Specify the Job Once.Carry It Through to Invoice.
Reduce repeated data entry and disconnected handoffs by carrying the approved print specification through estimating, job entry, production, purchasing, inventory, delivery, invoicing and reporting.
400+
installations
20+
years in print software
1
connected workflow
One job. One connected workflow.
- 01
ePRO Web-to-Print MIS connects the customer-facing and operational stages of the print workflow within one managed system.
- 02
A customer requirement may begin in an email, an estimate, a repeat order, a private storefront or direct job entry.
The Same Specification, Entered Seven Times.
Without a connected workflow, the same information is often entered repeatedly.
The same requirement is re-keyed:
- 01First as an estimate
- 02Again as a customer quotation
- 03Again when the job is booked
- 04Again for production
- 05Again for purchasing
- 06Again for delivery
- 07Again for invoicing
Each handoff creates another opportunity for the specification to be delayed, misinterpreted, omitted or entered incorrectly.
The objective is not to remove every human decision. It is to remove unnecessary repetition.
Every Job Takes a Different Route. The Specification Does Not.
Entry points
- Web-to-Print Storefront
- Estimate
- Repeat Order
- Direct Entry
Approved Specification
- Product
- Quantity
- Material
- Finishing
- Price
- Delivery
Job or Order Created
Select Fulfilment Route
- 01
Internal Production
- Job Ticket
- Job Board
- Job Planner
- Data Capture
- 02
Outsourced Production
- Supplier RFQ
- Compare Quotes
- Raise PO
- Supplier Output
- 03
Existing Inventory
- Check Stock
- Pick
- Release
- Update Balance
Delivery & Fulfilment
- Direct
- Multi-location
- Warehouse
- Dropship
Invoice & Reporting
Every print job may follow a different production or fulfilment route. ePRO keeps the approved customer requirement connected across estimating, job management, production, purchasing, inventory, delivery and invoicing.
Each Stage Feeds the Next.
Print workflow automation software connects the stages used to receive, estimate, approve, produce, purchase, fulfil and invoice print work.
Information captured at one stage supports the next stage instead of being reconstructed in separate documents, spreadsheets or applications.
A connected print workflow can include:
- Customer Requirements
- Private Storefronts
- Product and Pricing Rules
- Print Estimates
- Quote Approval
- Job Creation
- Job Tickets
- Production Planning
- Job Status
- Production Data Capture
- Material Requirements
- Supplier RFQs
- Purchase Orders
- Warehouse Inventory
- Stock Releases
- Delivery
- Invoicing
- Management Reporting
Within ePRO, workflow automation forms part of the wider Web-to-Print MIS environment.
It is the commercial and operational layer surrounding the print job, from the original customer requirement through to commercial completion.
Seven Stages, One Record.
Receive the Customer Requirement
Work can enter ePRO through several routes. A customer may place an order through a private web-to-print storefront. A member of staff may create an estimate from an enquiry. The requirement may begin as a repeat order, an RFQ or direct job entry.
Entry routes can include:
- Private customer storefront
- Multiple-location customer login
- Online product order
- Internal estimate
- Repeat order
- Supplier RFQ
- Direct job entry
- External system integration
Any Entry Route → Structured Operational Requirement
Specify and Price the Work
The estimating process establishes what the customer requires, how the work is expected to be produced and how it should be priced. Once the specification and commercial position have been established, the estimate can move through the appropriate approval process.
The specification may include:
- Quantity
- Finished and flat size
- Materials
- Printing processes
- Prepress requirements
- Finishing
- Outsourced services
- Production time
- Packing
- Delivery
- Costs
- Markups
- Selling price
- Gross margin
Specification → Costs → Markup → Selling Price → Approval
Approve and Create the Job
An approved estimate or online order can continue into job entry without rebuilding the same specification. This is one of the most important workflow transitions: the information accepted by the customer becomes the information used to manage production and fulfilment.
The resulting job record can retain the relevant:
- Customer
- Product
- Quantity
- Materials
- Production processes
- Finishing
- Delivery requirements
- Pricing
- Instructions
- Required date
Estimate or Online Order → Approval → Job
Plan and Manage Production
The job ticket provides production with the approved specification, quantities, materials, processes and instructions. The job board shows active jobs, priorities, required dates and current status. The job planner routes work through the required departments, equipment and production stages. Data capture records progress as the job moves through the business.
Production management covers:
- Job Ticket
- Job Board
- Job Planner
- Data Capture
Job Ticket → Job Board → Job Planner → Data Capture
Connect Purchasing and Outsourcing
Not every part of a print job will be completed internally. Materials may need to be purchased, specialist finishing may need to be outsourced, or the complete job may need to be produced by a trade supplier. The purchasing activity remains associated with the job or requirement that created it.
