Overview

In Printer’s Plan a Service is a self‑contained formula that calculates Quantity, Cost, Time, and Selling Price. Services are added to an item when building an order. Each service has the capacity to contribute to cost and price estimation but can be used to simply contribute additional job information to the graphic design team or the production team. 

Figure 1 - An Order window with the first line-item's Services highlighted. 

How It Works

Printer's Plan has several different archetypes of Services. Each Service type is contained within a pre-determined Service Category type. The Category type will determine what kind of Services can be contained within. 

Service Category Types

• Paper
• Digital Printer / Copier
• Offset Press
• Large Format Medium
• Large Format Printer
• Other

Special Service Types

The following Service types are unique in that they can only have one unique Category that contains these services. 

Envelope

Plate

• Quantity Field – tells the Service what it is counting (Sheets, Impressions, Total Area, Lifts, etc.). See Quantity Field (PDF).
• Divide By – converts the raw quantity (typically square inches or inches) to the unit you sell, e.g. ÷ 144 = sq ft. Details in Divide By Field (PDF).
• Setup & Run Tables – hold time‑per‑unit curves so short runs quote correctly. See Setup & Run Tables (PDF).
• Cost Field – where you enter burden rate or material cost. Reference Pricing Properties – Cost Field (PDF).
• Markup % & Price Tables – two ways to turn cost into price. Markup guide: Markup (PDF). Price Table guide: Price Table (PDF).
• Waste & Difficulty Tables – refine spoilage and speed for tricky stocks and designs. Waste guide: Paper Waste (PDF). Difficulty guide: Difficulty Table (PDF).

Table of Contents

• How Services Interact
• Paper Material Services
• Offset Press Services
• Digital Printer/Copier Services
• Plate Services
• Large Format Services
• Other (Bindery & Finishing) Services
• Carbonless Processing
• Key Points
• Demonstration

How Services Interact

Services talk to each other through shared job properties. The Paper Specs window is the primary data hub:

• Color / Sides – tells press Services how many passes and plates.
• Parent & Run Sizes – drive imposition, cutting, and folding math.
• Waste Row – a single scrap allowance shared by presses and finishing.
• Paper Difficulty – slows press speed and adds waste automatically.

Figure 2 - Paper Specs Window for Offset Printing

Paper Material Services

Paper Services purchase stock and act as the data source for every other production step. They supply sheet size, color information, caliper, and waste allowances to presses and finishing tools.

Figure 3 - The Paper Service on an order is highlighted. 

What Does a Paper Service Expect?

• Stock Catalog Entry (ID) – points to the paper in the Papers list (parent size, weight, caliper).
• Run Size & Finish Size – used by cutting/imposition math.
• Color Front/Back & Defined Colors – feed press pass and plate counts.
• Waste – either a direct value or a Waste Table row number.
• Caliper – drives lift size for cutting/folding when “Sheets of 20 # Bond” is used.

Standard Setup Checklist

1. Department > Category – place the Service in Paper for reporting clarity.
2. Description – name it generically (e.g., “80 Text – Customer Stock”).
3. Quantity Field – Sheets × Parts × Originals.
4. Cost Field – input $ /M or $/sheet from your price list.
5. Price Method – choose Cost + Markup for commodity stock or Price Table for tiered selling.
6. Waste – pick one method: built‑in values or Waste Table row (not both).
7. Difficulty Table (optional) – map heavy or coated stocks to slower press speeds.

Special Case – Carbonless (NCR)

Special Case – Carbonless (NCR)

Carbonless forms are sold by the set but printed by the sheet. Use Quantity = Sheets and a Price Table set to Per Set.

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Offset Press Services

Figure 4 - The Offset Press Service on an order is highlighted.

Offset Services convert impressions into time and consumables. Offset Services require a maximum colors / side as well as a default plate service assigned in the General Properties section. 

• Quantity – Impressions (Sheets × Passes).
• Setup – Lot time + Plate count + washes/mixes.
• Runtime – Impressions ÷ Speed (fixed or paper‑driven).
• Price – Markup or Price Table tiers.

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Digital Printer/Copier Services

Figure 5 - The Digital Copier Service on an order is highlighted. 

Digital engines bill by the click. Model that click as Material Cost layered on operator time.

• Quantity – Impressions (one per image side).
• Cost – Operator Time + Click Cost.
• Price Table – set to How Sides Printed for color/BW mixes.
• Waste – small fixed setup + 0–1 % run waste.

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Plate Services

Plates are consumables—Quantity equals Passes, Cost is Material only.

• Quantity – Plates (one per color per side).
• Cost – Blank plate cost.
• Price – Markup % or Price Table tiers.

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Large Format Services

Figure 6 - The Large Format Material Service is highlighted on an order. 

The Large Format Medium Service is highlighted on an order. 

Wide‑format work measures in area or length. The magic number is the Divide By field:

• Divide by 144 to convert square inches → square feet.
• Divide by 12 to convert inches → linear feet.

Roll‑Fed Printer

• Quantity – Total Printed Area ÷ 144.
• Cost – Time /hr + avg ink $/sq ft.

Roll Material

• Quantity – Total Length Used ÷ 12.
• Cost – Material only.

Rigid Substrate

• Quantity – Document Area or Run Size Sheets or alternatively based on Total Document Area

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Other Services (Cutting, Folding, Padding, etc.)

In the image below, the Green Design service, Orange Proofing services, and Blue cutting to finish size service are all considered 'Other' services which are more flexible and customizable. 

Figure 8 - The Cutting Service is highlighted on an order. 

Everything that is not paper, print, or plate lives here. Common Quantity drivers: Run Size Sheets, Finished Pieces, Total Lifts.

• Cost – usually Time Cost only (burden rate × hours).
• Price – Cost + Markup or Price Table.

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Key Points

• Each Service archetype has a predictable Quantity → Cost → Price flow. Copy an existing Service instead of starting blank.
• The Paper Service drives size, color, waste, and difficulty for the entire job.
• Use Setup & Run Tables for time curves; use Price Tables for market‑driven selling price.
• Waste & Difficulty tables fine‑tune spoilage and speed without editing every Service.
• Use our Service Setup Worksheet for further assistance configuring services.