Phase 2 - Session 1 Homework: System Setup – Print Reach Help Center

Please review and mark the associated GUIDEcx task as Complete before Session 2.

Tip: As you review these system setup topics, make note of any questions and add them to the related GUIDEcx task so they can be addressed on or before the next implementation session.

The Admin Settings panel can be accessed by clicking the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the Home screen.

General: Active / Edit / Delete / Add New

The process for editing settings in Midnight is generally consistent throughout the application.

(A) Active: Indicates whether the department is currently active.

Use the dropdown to filter by “Checked” or “Unchecked.”
Click the reset icon to clear the filter.

(B) Edit: To modify an existing department, click the edit icon .

(C) Delete Department: A department that has never been used may be deleted by clicking the red .

Once a department has been used, to maintain data integrity, it may only be deactivated.

(D) Add New Department: Enter the department name in the gray input box and then click the save icon .

Admin → Accounting

The Accounting menu contains four setup options used to manage accounting-related settings within the system.

Admin → Accounting → Account GLIDs

The Account GLIDs table displays the General Ledger IDs (GLIDs) available in Midnight. GLIDs are used to map revenue generated in Midnight to the appropriate revenue accounts in your accounting system. Proper GLID configuration helps ensure that sales are categorized correctly when exported and allows you to analyze revenue by product, service, or department.

GLIDs are assigned to Standard Services, products, and other revenue-generating activities throughout Midnight. By assigning a GLID to a service, revenue generated from that activity can be tracked separately for reporting and analysis.

For example:

If you want to track Digital Printing revenue, create a Digital Printing GLID and assign it to your digital printing Standard Services.
If you want to track Data Processing revenue, create a Data Processing GLID and assign it to your data processing Standard Services.
If you want to track Graphic Design revenue, create a Graphic Design GLID and assign it to your graphic design services.
If you want to track Mailing Services revenue, create a Mailing Services GLID and assign it to the appropriate mailing-related services.
If you want to track Shipping revenue, create a Shipping GLID and assign it to your shipping services.

Using GLIDs in this way allows you to determine how much revenue was generated by each area of your business and provides greater visibility into the performance of individual services and departments.

The following fields are available:

GLID – The General Ledger account name or number used to map revenue transactions to your accounting system.
Description – A description of the revenue account and its intended purpose.
Active – Indicates whether the GLID is available for use within Midnight.

Important: The GLIDs configured in Midnight should be reviewed and verified against the Sales or Income accounts in your accounting system's Chart of Accounts. Proper setup ensures accurate accounting exports and meaningful revenue reporting.

Related Reports:

Accounting: Daily Report – Provides a summary of daily accounting activity, including deposit records, payments, GLID breakdowns, closed orders, sales tax summaries, new orders, and new estimates.
Accounting: GLID Totals Report – Summarizes revenue transactions by General Ledger ID (GLID), allowing you to analyze revenue by service type, department, or business function.
Invoicing: GLID Totals Report – Summarizes invoice amounts by General Ledger ID (GLID).

Admin → Accounting → Account Item Codes

This table contains the item codes used to map Midnight transactions to the corresponding items in your accounting system. These codes help ensure that exported financial data is assigned to the correct item, product, or service when imported into your accounting package.

Account Item Codes act as the link between Midnight and your accounting system, ensuring that invoices, sales transactions, postage charges, shipping fees, and other billable activities are associated with the proper accounting item. Proper setup of these codes helps streamline accounting exports, reduce manual adjustments, and improve the accuracy of financial reporting.

For example, you may create separate item codes for Digital Printing, Data Processing, Graphic Design, Mailing Services, Postage, or Shipping. When transactions are exported from Midnight, the assigned item code determines which item or service in your accounting system receives the transaction.

The following fields are available:

Item Code – The code that corresponds to an item, product, or service in your accounting system.
Description – A description of the item code and its intended use.
Active – Indicates whether the item code is available for use within Midnight.

Important: Item codes should match the corresponding items configured in your accounting system. Consistent setup helps ensure exported transactions are mapped correctly and reduces the need for adjustments after import.

Admin → Estimate/Order → Tax Codes

The Tax Codes table maintains the tax rates and tax classifications used when calculating taxes on estimates and orders. Tax codes represent the specific taxing authorities that make up a tax jurisdiction, such as state, county, city, or special district taxes.

