Digital Printer Setup Guide Follow

Overview

This article shows you how to configure a Digital Printer/Copier in Printer’s Plan. You’ll learn how click‑based pricing works, compare the two common Colors/Side charging methods, and see how tables keep speed, cost, and waste accurate.

Figure  1  –  Color Digital Printer/Copier Service Setup window.

How It Works

Digital Services are click‑driven: every impression multiplies labor and material (click) cost. The Service’s Quantity is locked to Clicks. You decide whether clicks are counted on the finish‑size sheet (FinSize) or the run‑size sheet (RunSize) using the Colors/Side field.

Note: All digital devices belong to the Digital Printer/Copier Category. If the Category is missing, create it in Service Settings → Departments & Categories.

Service Setup

Digital Services in Printer's Plan can be configured as a Black & White Copier or a Digital Color Printer that can handle black & white or color impressions. The method for tracking impressions can be configured in two different ways:

Figure  2  – The Digital Service Setup window with the Colors / Side drop-down menu showing all available options. The FinSize option highlighted.

Approach A – Click per Finish‑Size Page

  • Colors/Side: Digital (1 click/side of FinSize)
  • Charges one click for every printed finish page, even when running multiple‑up.

Approach B – Click per Run‑Size Sheet

  • Colors/Side: Digital (1 click/side of RunSize)
  • Charges one click per run‑size sheet side, regardless of how many finish pages are imposed.

Example: 500 two‑sided flyers printed 2‑up at $0.03 per click.

Method Clicks Charge
FinSize 1,000 $30.00
RunSize 500 $15.00

Table  1  –  Click comparison between FinSize and RunSize charging.

See Also: Digital Printers/Copiers User Guide – more click‑charging examples.

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General Properties

Figure  3  –  General Properties for a Digital Printer/Copier.

  • Service Name: Descriptive device name (e.g., “iGen 5 – 13×19”).
  • Sales Dept: Accounting department receiving revenue.
  • Colors/Side: Select FinSize or RunSize charging as above.
Need a refresher on shared fields? See Service Set‑Up – Common Fields for definitions of Service Name, Sales Dept, Modified Date and more.
Note: Quantity is locked to Clicks.

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Pricing Properties

Figure 4 - The Pricing Properties section of the Digital Service Setup window.

The Pricing Properties panel converts raw click counts into a customer price. For most Digital Printer/Copier Services you will:

  1. Select Use Price Table in the Price field.
  2. Enter 0 in the Markup… field (markup happens in the table).
  3. Click Price Table to build a tiered click chart.

Price Table Configuration

Figure 5 - The Digital Service Setup window with the Price Table button highlighted and the Price Table open. 

In the Price Table window, the 5 selections in the top half will change and inform the format of the table below. Use the following options for a standard Digital / Copier Service setup. 

 

Property Recommended Choice Why
#1 Column Selector • Use Column 1 (simple tiers)
• How Sides Printed (color vs. mono price)		 Most shops start with one column; select How Sides Printed only if you need different click prices for B/W, color, or mixed jobs.
#2 Row Selector Service Quantity Rows break on the number of clicks—e.g., 0‑999, 1 000‑4 999, 5 000‑9 999.
#3 Cell Price Unit Per Each (¢/click) Keeps pricing intuitive—enter 0.045 for $0.045 per click.
#4 Interpolation Step or Linear • Step = price drops at the next break.
• Linear = smooth slide between breaks.
#5 Multiply By (built‑in) (locked for digital) Automatically multiplies the cell price by total clicks—no action needed.

 

Setup Price tip: The Setup Table is still used for Price Table pricing.

Typical Price Table Setups

Digital devices usually use two Price Tables: One for straight Black & White work, one for Color jobs. Each Service has one table, so create separate Services if you charge color and mono differently.

Black  &  White Price Table

The Black & White Price Table setup will produce a single price based on impression quantity alone. 

  • #1 Column Selector: Use Column 1 (ignore other columns)
  • #2 Row Selector: Service Quantity
  • Enter click‑price tiers in Column 1—e.g., 0‑999 @ $0.020, 1 000‑4 999 @ $0.015, 5 000+ @ $0.012.

B/W Price Table example

Figure  6  –  Black‑and‑White Digital Price Table (single column).

