** Version 5.5 has been released! We have added many, customer-requested features. Some of the more significant features are described below:

Plants and Locations

In Shop Settings, users can now specify their Plant name(s) and printing Location(s) within those Plants. This was designed for those users with multiple plants or multiple printing locations within a single plant, and it allows users to have multiple 'Defaults' within Shop Settings that will apply to jobs produced in different plants or on different presses. Consider the following examples:

Multiple Plants:
You own two different plants, and each plant has its own unique set of Shop Settings. In prior versions, users would typically have two different databases to keep each plant's Shop Settings separate, since they would have two different sets of 'Default' costs and values for each plant. In this version, users can enter both Plants into a single database and keep these values separated by assigning unique defaults to each plant. Also, if plants share some common settings, you can share a single entry across multiple plants instead of having a duplicate set of Shop Settings. Therefore, if Plant A and Plant B have two different costs for newsprint, you can create two entries in Stocks in Shop Settings, and you can designate each of these entries as the 'Default' for the specified Plant. However, if those two plants have the same cost for a Color Ink, you can create a single Color Ink entry in Shop Settings and specify that the single ink entry 'Default' applies to all plants. When creating a Quote, simply specify the Plant for the job on the Customer tab and when you click on "Load Defaults,' the defaults for the corresponding Plant/Location will be loaded.

Single Plant, Two Different Presses:
You own a single plant, but have different paper, ink and press costs associated with your Location A (coldset press) vs. your Location B (heatset press). In this case, you can specify that your single plant has two printing locations by creating two locations in Shop Settings. This enables you to enter a 'Default' process color ink for Location A (coldset) and a separate 'Default' process color ink for Location B (heatset). When creating a Quote, simply specify the Location for each Section and when you click on "Load Defaults' the defaults for the corresponding Location will be loaded. However, if both locations within the plant both share a particular default cost, you can indicate that the single entry in Shop Settings is to be applied to all locations within the plant.

Single Plant, Two Different Shifts:
Another creative use of this new feature is to consider variations to a given press as unique "locations." For example, you can create a location for third-shift printing, a different manning configuration, or even for a rush job. With this approach, you can more accurately determine your costs and you can count on reliable, reproducible estimating for every situation.

How are my existing Quotes/Jobs transitioned to this new system?
For all existing Quotes/Jobs, the plant will be assigned as "Primary." You will find this field on the Customer tab within a quote/job, under the Job Information section. The location field (within each section) will be assigned to a location called "Pressroom." The Primary plant and Pressroom location have been created in the Locations Shop Settings Tab and have been marked as the defaults for all New Quotes. If you have no additional plants or locations to set up, then no action is required on your part and this transition will be seamless.

How are my Shop Settings transitioned to this new system?
During the conversion process to the new version, all Shop Settings entries within the Press, Paper and Color Ink Tabs will be defined as being available to all plants and locations. As you define new plants and/or locations, you can designate the defaults for each. A given entry can be applied to all plants (and all locations within those plants), to all locations within a single plant, or to a single location. When you click on "Load Defaults," the Presstimator first looks for entries assigned to the location selected for a given section. If that location has no default associated with it, then the default for the plant is used.

How do I transition to this new system if I'm currently using two separate databases for my two plants?
Consolidating the two databases into one will be beneficial for reporting purposes and because you would only have to keep one set of Shop Settings up to date. Star*Key Software can help you to merge the databases, by converting, updating and exporting your quotes and settings. Please contact us so we can get you up and running with a smooth transition (there is no charge since this service is included in your annual service agreement).

Quote/Job History Modifications

Faster and More User-Friendly
The Quote and Job History screens performance has been improved to increase the speed in which the items are displayed. In addition, the column widths are now "sticky". If you resize a column, that width will be used the next time the display is visited. You can hide columns as well by resizing the columns.

Department Field
Users can now enter a Department name/value within a Quote on the Main Customer Tab. This is a user-defined field that can be used as filter criteria on the Quote/Job History screen.