In Midnight MIS, taxes are configured using two core components:

Tax Codes – Define individual tax rates, such as state, county, city, or special district taxes.
Tax Jurisdictions – Group one or more Tax Codes together to determine the total tax applied to an estimate or order based on the Tax Jurisdiction assigned to the customer.

This structure allows organizations to support locations where multiple tax rates must be combined to calculate the total tax due.

A Tax Code represents a single tax rate. One Tax Code should be created for each individual tax rate, and the Code value must be unique for each Tax Code (maximum 10 characters).

Proper configuration of Tax Codes and Tax Jurisdictions helps ensure accurate tax calculations, reporting, and compliance with local tax requirements.

The following fields are available:

Code – The tax code identifier.
Description – A description of the tax code.
Percent – The tax percentage applied when this tax code is used.
GLID – The revenue account associated with the tax code.
Inv Item – The accounting item code associated with the tax code.
Payable Act – The payable account associated with collected tax amounts.
Service Tax – Indicates whether service charges are taxable.
Postage Tax – Indicates whether postage charges are taxable.
Active – Indicates whether the tax code is available for use.

Admin → Estimate/Order → Tax Jurisdictions

The Tax Jurisdictions table are collections of one or more tax codes that are grouped together and assigned to your customer records. Because sales tax may consist of a single tax rate or multiple tax rates (such as state, county, city, or special district taxes), jurisdictions provide a way to combine those tax codes into a single tax structure that can be applied automatically during estimating, order entry, and invoicing.

To create a new Tax Jurisdiction select the Select Tax Jurisdiction dropdown and choose Add.

The following fields are available:

Name – The name of the tax jurisdiction.
State – The state associated with the jurisdiction.
Description – A description of the jurisdiction.
Active – Indicates whether the jurisdiction is available for use.

Once the new Tax Jurisdiction has been created, select the applicable Tax Code from the dropdown to add it to the jurisdiction. Additional Tax Codes can be added as needed to build a stacked tax structure consisting of multiple tax rates.

Admin → Estimate/Order → Tax Exemptions

Tax Exemptions provide an additional level of control over how taxes are applied in Midnight. While the Taxable checkbox on a Standard Service determines whether a service is generally subject to tax, Tax Exemptions allow you to create exceptions to those rules based on specific tax situations.

A Tax Exemption is typically used when a service should be taxable in some jurisdictions but exempt in others. Rather than creating duplicate services or marking a service as completely non-taxable, you can use Tax Exemptions to selectively exclude certain services from a specific tax code while still allowing other taxes to apply.

For example, a company may have a Mailing Service that is normally taxable. However, state regulations may exempt mailing services from a particular state tax while still requiring county or local taxes to be charged. Instead of marking the service as non-taxable in Standard Service Setup, you can create a Tax Exemption that excludes the Mailing Service from the applicable tax code. Midnight will then calculate only the taxes that should apply.

Another common use case is when certain products or services are exempt from one taxing authority but not another. Tax Exemptions allow you to maintain a single service setup while accurately accommodating those special tax requirements.

Benefits of Using Tax Exemptions

Maintain one Standard Service instead of creating duplicate taxable and non-taxable versions.
Exempt services from specific tax codes while allowing other taxes to calculate normally.
Support complex state, county, city, or provincial tax rules.
Simplify tax maintenance when tax regulations change.
Improve tax accuracy on estimates, orders, and invoices.

Taxable Service vs. Tax Exemption

Standard Service Taxable Checkbox

Controls whether the service is generally taxable.
If unchecked, the service will not be taxed by any tax code.

Tax Exemption

Used when a standard service remains taxable, but should be excluded from specific tax codes or tax situations.
Allows more granular control over tax calculations.

Example

Assume your Tax Jurisdiction contains:

State Tax: 5.00%
County Tax: 2.00%

A Graphic Design Service is taxable by default. However, local regulations state that design services are exempt from County Tax but are still subject to State Tax.

Using a Tax Exemption, you could exempt the Graphic Design Service from the County Tax code while still allowing the State Tax code to calculate. This would result in a 5.00% tax instead of the full 7.00%.