The workflow can continue into:
- Supplier RFQs
- Supplier quotations
- Outsourced production
- Material requirements
- Purchase orders
- Supplier delivery
- Warehouse receipt
- Direct-to-customer delivery
Job Requirement → RFQ or Purchase Order → Supplier → Receipt or Delivery
Fulfil From Existing Inventory
Some customer requirements can be fulfilled from finished stock already held in the warehouse. Where inventory is available, the required quantity can be picked and released without creating another production job. When additional stock is required, a production job or purchase order can be used to replenish it.
This creates a clear operational distinction:
- Jobs and purchases add stock
- Warehouse releases reduce stock
- Inventory stays connected to the customer
- Inventory stays connected to the delivery destination
Customer Requirement → Warehouse Pick → Stock Release → Delivery
Deliver, Invoice and Report
Once work has been produced, purchased or released from stock, it can continue into fulfilment and billing. Delivery and invoicing remain connected to the operational record, and reporting then provides visibility across the wider commercial and operational process.
The product may be:
- Delivered directly from production
- Dispatched to one customer location
- Split across several delivery locations
- Received into warehouse inventory
- Released from inventory later
- Delivered directly by a supplier
Complete → Deliver → Invoice → Report
The Value Is in the Transitions.
The value of workflow automation does not come from automating one isolated task.
It comes from connecting the transitions between tasks.
- 01
Estimate to Job
Move approved work into job entry without rebuilding the specification.
- 02
Storefront to MIS
Allow approved online orders to continue into the operational workflow.
- 03
Job to Production
Use the booked specification as the basis of job tickets, planning and production activity.
- 04
Production to Purchasing
Connect material and outsourced requirements with the appropriate supplier process.
- 05
Purchasing to Warehouse
Receive purchased or externally produced stock into inventory when it is being held for future release.
- 06
Warehouse to Delivery
Pick and release available inventory against a customer requirement.
- 07
Delivery to Invoice
Continue completed, delivered or released work into the billing workflow.
- 08
Operations to Reporting
Use the connected transaction history to review activity across estimates, jobs, purchasing, inventory, delivery and invoicing.
Not Every Job Follows the Same Route.
ePRO supports different operational paths according to how the work is ordered, produced and fulfilled.
Internal Production
The work is estimated, approved and produced using the printer's own equipment, materials and departments.
Estimate → Approval → Job → Production → Delivery → Invoice
Outsourced Production
The business retains the customer relationship but purchases the complete job or a specialist process from an external supplier.
Estimate → Approval → Job → Supplier RFQ → Purchase Order → Supplier Production → Delivery → Invoice
Produce or Purchase for Stock
A larger quantity is produced or purchased and received into the warehouse for future customer requirements.
Job or Purchase Order → Production or Supplier → Warehouse Receipt → Inventory
Release Existing Inventory
The required product is already available and can be released directly from the warehouse.
Customer Requirement → Warehouse Pick → Release → Delivery → Invoice
Web-to-Print Order
The customer selects an approved product, enters the required information and submits the order through a private storefront.
Storefront → Online Order → Approval or Job Entry → Production or Fulfilment → Delivery → Invoice
Repeat Order
An existing product, template or previous requirement provides the basis of a new transaction.
Existing Product or Previous Job → New Quantity → Approval → Job or Stock Release
Mixed Production
Part of the work is completed internally while another process or component is purchased from a supplier.
Job → Internal Production + External Purchase → Completion → Delivery → Invoice
The complete customer requirement remains visible even when responsibility is divided between internal departments and external suppliers.
Configured Around How You Actually Work.
Automation should not force every print business into the same process. The workflow should reflect how the company prices, approves, produces, purchases and fulfils work.
ePRO can be configured around:
- Customer-specific products
- Private storefronts
- Multiple customer locations
- Reorder-only storefronts
- Product templates
- Estimating rules
- Production processes
- Pricing and markup rules
- Gross-margin controls
- Quote approval
- Job instructions
- Materials
- Supplier requirements
- Warehouse ownership
- Delivery destinations
- User permissions
- Reporting requirements
The purpose of workflow automation is to execute an approved process more consistently, not to remove commercial or operational control.
Keep People in Control of Exceptions.
Not every print job should proceed without review. Unusual specifications, low-margin work, unavailable materials, supplier changes, production problems and delivery risks may require human judgement. A controlled workflow should distinguish between:
- 01
Repeatable Work
Work that can follow established products, specifications, pricing and production routes.
- 02
Approval Points
Stages where a customer, estimator, production manager or authorised user must confirm the next action.
- 03
Exceptions
Requirements that fall outside the normal rules and require additional review.
The strongest workflow is not the one involving the fewest people. It is the one that removes unnecessary manual work while retaining human control where judgement is required.
Which Layer This Actually Is.
Print workflow automation can refer to several different types of software.
Prepress workflow systems may automate
- File checking
- Colour processing
- Imposition
- RIP activity
- Device routing
Production equipment may automate
- Press setup
- Printing
- Finishing
- Material handling
ePRO manages the information around it
- Who requested the work
- What was specified
- How it was priced
- Whether it was approved
- How it should be produced
- What needs to be purchased
- Whether inventory is involved
- Where the work should be delivered
- What should be invoiced
- How the activity should be reported
Specialist prepress, equipment and production integrations can be considered separately according to the systems and technical requirements involved.
