setup Window for a Paper Service

Important General Properties:

Figure 11 - The General Properties section of a Service Setup window

• Service Name: The selectable description for this service. 
• Sales Dept: The accounting department where sales are reported.
• Size: The size in which the Paper is purchased from the
  vendor.

• Caliper: Enter the caliper for a single sheet of this Paper. Printer’s Plan
  typically uses the caliper to calculate the number of lifts of
  a Cutting Service used with this paper in an Item.

Optional General Properties:

• Invoice Name: A customer-facing alternative name to the Service Name. Useful for controlling output when showing service-level information on customer-facing documents. 
• Popup Reminder: Information entered will alert the user upon selecting the service for use when creating a new quote or order. 
• Default Color: This is a note field that can be used to communicate the color being pulled in services such as "20# Color" where all colors share the same cost and pricing. This is available to update on an order-by-order basis via the 'Paper Specs' window. 

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Pricing Properties

Figure 12 - The Pricing Properties section of the Service Setup window

Quantity: This field is locked and no other selection is allowed in this field. Printer’s Plan will always use the Parent size quantity to calculate the cost of a paper in an Item.

Quantity Modifiers:

• Number of Parts: This field is typically used with pre-collated carbonless papers. Printer’s Plan will use the value in this field to calculate the total number of sheets in a carbonless paper job.

• Round-Up To: Enter the package quantity of the paper if you want to charge the customer for full packages. The chargeable paper quantity will be rounded up to the nearest full package quantity. Charges for all other Services in the Item, such as press and bindery services, will be calculated based on the quantity of paper used and not for the quantity of paper charged. Enter 0 (zero) if rounding up is not needed.
  • Example: You buy 24# Strathmore Writing paper in boxes of 500. Enter 500 in the Round-up to field as you set up this paper. If the customer orders 800 sheets of
    letterhead, Printer’s Plan will round up the chargeable quantity of the paper to 1,000 (a multiple of 500) and will price the other Services in the Item as if you’re printing 800 sheets.

Waste: Paper waste is calculated via the Printer or Presses Waste assignment, however, a printer or press can be configured to look at the Paper Waste value to improve accuracy. Assign Waste Table row in order to capture accurate waste. (Uses Global Waste Table rows. Required For Press Difficulty Table)

Time: Printer’s Plan uses the values in the Setup (Min/Plate) and Run (Imp/Hr) fields when this Paper is run on an offset press that is set up as “Use Paper Properties and Setup Table”. Enter the setup time and run speed as if you are running a standard black and white job on this paper with no job difficulties (no coverage or registration difficulties, regular run size, no bleeds) on the press that you have designated as your “standard” press. The setup time and run speed will be adjusted for the job difficulties according to the values assigned in the Difficulty Table of the press.

Cost: The method for tracking the costs for this service. (Material Cost Only)

• Cost Multiplier: A Factor multiplier to inflate costs where necessary. 

Pricing: The price model for this service. (Cost + Markup).

Paper Services have 3 markup fields:

• % or #: This is Offset Markup. The header is meant to demonstrate a shorthand of the two ways that markup can be applied (Explained below).
• Digital: Digital Printer markup. 
• Blank: Markup for paper when no printer is assigned. 

Markup:

• 1 -19: in uses rows on the globally accessible variable "Markup Table" (Located in the vertical list of additional controls on the left-hand side of the service setup window). The Markup Table will ask for cost breaks in dollars across 12 columns (for this service) and allows the percentage to interpolate based on the change of costs.
• 20 and up: A flat fixed percentage on the service and does not use the Markup Table. 

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Setup & Run Table

Figure 13 - The Setup and Run Table segment of a Service Setup window

• The Setup Table is available to Paper Services but is not used unless you are adding additional costs outside of what you are paying your vendor for the materials directly.
• The Run Table should have at least one row populated with the Mat. Cost.
• Mat. Costs and Run Prices Are... has the options Per Each, Per M (1000), and Total. Paper services costs are set to 'Per M (1000)'.

