Overview

This article provides an overview of how Services are organized and configured in Printer's Plan. Understanding the structure of Departments, Categories, and Services is essential because services control pricing, costing, estimating, and production calculations throughout the system.

Understanding the Services Structure

The Services area is organized into three levels:

Departments

Departments are the highest level of organization.

Examples include:

• Graphics
• Paper
• Prep
• Bindery
• Digital Printing

Think of departments as containers that hold related groups of services.

Categories

Within each department are categories.

For example:

Paper Department

• Bond
• Cover
• Miscellaneous Paper
• Vellum Bristol

Categories help organize similar services together.

Think of categories as groups within a department.

Services

Inside each category are the actual services.

Services contain:

• Pricing structures
• Costing information
• Production settings
• Service-specific configuration

These are the items that are ultimately used when building quotes and orders.

💡 Simple Rule: Department → Category → Service

Navigating the Services Window

The Services window consists of several key areas:

List Manager

Located on the left side of the screen, the List Manager serves as your primary navigation tool.

Use it to:

• Browse departments
• Expand categories
• Select services
• Manage service organization

Service List

Once a category is selected, the service list displays all services associated with that category.

Each service may include:

• Service name
• Size
• Sales department
• Status
• Pricing information

Service Settings

Located in the upper-right area of the Services window.

Use Service Settings to:

• Create departments
• Create categories
• Manage organizational structure

Creating and Managing Departments and Categories

Departments and categories are maintained through:

Service Settings → Departments & Categories

From this area you can:

• Add new departments
• Add categories to departments
• Organize services into logical groups

💡 Best Practice: Build a clear department and category structure before creating a large number of services.

Understanding Service Status

Services can be marked as:

Active

The service is available for use in quotes and orders.

Discontinued

The service is no longer available for new work but remains in the system for historical records.

If a service has already been used on jobs, Printer's Plan may recommend discontinuing it rather than deleting it.

This helps preserve historical job data while removing the service from active estimating.

Service Properties

Opening a service displays two primary sections:

General Properties

Located at the top of the service window.

Examples include:

• Service Name
• Size
• Caliper
• Sales Department

These settings describe the service itself.

Pricing Properties

Located in the lower portion of the service window.

These settings determine how Printer's Plan calculates:

• Cost
• Price
• Markups
• Production values

Cost Models

Services can be configured using different costing methods.

Common options include:

Time Cost Only

Calculates cost based solely on production time.

Material Cost Only

Calculates cost based solely on materials.

Time and Material Cost

Combines labor and material expenses.

No Cost / No Price

Used when costing is not required.

Choosing the correct cost model is critical because it directly affects profitability calculations.

Pricing Models

After determining cost, Printer's Plan calculates selling prices using a pricing model.

Common pricing methods include:

Cost Plus Markup

This is one of the most common approaches.

Printer's Plan:

1. Determines the cost.
2. Applies the configured markup.
3. Generates the final selling price.

This approach is frequently used for paper services.

Price Table

Instead of calculating prices from cost, a predefined pricing table determines the selling price.

Price tables typically contain:

• Quantity breaks
• Pricing tiers
• Volume discounts

Examples:

Price tables provide tighter control over customer-facing pricing.

Enter Price During Estimating

The estimator manually enters pricing when building the job.

This approach is useful for unusual or highly customized services.

Tables and Quantity Breaks

Many services rely on Setup and Run Tables.

These tables can control:

• Setup charges
• Production rates
• Pricing calculations
• Quantity-based pricing

Digital printing services commonly use quantity tables to calculate pricing based on impressions or clicks.

As quantities increase, pricing often becomes more competitive through quantity breaks.

Paper Services vs. Digital Services

Different service types often use different pricing strategies.

Paper Services

Paper services typically use:

• Material cost
• Cost-plus markup pricing

This keeps pricing simple and easy to maintain as paper costs change.

Digital Printing Services

Digital services often use:

• Time costs
• Material costs
• Price tables
• Click-based costing

Because digital production can vary significantly by quantity and click volume, these services generally require more detailed configuration.

Service Quantity Calculations

Printer's Plan automatically calculates service quantities using production variables such as:

• Number of impressions
• One-sided versus two-sided printing
• Waste calculations
• Production requirements

These values are then used to calculate costs and pricing within the configured service model.

Adjustments and Pricing Modifiers

Services can include adjustment factors for special situations.

Common examples:

• Bid pricing
• Rush jobs
• Special customer pricing

Adjustments can be configured to:

• Multiply markup
• Multiply price
• Apply discounts
• Apply premiums

This allows pricing flexibility without changing the base service configuration.

Naming Best Practices

Keep service names as simple and generic as possible.

Recommended

• 67# White
• 100# Gloss Cover
• Color Digital 11×17

Avoid

• Vendor names
• Distributor names
• Manufacturer-specific references

Vendor information can be stored elsewhere within the service settings, making future maintenance easier.

💡 Best Practice: If a vendor changes, generic service names prevent you from rebuilding service structures later.

Why Services Matter

Services are the foundation of estimating and pricing in Printer's Plan.

They determine:

• Job costs
• Selling prices
• Production calculations
• Quantity pricing
• Profitability

If pricing appears incorrect during estimating, the source is often found within the service configuration.

Final Takeaway

Remember the core structure:

Department → Category → Service

And remember:

Services are the building blocks of every estimate.

The better your services are organized and configured, the more accurate your pricing, estimating, and production workflows will be.

"If pricing feels off later, chances are the answer starts in Services."