Additional Filters
Users can filter the Quote/Job History by new filters created for Plant, Department Code and a specific Day of the Week. These filters are an addition to the current ones that are still available: Quote Name, Quote No., Customer Name, Customer No., Date, Estimator, Salesman, and Status/Invoice. Filters offer a convenient way to locate a given quote, delete a set of old quotes, and are used for a variety of summary reports, such as Billing and Analysis.

Web Form Importing

An optional "Request a Quote" web form is available that allows potential customers to enter job specs using an Internet browser. This customizable web form has been expanded in the new version. You can create different versions of this web form for different customers or job types, and the web form can also be used internally by the sales staff. The web form includes the various entry fields and drop-down choices you want to have for your customers/sales staff. Once the form is filled out in the browser, the request is emailed to your estimator. After receiving the email, the estimator can import the request directly into the Presstimator which enters the customer's job specs into the appropriate fields in a New Quote. Clicking on the "Load All Defaults" button after importing the contents of the web form completes a quote within seconds.
Click here to view a sample web form on our website:
http://www.starkeysoftware.com/sample_request.html

Inserts Inventory

Within the Inserting Tab in Shop Settings, users can specify an insert name and the current quantity on-hand in inventory. Within a Quote, simply select the name of the insert from Shop Settings. When indicating a job has been accepted by marking the Job Accepted checkbox on the Main Customer Tab in a Quote, the Presstimator will prompt you to deduct the number of required inserts from the number on-hand in Shop Settings. The Auditor will also check if the number of inserts in inventory is enough to cover the required amount for the job and report accordingly.

Database Backups

When exiting the Presstimator, the user will be prompted to back up the database. Creating regular backups of your data is critical (the file containing all of your Presstimator data is named data.pdb). When a database is corrupted or lost (can happen with a power outage, a Windows crash, a hard-drive failure, or if it is inadvertently deleted), nothing can be done to restore the data except revert to a recent backup. When exiting the Presstimator and choosing to back up the database, the user will be presented with a File window to select the folder into which the back-up will be copied. The current date will also be appended to the end of the filename to clarify the date the back-up was created. It is recommended that this file is then copied to a flash drive, emailed as an attachment, etc., so it can be safely stored in a different location. For users that have the Presstimator database on a network/shared drive with automated back-ups, this back-up prompt can be turned off by going to the Setup menu and selecting Options.

Delete All Quotes

To prevent accidental deleting of a range of Quotes or Jobs from the Quote/Job History screen, users must be logged into the database in Exclusive Mode in order to use this functionality. When the user clicks on the 'Delete All' button, all of the currently displayed entries in the Quote/Job History will be permanently removed from the database. Users must now confirm this action with a checkbox and also have the option to create a back-up of the database prior to this delete.

Multiple Quantities Report

Users can print the multiple quantities report directly from the Multiple Quantities Totals display.

Billing Report is an Excel File

From the Quote/Job History screen, users can generate a Billing Summary report based on the filtered items displayed in the Quote/Job History. This report is now created in Excel, so the data is easier to handle. The customizable template used for generating the report is QuoteBillingSummary.xlt or JobBillingSummary.xlt.

Summary Markup Scheme Overrides

Users can select to override a selected markup scheme to achieve any profit/markup desired target. When selecting a different markup, other than the selected markup scheme, users will see the calculations for each line-item displayed. Therefore, if the user selects to override the markup scheme by selecting/entering a specific Average %, $ Markup, Selling Price or % Profit, the calculated Total Average Markup % will be applied to all line-items displayed and the calculated totals for each line-item will be displayed. This override display will carry through to the Overview and Add'l M's screens in the Summary Tabs.

Impressions Per Hour Overrides

Users can now override the IPH value defaulted when Loading Defaults on the Main Press Tab within a Quote. Clicking on the override icon will toggle between the default and the overridden value.

Flat Folding Costs

Users can enter a flat folding cost on the Main Folding screen under the Main Finishing Tab within a Quote. Simply enter the folding cost in the Add'l Cost field at the bottom of the screen before the Total Cost.

Flat and Per Mile Costs for Delivery

Delivery entries in Shop Settings on the Delivery Tab can have a Per Mile and/or a Flat cost associated with each item. Within a Quote, selecting a specific delivery carrier will automatically import both the Per Mile and Flat rate costs.