Color Printer Price Table

A Color Printer Price Table will produce different click costs and pricing depending on the options selected within the Sides section of an item's Paper Specs window. Pricing will change depending on single sided or double sided; as well as the black or color option selected. 

Figure 7 - The Paper Specs window for Digital Printing with the Sides section highlighted.

  • 1. Select A Column Based On: How Sides Printed (Black | Black\Black | Color | Color/Black | Color\Color).
  • 2. Select A Row Based On: Service Quantity

How Sides Printed: Blk\ and Blk\Blk as well as Col\ and Col\Col respectively will have the same values. The impression cost does not need to be doubled. The impressions calculated on orders will handle that part of the calculation. Col\Blk requires the black impression cost and the color impressions cost be averaged (Black + Color divided by 2). 
See Also: Price Table Guide for more information on How Sides Printed

Colour Price Table example

Figure  8 –  Color Digital Price Table using How Sides Printed.

Reminder: For tiered color pricing you still enter a value in cost per click in the Run Table’s Mat.Cost; the Price Table controls the selling price only.

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Setup Table

Figure  9  –  Setup Table for a Digital press.

Enter Lot (1) time for warm‑up or calibration that occurs once per job. Use Page/Set time if colour calibration increases with page count.

Important: Test several typical jobs and adjust warm‑up minutes so estimates match reality.

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Run Table

Enter device speed (clicks/hr) in Units/Hour. Use multiple QtyBreak rows if speed changes with volume. Enter cost per click in Mat.Cost; amounts below one cent should be dollars per thousand clicks (e.g., 0.005).

Figure  10 –  Run Table with tiered speeds and costs.

Tip: Choose Linear, Step, or Sum in Between QtyBreaks, use to control interpolation. 
See Also: See the Step/Linear/Sum Guide for details.

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Difficulty Table

Figure 11 - The top-right section of the Service setup window where the Difficulty Table option is highlighted. 

The Difficulty Table lets you fine‑tune a digital press when certain papers or job conditions slow the engine down or create extra waste. Three sub‑tables are available, but digital devices most often benefit from the Paper Difficulty Table plus an occasional Job Difficulty rule.

Paper difficulty – slow coated cover stock

Example: Your press normally runs at 3 000 clicks/hour, but heavy 14 pt. Coated Cover slows it by 10 % and needs 3 extra setup sheets.

  • Assign that cover stock to Waste Table Row #3.
  • In the press’s Paper Difficulty Table, Row #3 → Speed Adj ‑10 %, Setup Sheets +3.

Whenever that paper is chosen, Printer’s Plan links Row #3 and automatically applies the slowdown and waste bump—no manual overrides required.

Job difficulty – postcard size under 15 sq in.

Very small sheets can cause click mis‑feeds. In the Job Difficulty Table set an area band “< 15 sq in.” → Speed Adj ‑15 % and Run Waste +2 %. Now any postcard‑sized job slows the press and adds a small waste cushion.

Tip: The Difficulty Table adds adjustments so keep them modest to avoid double‑penalizing the job when multiple difficulties apply. Use the Limits row to cap total extra minutes, speed loss, or waste.

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Figure 12 - The Print As options within the Paper Specs for Digital Printing window.

Print As Method

The Print As field on every Paper Service controls imposition for digital jobs:

  • Blank – treated the same as Signature.
  • Regular – one original repeated on each sheet.
  • Signature – as many different originals as fit.
  • Work & Turn / Work & Tumble / Work & Whirl / Work & Signature – offset imposition styles; calculations unchanged for digital.

Print As examples – Signature vs Regular

Figure  13  –  A Diagram demonstrating Standard & Signature print methods

Tip: Signature maximizes sheet use but may require sorting after cutting. Regular keeps each original separated but increases sheet count.

Important: Enable the alert at Settings → Job Options → On digital jobs alert me if the Print As Method is Blank? to ensure the field is set.

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Notes & Tips

  • Create separate Services for 1‑up and 2‑up charging if you quote both regularly.
  • Update Cost/Hour and click cost whenever vendor contracts change.
  • Hide retired devices to keep Specs lists concise while preserving history.
  • Re‑test Run Table speeds after firmware updates—manufacturers often improve throughput.

Key Points

  • Digital services are informed by the Paper Specs sides information and color information. 
  • The Print As method is critical to calculating material usage
  • Costs are labor and "click" costs.
  • Digital Color services will use a specific Price Table option called How Sides Printed

Demonstration

 

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