For print shops
Job tickets to invoices, without the paper.
For print shop owners whose jobs still live on paper tickets and spreadsheets. I built a production portal for a print shop that now runs every job through it, from quote to QuickBooks.
Every job, one path
Each step is created from the one before it, so nothing gets retyped between the counter and the books.
- Quote
- Work order
- Order
- Invoice
- QuickBooks
Configure, connect, or build
A packaged MIS is often the right answer. On a call I'll tell you which of the three fits your shop, including when it isn't custom software.
Configure a packaged print MIS
- Best fit
- Your workflow matches how the software expects a shop to run.
- Disruption
- High at the start: migrating jobs and customers, and retraining every department.
- Ongoing ownership
- The vendor maintains it; you pay the subscription and live with its limits.
Connect what you already run
- Best fit
- The tools mostly work, but people retype the same job between them.
- Disruption
- Low: a small integration, and staff keep the screens they know.
- Ongoing ownership
- Small and cheap to keep running, though it breaks when a vendor changes its API.
Build custom
- Best fit
- Your shop works in a way no package fits, and the gap costs you every week.
- Disruption
- Medium: migration and staff adoption, staged one department at a time.
- Ongoing ownership
- You own it and it needs maintenance, from me or from another engineer.
What this looks like in your shop
- Quotes that become work orders without retyping
- Online proof approval, as many rounds as the job needs
- A live queue for each department: prepress, press, bindery, shipping
- Customers, invoices, and payments synced with QuickBooks
- Shipping by FedEx, UPS, USPS, or courier from the same system
FAQ
Common questions
How long does it take to get off paper?
It depends on how many departments and steps your jobs pass through. A discovery call and a written plan come first, so you know the timeline and cost before any build starts.
Do we have to switch everything at once?
No. Rollout goes one department at a time, so the floor keeps running while each queue moves over.
Will it work with QuickBooks?
Yes. The print shop portal syncs customers, invoices, and payments with QuickBooks Online in both directions, so nobody re-keys invoices.
Where do jobs get stuck in your shop?
Tell me how a job moves from quote to invoice today. I'll tell you whether to configure, connect, or build, even when the answer isn't me.