Note: The QtyBreak will only be used when multiple rows are used( "Between QtyBreaks, Use..." has the options Step Method, Linear Method, First + Step Method, First + Linear Method, and Sum Method and will determine the logic used when multiple rows are used to change costs based on quantity. )

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Additional Service Fields

Adjustment Fields:

Figure 14 - The 'Adjustment Fields' section of the Service Setup window

• Bid: Represents a factor multiplier when using the 'Bid' price level on items. 
• Rush: Represents a factor multiplier when using the 'Rush' price level on items. 
• Special: Represents a factor multiplier when using the 'Special' price level on items. 
• Multiply (Drop Down): Changes whether the factor is applied to the Markup of the service or the overall pricing. 
• Min. Price: A minimum price value that will be used if the service is calculating a lower output. 
• Modified: The date this service was last modified. It is a best practice to make sure this is updated. 
• Notes: A note for the configuration of this service. It is a best practice to make sure this note field contains information useful to this service's configuration so some team member can update pricing in the future. 

More Service Properties

Figure 15 - The More Service Properties Window accessed from the Service Setup screen.

Scheduler

• • Service Center: When scheduled, this Service Center will be responsible for this service. 
  • Default Operator: When scheduled, this operator will be assigned this service to complete. 
  • Default Tag: Schedules the service with a tag that is visible to the production team. 
  • Default Status: To Do (Schedule) will allow this service to be scheduled while 'Done' will begin the newly scheduled production item with the material already completed. This helps avoid unnecessary processes. 

Vendor

• • Default Vendor: The default vendor assigned in the 'Paper Specs' window when creating a quote or order. Can be modified on a one-off basis via the 'Paper Specs' window. 
  • SKU: Stock Keeping Unit Number
  • UPC: Universal Product Code
  • FSC: Forest Stewardship Council Number

Inventory

• • Track: Enables the ability to track inventory when scheduled for production. 
  • Minimum Level: The minimum acceptable amount of stock on‑hand to schedule production before alerting the user of insufficient quantity. 
  • Ream Quantity: The amount of sheets in a Ream. 
  • In Stock: The quantity currently In Stock. 
  • On Order: The quantity currently on order. 

Other Properties

• • Auto‑Add: Automatically add a second service when this service is used. Not typically used for paper services. For Example: If you want a certain printer to always be used with this material. 
  • Wage / Hour: The Wage / Hour being reported in the 'Actual Costs' of the 'Edit Costs' window. Not typically used for paper services

Envelopes

Envelope papers must be set up in the “Envelope” category. When an Envelope is used in an Item, Printer’s Plan keeps the Run and Finish sizes the same as the Parent size; if you change them, Printer’s Plan resets them when the Item is closed.

The purchase database ships with four Envelope categories. If you delete them and later create a new “Envelope” category, Printer’s Plan will allow only one such category. Therefore, to maintain multiple Envelope categories, keep the originals and simply rename them. Categories that contain no Services will not appear in the Specs window.

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Carbonless Papers

Carbonless papers must be set up in the “Carbonless” category. When a Carbonless paper is selected, Printer’s Plan automatically adds the NCR Padding service (Service #193) to calculate padding charges. Printer’s Plan allows only one “Carbonless” category.

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Other Papers

Sometimes a customer needs a stock you don’t keep in your list and don’t wish to add permanently. Setting up “Other” papers in every category lets you handle these jobs without clutter.

Figure 16 - The Service tab showing the Paper > Bond Category with multiple Other paper services highlighted. 

Setting Up “Other” Papers

In each Paper Category (including Envelope and Carbonless), create “Other” papers for the Parent sizes you might purchase, with no cost. Also add one “Other” paper with no Parent size.

Using “Other” Papers – Condition A (Parent size set)

1. Select the appropriate Paper Category (e.g., Cover).
2. Choose an Other entry that includes the required Parent size (e.g., 25 × 38).
3. In the Paper Specs window, type the actual stock name and color in Paper Color.
4. Save the Item; when prompted, enter the vendor cost for the size you purchased.

Using “Other” Papers – Condition B (Parent size blank)

1. Select the Paper Category, then the Other paper with blank Parent size.
2. Enter stock name/color in Paper Color.
3. Enter the run size (e.g., 14 × 18). When saved, Printer’s Plan copies this to Parent Size.
4. When prompted, enter the cost for the size you purchased.

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