Best Practice: Use the Standard Service Taxable setting when a service should never be taxed. Use Tax Exemptions when a service is taxable in some situations but requires exceptions based on specific tax codes, jurisdictions, customers, or regulatory requirements. This provides the greatest flexibility and helps keep your service setup clean and easy to maintain.

Admin → Accounting → Postage Account

This table displays the postage accounts available in Midnight. Postage Accounts are used to identify how postage funds are managed and determine which debit account is affected when postage payments are exported to your accounting system.

These accounts are commonly used when recording customer postage deposits, applying postage funds to orders, and tracking postage-related financial activity.

Many organizations use a single Postage Account for all customers, simplifying postage management and accounting reconciliation when all postage activity is tracked through the same accounting account.

However, Midnight supports multiple postage payment accounts, allowing organizations to direct different types of postage receipts to separate cash or General Ledger accounts as needed. This provides greater flexibility when managing postage funds and integrating with your accounting system.

The following fields are available:

Name – The short name used to identify the postage account.
Description – A detailed description of the postage account.
Item Code – The item code used when exporting postage payments to your accounting system.
GLID – The General Ledger account number associated with the postage account.
Active – Indicates whether the account is active and available for selection throughout Midnight.

Important: If the GLID field is left blank and a postage check is entered using that payment account, Midnight will not create an export file for the transaction. Be sure to assign the appropriate General Ledger account if postage receipts need to be included in accounting exports.

Proper setup of Postage Accounts is important for accurate postage reconciliation, accounting exports, and customer postage balance management. By establishing the appropriate accounts during implementation, organizations can more easily track postage activity and maintain accurate financial records.

Postage accounts are associated with customer records and can be maintained under CRM > Postage Details > Payment Account. This window also displays the current Escrow, Earmarked, and Balance for the corresponding postage account.

Admin → Accounting → Postage Types

The Postage Types screen is a key component of Midnight's postage reconciliation process. While new postage types are typically not added, the existing postage types should be reviewed and configured with the appropriate General Ledger (GLID) and Inventory Item values to ensure accurate accounting integration.

When customer funds are applied to an order through the Apply Funds process on the Order Postage tab, Midnight uses the configured postage type to determine how those funds should be accounted for. Common postage types such as Postage and Service represent the different categories of customer funds that may be applied toward mailing expenses or related services.

The GLID and Inventory Item associated with each postage type control how these transactions are exported to your accounting system. Proper configuration ensures that applied postage funds are correctly reflected in the invoice export file, allowing invoices to import with the appropriate customer balance due.

In many environments, the GLID associated with a postage type points to a Customer Postage Deposits liability account. However, the specific account used may vary depending on your organization's accounting structure and reporting requirements.

The following fields are available:

Name – The name of the postage transaction type.
Description – A description of the postage type and its purpose.
Item Code – The inventory item used when exporting applied postage or service funds to the accounting system.
GLID – The General Ledger account used to track funds applied through this postage type.
Active – Indicates whether the postage type is available for use within Midnight.

Admin → Machine Departments

The Machine Departments table organizes production equipment into logical groups for scheduling, planning, and resource management.

After creating your Machine Departments, you can assign individual machines to each department and then associate those departments with the appropriate services.

The required fields are:

Department: The name of the department or category used to group related machines.
Start Time / Stop Time: The department's overall operating hours for scheduling purposes.
Active: Indicates whether the department is currently active and available for scheduling.

Click the Plus (+) icon on the far left of a department row to expand the department and view all assigned machines, including their individual start and stop times.

To add machines to a department, click Add Machines on the right side of the department row. In the list of available machines, select the Choose Machine checkbox for each machine you want to assign to the department. To remove a machine from the department, clear the Choose Machine checkbox.

Admin → Machines

The Machine setup screen is used to define all production equipment and resources in your shop. This can include presses, bindery and mailing equipment, as well as handwork areas or other resources that occupy an operator's time while work is being performed.

The following fields are available:

Code: A short, unique code used to identify the machine.
Name: The full name of the machine or resource.
Description: Additional details about the machine or its purpose.
Run Rate: The machine's operating speed, measured in units per hour.
Start Time: The time the machine becomes available in the production schedule.
Stop Time: The time the machine is no longer available in the production schedule.
Active: Indicates whether the machine is currently active and available for use.

