** Version 5.6 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).

Cover Letter Template Selector

On the Locations tab in Shop Settings, users can select a Cover Letter Template for each of the Plants listed. When generating a quote for a customer, the specified cover letter template will be used based on the Plant. For customers with multiple plants, each cover letter template file can have a different company name, address, logo, etc. to distinguish between the different plants.

Link/Import Selling Price

The Selling Price of a quote can be based on a price of a prior quote that was previously estimated and agreed upon with the customer. On the Markup screen, you can indicate that the Selling Price is Linked/Imported. When this option is selected, a calculator will open and allow you to manually input the cost basis or to select an existing quote from the Quote History. When linking a price from a prior Quote, the Selling Price and Additional M's Price of the prior Quote is used to determine the cost of the current Quote. For Example: If you have an agreement with a client on the cost of a recurring product where only the cost of the additional copies needed each month will affect the invoice amount, select the Link/Import Selling Cost checkbox. This will use the cost basis of the original quote, adjusted for the new number of copies requested by the client. Once the Selling Price is determined, then the markup percentage and profit will automatically be calculated for the current job. Let's say you have an agreement with a client that a recurring job will be charged at $10,000 for 30,000 copies and $280 for Add'l M's. The next week, this job is 38,000 copies. The Presstimator will accurately calculate your cost for the 38,000 copies, but the price ($12,240) will be based on the prior Quote's pricing ($10,000 + 8 x $280).

Black Ink Defaults

On the Press tab in Shop Settings, you can specify which Black Ink each press uses. When selecting a press within a Quote, the Black Ink (#1 or #2) from Shop Settings will be used for the ink calculations. For Example: You have two separate Locations within your Plant. Location A is your coldset press which uses standard black ink. Location B is your heatset press and uses UV black ink. On the Press - Shop Settings tab, you can indicate that your coldset press uses Standard Black ink and your heatset press uses UV Black ink. If you have the ability to split Standard and UV black ink across a given location, you can specify the default % of the black ink split.

Override Add'l M's Price

When entering Multiple Page Counts within a Quote, you can override the calculated Add'l M's price for each page count. The Presstimator automatically calculates the Add'l M's price, but you can adjust it as needed.

Omit Charges

On the Other Info tab within a Quote, you can indicate whether a particular charge (flat or per M) is to be omitted for this estimate. Instead of removing a cost entirely, choosing to "omit" the charge will remove the charge from the totals but leave a trace of this cost in case you want to include it at a later date or for a new quote when doing a Save As.

New Collect/Straight Terminology

Because many shops around the world using the Presstimator use different equipment and have different definitions of Collect and Straight, we changed the terminology in the software to be more explicit with "1 copy per impression" and "2 copies per impression".

More Auditor Checking

More validation is performed within a Quote to eliminate costly oversights, such as paper waste or press make-ready costs. Being sure you cover your own costs and marking up accordingly ensures you that you are making the profits you have targeted. By running the Auditor in the Presstimator, you can be confident that your estimate is accurate.

Reports

There is now an option in Multiple Page Counts/Multiple Quantities reports to include a Per M cost on each entry and the amount of paper required for each additional page count is now calculated. The Materials report now reports if half-webs are to be used in a job and will separate the total weight (lbs. or kgs) required for each roll size.

Added Report Generator

Instead of manually printing a series of reports for a single Quote, you can now use the Report Generator option from the Reports menu. This new screen has the option to generate the Paper, Press, Bindery, Markup, Quick View and Customer Quote Report. You can select which reports you want included and the Presstimator will print out all of these report with a single click.

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