Overview

This article is designed to act as a worksheet for creating Services in Printer’s Plan. It provides step‑by‑step guidance for each setup decision and links to detailed reference sections for users who need deeper context.

The goal is to help you configure Services that reflect your production environment while staying flexible and efficient.

How It Works

About Services

In Printer’s Plan, a Service is any chargeable component—labor or material—that makes up a finished product (or job). A Service can be:

• Designing a brochure (labor)
• Paper used to produce that brochure (material)
• Press time on a digital printer (equipment usage)
• Folding the finished brochure in half (bindery process)

Every Service is set up with its own cost, price, and production factors. When you quote or enter an order, you simply assign the required Services; Printer’s Plan prices each one and totals them for the job.

Service Setup: Common Fields

The following properties appear on every Service setup window, regardless of Category type.

• Service Name (50 chars): Printed on Work Orders.
• Invoice Name: Optional alias for Invoices/Quotes.
• Popup Reminder: Shows a custom note when the Service is added to a job.
• Default Note: Auto‑populates into the job’s Service note.
• Sales Dept: Feeds Sales‑by‑Dept reports (default "?" if omitted).
• Quantity / Divide By / Multiply By: Trio that defines how quantity is calculated.
• Waste: Chooses a Waste Table row or disables waste for this Service.
• Cost Method: Time, Material, or Time + Material.
• Price Method: No Price, Cost + Markup, Setup/Run Table, or Price Table.
• Markup: Percentage or flat markup, plus Bid/Rush/Special multipliers.
• Minimum Price: Floor below which the calculated price will not drop.
• Modified Date: Audit trail for recent cost/price changes.

Creating A Service

Step 1: Define the Purpose of the Service

Start by naming your Service and determining what it represents. Be specific and descriptive.

• Good: “Tri‑Fold”
• Bad: “Folding”

Step 2: Choose Department & Category

Organizing Service Departments & Categories

Figure 1 - Paper Department expanded to view Categories within. 

Services live in a two‑level folder structure for quick lookup and reporting:

• Department (max 12) — top‑level buckets like Graphics, Paper, Finishing.
• Category (max 100 per Department) — sub‑folders like Design, Bond Paper, Fold. Every Service is created inside a Category and inherits its type‑specific logic.

Use the Department/Category structure described above. Click into the desired Category and click NEW to create the service in that Category. The Service type will be inherited by the Category type.

Remember:

• Departments print on Work Orders and become job locations in Scheduler/JobTracker.
• Services list in the job in the same order as their Categories » Departments.

Figure 2 - The Bond Category selected with an arrow pointing to the NEW button. A Service is open with the Category Type highlighted. 

Step 3: Select Quantity Basis

The Quantity field tells Printer’s Plan how to measure the service—this is the cornerstone of all cost and price calculations. Your choice should reflect how the service is produced and tracked.

Figure 3 - The Quantity drop-down menu on the Service Setup window. 

Use the table below to find the quantity basis that applies to your service type. All calculations reference fields collected on the job unless noted otherwise.

Modifiers:

These fields below the Quantity assignment allow for altering the output of the selection by either dividing by or multiplying. 

Figure 4 - The Quantity Modifier section of the Service Setup window highlighted.

• Divide By Field: Adjusts units for feet, inches, square feet, etc.
• Sheets of 20# Bond: This selection will read the Divide By field as a lift for cutting. The feature will compare the thickness of 20# Bond to the Paper Material's caliper for cutting quantity output. 
• Multiply Field: Multiplies values by factors like sheets, sides, etc.
• Ask How Many Field: This field can be used to prompt the user to multiply the output. The user will enter a factor to multiply by. 

Step 4: Paper Waste Configuration

Waste settings help you account for real‑world production losses—ensuring quotes are accurate and jobs stay profitable.

Figure 5 - The Waste section of the Service Settings window. 

Figure 6 - The Waste drop-down menu options within the Service Setup window.

Ask Yourself:

1. Should this service generate waste?

• No: Use “No Paper Waste”
• Yes: Continue to next section

2. How will this service calculate waste?

• Run Waste: For printer services
• Finish Waste: For bindery/finishing services

• Variable % of run size impression quantity: Use “Waste Table Row” #1–#19
• Fixed % of run size impression quantity: Use “Following Waste Properties”
• Paper service determines waste: Use “Paper’s Waste Properties”
• Finish Waste Option: Use “Additional Paper Waste” (setup or % of finish qty)

Waste Table: Shared logic can be referenced by printers and papers to keep consistent logic across equipment.

Advanced: Difficulty‑Based Adjustments

Figure 7 - The Difficulty Table

Difficulty Tables can adjust waste or impression rates based on:

• Paper type
• Size
• Ink coverage
• Resolution or registration

Step 5: Cost and Price Model

Use the table below to determine how you will track costs for this Service. The Cost options are outlined below. 

Figure 8 - The Cost menu options on a Service Setup window.

Pricing Models 

The Price field in the Service setup window controls how Printer’s Plan converts the calculated cost of a Service into the customer‑facing price. Choose the option that most closely matches your pricing philosophy:

Figure 9 - The Price drop-down menu options within the Service Setup window. 

1. No Price (Internal‑Only)

• The Service cost is still tracked for margin analysis, but the selling price is forced to No Charge.
• Great for proofing steps, CSR review fees, or any internal process you don’t want to appear on the customer’s bill.

2. Ask (Ad‑hoc)

• Prompts the CSR with a free‑form price field every time the Service is added to an Item.
• Useful for one‑off creative work where a flat quote is negotiated case‑by‑case.

3. Cost + Markup

Printer’s Plan adds a percentage markup to the calculated cost:

Markup Amount = Cost × Markup % / 100
Price = Cost + Markup Amount

• Constant Markup – enter any value > 19 in the Markup… field for a fixed margin (e.g. 30 = 30 %).
• Variable Markup – enter 1‑19 to point to a row in the global Markup Table. Each row lets you taper the percentage as the unit cost rises—ideal for staying competitive at high quantities.
• No Markup – enter 0 to pass cost straight through.

4. Price Column of Setup & Run Tables

• Treats the Setup Price and Run Price columns as your selling price, ignoring Markup.
• Lets you build classic break‑tables such as “$40 set‑up + $0.06 per 1000”.
• Interpolation method (Step | Linear | Sum) controls how prices behave between quantity breaks.

5. Price Table

Figure 10 - The Price Table

• Enables a dedicated grid with user‑defined rows, columns, and five calculation properties.
• Perfect for complex models: tiered copy pricing (B/W vs Color), banner area rates, or multi‑variable large‑format quotes.
• Remember to set Markup = 0—the Price Table is the price.
• Add a flat set‑up fee by briefly switching to “Price Column of Setup & Run Tables", entering your set‑up amount in the Setup Price column, then switching back to “Price Table".

Key Points

• Name Services clearly and specifically
• Use the Department & Category structure wisely
• Choose the correct Quantity basis
• Configure waste where it actually occurs
• Match cost/price model to how the Service behaves

Demonstration

If the video doesn’t load, watch on YouTube.

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