To add a new machine, scroll to the bottom of the screen, enter the required information, and click Save. The system will automatically generate and assign the Machine ID.

Admin → Print

This menu contains nine setup options used to manage paper specifications, press standards, ink settings, product templates, and other print-related configurations.

Admin → Print → Paper Cutters

The Paper Cutters table displays all paper cutters configured within the system. Cutter records are used in estimating and production to calculate pre- and finish-cutting operations using the print calculator.

Proper cutter configuration helps ensure accurate production calculations and supports features such as pre-cutting and finish-cutting within a print item in an order or estimate.

To add a new cutter, choose Add Cutter from the QuickLinks dropdown.

The following fields are available:

Name – The name of the paper cutter.
Description – A description of the cutter.
Throat Height In. – The maximum stack height the cutter can accommodate, measured in inches.
Default Time Per Lift (min) – The default processing time required to cut a lift of paper.
Setup Cost – The charge associated with preparing the cutter for production.
Cutter Hourly Rate – The hourly operating cost used during estimating calculations.
Cuts Per Hour – The expected number of cuts the cutter can perform per hour.
Min Width In. – The minimum sheet width the cutter can process.
Min Depth In. – The minimum sheet depth the cutter can process.
Max Width In. – The maximum sheet width the cutter can process.
Max Depth In. – The maximum sheet depth the cutter can process.
Standard Service – The Standard Service associated with the cutter for estimating and production workflows.
Costing Method – Defines how cutting costs are calculated within the estimating process.

Paper Cutters are selectable within the Print Calculator when configuring a Print Item. Navigate to the Paper Details tab and locate the Pre Cutting section. The Cutter dropdown allows users to select a configured Paper Cutter, which automatically applies the cutter's production settings.

Paper Cutters are selectable within the Print Calculator when configuring a Print Item. Navigate to the Imposition Details tab and locate the Finish Cutting section. The Cutter dropdown allows users to select a configured Paper Cutter, which automatically applies the cutter's production settings.

Admin → Print → Press Standards

The Press Standards table defines the standard press configurations allowing Midnight to generate consistent and accurate estimates for your print jobs.

There are separate press standards for digital, offset and wide format presses.

To edit an existing press standard, select the Press ID# or Description hyperlink.

To add a new press standard, select Add Press Standard in the QuickLinks menu.

The fields displayed within Press Standards vary based on the Press Type selected in the press configuration. Midnight supports two primary types of digital presses: Sheet and Roll. Because each press type has unique production processes, capabilities, and setup requirements, Midnight dynamically displays only the fields relevant to the selected press type.

Digital Press / Sheet Type Configuration

The example below displays the Press Details section for a Digital Press configured with a Sheet material type.

The following fields are available:

Press Type: Determines the type of press being configured. Choices are: Digital, Offset, Wide Format. The selected press type controls which additional settings and standards are available within the press configuration.
Material Type: Specifies the type of material the press is designed to run. This setting determines which inventory items can be used with the press during estimating and production. For example, if Sheet is selected as the Material Type, only inventory items configured with a Sheet material type will be available for selection when estimating jobs on this press. Likewise, a press configured with a Roll material type can only use inventory items designated as Roll materials. This helps ensure material compatibility and prevents users from selecting inventory items that cannot be run on the configured press.
Press Name: The unique name used to identify the press throughout Midnight. The name should be easily recognizable to users and should clearly identify the specific equipment being used.
Minimum Cost: Defines the minimum production cost that can be calculated for the press. If the calculated press cost falls below this amount, Midnight uses the minimum cost value instead.
Update All Templates: When selected, this action updates all print product templates that use this press standard, ensuring they reflect the current press settings and configuration changes. This helps maintain consistency across templates and eliminates the need to update each template individually.
Default Run Type: Specifies the default production method that will be applied when creating estimates using this press. The available options are 1-Sided or 2-Sided. The default can be overridden when necessary.
Hourly Rate: This is the hourly rate used to calculate the press cost when using the calculator. Midnight uses this value when calculating production and labor costs for estimates and job costing.
Base Run Rate (Impressions Per Hour): Specifies the average production speed of the press measured in impressions per hour. This value is used to calculate run times, labor hours, and production costs.
Spoilage %: Defines the expected percentage of waste generated during production. Midnight uses this value to account for setup waste when calculating material requirements.
Run Sheet Width: Specifies the maximum usable width of the sheet that can be run through the press.
Run Sheet Length: Specifies the maximum usable length of the sheet that can be run through the press.
Sheet Margin: This setting (in inches) defines the non-printable area around the edge of the sheet. Midnight uses this value when determining the printable area available for imposition calculations.
Registration Marks: Enables or disables registration marks for the press. This setting is rarely used for a digital press.
Registration Mark Size: Determines the size of the registration marks. Midnight uses this value when determining the printable area available for imposition calculations. This setting is rarely used for a digital press.
Setup/Consumables: This setting allows a user to set a charge either by job or by piece that will be applied whenever this press is selected.
Setup Time (Minutes): Specifies the average amount of time required to prepare the press before a production run can begin. This time is included in production and labor cost calculations.
Setup Sheets: Defines the number of sheets expected to be consumed during setup and calibration before production-ready output is achieved.
Click Setup: Enables click charge calculations for the press. When enabled, at least one click charge configuration is required. Click charges can be used independently, omitted entirely, or combined with Ink Setup to calculate the total running cost of the press.
Click Rate Type: Determines how click charges are calculated for the press. The available options are Impression and Linear Feet.
- Impression: Calculates click charges based on the number of impressions produced. This option is most commonly used for sheet-fed digital presses.
- Linear Feet: Calculates click charges based on the total linear feet produced. This option is typically used for roll-fed presses where production costs are measured by the length of material processed rather than by individual impressions.

Ink Setup

With the introduction of high-speed digital presses, it became necessary to support ink costing in addition to click charges. To accommodate this, the Ink Setup feature provides four costing methods: None, Area, Piece, and Volume.

None

No ink cost is calculated. The estimate or job cost is based solely on click charges and other configured costs.

Area

The Area option in Ink Setup allows ink costs to be calculated based on the total printed area of a job, measured in square inches.

Name: Enter a descriptive name for the ink costing option.
Cost Per Square Inch: Enter the cost per square inch of printed coverage. This value is entered as a fraction of a dollar and is used to calculate the total ink cost based on the printed area of the job.

Piece

The Piece option in Ink Setup allows ink costs to be calculated on a per-piece basis according to the size of the printed piece. This method is ideal when you want to assign a predefined ink cost to specific piece sizes rather than calculating costs from actual printed coverage.

The Piece setup grid contains the following columns:

Name: Descriptive name of the piece-based ink costing option.
Piece Size: Defines the length and width of the piece that this ink costing option applies to.
Coverage %: Specifies the default ink coverage percentage for the piece. This value is used to calculate the actual ink cost based on the expected amount of ink coverage.
Cost Per Piece @ 100%: Defines the ink cost for a single piece at 100% coverage. The system adjusts this cost based on the Coverage % entered for the option.

Volume

The Volume option in Ink Setup allows you to configure all inks available for a specific printer and define the amount of coverage for each ink when estimating a job. This method provides the most accurate ink costing by calculating costs based on actual ink consumption and coverage.

The Volume setup grid contains the following columns:

Name: Descriptive name of the volume-based ink option.
Cost Per ml: Defines the cost per milliliter of the selected ink.
Coverage/ML (in Sq. Inches): Specifies the number of square inches that can be covered by one milliliter of ink. This value is used to calculate estimated ink usage based on the coverage area.
Default Coverage: Defines the default coverage percentage for the ink when added to an estimate.

Run Rate Table

The Run Rate Table allows you to define alternative run rates based on the quantity, net impressions, or run sheets being produced. When a qualifying threshold is reached, the run rate specified in the table overrides the machine's base run rate defined in the Details section.

The Run Rate Table contains the following fields:

Quantity: Defines the job quantity at which the run rate changes.
Run Rate/Hr: Specifies the production speed, measured in impressions per hour, for the defined quantity.

When estimating a job, the system compares the job quantity to the values defined in the Run Rate Table and applies the appropriate run rate. This allows production speeds to increase or decrease based on quantity, resulting in more accurate labor and machine cost calculations.

Digital Press / Roll Type Configuration

The example below shows the Press Details section for a Digital Press configured with a Roll material type.