Print Portal
Production management portal for a print shop operator
- 200 jobs a week
- 4 departments
- 0 paper tickets
- Industry
- Commercial printing
- Status
- Shipped
- Quote
- Work order
- Order
- Invoice
- QuickBooks
Before
Every job at this print shop lived on a paper ticket. Quotes, proofs, press runs, and invoices were tracked on paper and in spreadsheets, and each job passed through four departments (Prepress, Press, Bindery, Shipping) that couldn't see each other's work. Finding out where a job stood meant walking the floor and asking. When a job shipped, someone typed the invoice into QuickBooks by hand.
What I Built
One portal that every job moves through in a fixed order: quote, work order, order, invoice. Each step is created from the one before it, so nothing gets retyped along the way. Clients review typesetting proofs online and can go as many rounds as the job needs. Shipping dispatches by FedEx, UPS, USPS, or courier from the same system.
What Changed on the Floor
Each department opens its own live queue and sees what's waiting and what's running. A status question gets answered from a desk instead of a walk. Staff see only the screens their job needs, across nine roles. Customers, invoices, and payments sync with QuickBooks in both directions, so the books match the floor without anyone re-keying.
Under the Hood
Next.js and TypeScript with tRPC and Prisma over PostgreSQL. Pusher sends status changes to every open queue as they happen. QuickBooks Online connects over OAuth. Sign-in is Google or an emailed magic link, so nobody has another password to manage. Invoices are generated as PDFs from the same order data the floor works from.
The Results
No paper job tickets are left. The portal handles 200 jobs a week across four departments. Clients approve proofs online instead of by fax or email. Finance no longer re-keys invoices into QuickBooks.
Built with Next.js, TypeScript, tRPC, PostgreSQL, QuickBooks
Still running production on paper?
Let's talk. Tell me how a job moves through your shop today and I'll tell you what it would take to get it off paper.
Serving the Central Valley: Sacramento · Stockton · Modesto · Manteca, Tracy & Lathrop