What a Connected Workflow Gives Back.
- 01
Maintain One Approved Specification
Keep the commercial and production information associated with the same customer requirement.
- 02
Reduce Repeated Administration
Avoid entering the same customer, product, quantity and delivery information into several separate systems.
- 03
Improve Production Visibility
Use job tickets, boards, planning and status information to understand where work sits.
- 04
Connect Internal and External Production
Manage work produced inside the business and work purchased from suppliers within the wider job workflow.
- 05
Link Purchasing to Demand
Associate purchases with the jobs, materials or inventory requirements that created them.
- 06
Connect Inventory With Fulfilment
Maintain a record of stock received, held, released and delivered.
- 07
Connect Delivery With Billing
Keep completed work, delivered quantities, stock releases and invoices associated with the correct transaction.
- 08
Build a Better Operational Record
Create a traceable history from the initial customer requirement through to commercial completion.
Two Halves of One Environment.
Web-to-Print
- 01Private storefront dashboard
- 02Multiple-location login
- 03Reorder-only storefront option
- 04Basic estimator
- 05Design tool
- 06Quote approval
- 07Job entry
Print MIS
- 01Customer, prospect and supplier management
- 02Email marketing
- 03Estimating
- 04Outsourcing
- 05Job tickets
- 06Job board
- 07Job planner
- 08Data capture
- 09Materials
- 10Purchasing
- 11Warehouse
- 12Delivery
- 13Invoicing
- 14Reporting
The modules operate within a connected environment so information can continue through the appropriate workflow rather than remaining within isolated departmental systems.
The Workflow Rarely Ends at the Edge of the MIS.
ePRO can connect with accounting, payments, shipping and other business systems.
- 01
QuickBooks Online
Connect invoice activity with the accounting workflow.
- 02
Stripe
Support online payment processing.
- 03
GoShippo
Connect shipping and fulfilment activity.
- 04
APIs and Custom Integration
Connect ePRO with customer intranets, external portals and other business applications.
Integrations allow information to continue into connected systems without recreating unnecessary manual administration.
Explore IntegrationsWhere the Handoffs Actually Happen.
- 01
Convert Approved Estimates Into Jobs
Move accepted work into the production workflow without rebuilding the specification.
- 02
Convert Storefront Orders Into Jobs
Allow approved customer orders to enter the MIS workflow from the private web-to-print environment.
- 03
Manage Repeat Products
Use established products, templates, specifications and pricing structures for frequently ordered work.
- 04
Outsource Specialist Processes
Create supplier requirements for finishing or production that cannot be completed internally.
- 05
Purchase for a Specific Job
Associate materials and supplier services with the operational requirement that created them.
- 06
Produce for Inventory
Complete a production job and receive the finished quantity into the warehouse.
- 07
Release Customer Stock
Pick and release available inventory without creating an unnecessary replacement production job.
- 08
Fulfil Multiple Locations
Manage quantities and deliveries for customers with several branches, departments or destinations.
- 09
Invoice Completed Work
Continue the relevant operational transaction into the billing process.
Built for Print Businesses of Every Shape.
Commercial Printers
Connect estimating, job entry, production, purchasing, delivery and invoicing.
Digital Printers
Manage short-run, repeat and online work through a controlled workflow.
Lithographic Printers
Coordinate materials, presses, finishing, outsourced processes and delivery requirements.
Trade Printers
Receive and manage work from brokers, resellers and other print businesses.
Print Brokers
Control customers, estimating, suppliers, purchasing, delivery and margin without producing every job internally.
Print Management Companies
Manage complex customer requirements, outsourced production, inventory and multi-location fulfilment.
In-Plant Operations
Control internal ordering, approvals, production, delivery and reporting.
Multi-Location Print Operations
Manage users, customer locations, production requirements and deliveries across a wider organisation.
Related, but Not Identical.
Print job management focuses primarily on controlling the work after it has been booked — job tickets, production status, planning, data capture, delivery and invoicing.
Print workflow automation focuses on how information moves between the wider stages of the process.
It connects:
- Requirement to estimate
- Estimate to approval
- Approval to job
- Job to production
- Production to purchasing or inventory
- Fulfilment to invoice
- Operational activity to reporting
Job management is therefore one part of the wider automated print workflow.
Frequently asked questions
What is print workflow automation software?
Print workflow automation software connects the stages used to receive, estimate, approve, produce, purchase, fulfil and invoice print work. It reduces repeated data entry and maintains a more consistent record as the work moves through the business.
What parts of the print workflow can ePRO connect?
ePRO connects web-to-print, customer management, estimating, quote approval, job entry, production management, purchasing, outsourcing, warehouse inventory, delivery, invoicing and reporting.
Does ePRO automate every decision?
No. ePRO supports controlled workflows and reduces unnecessary manual handoffs, but approvals, exceptions and commercial decisions remain under the control of authorised users.
Can work enter ePRO without web-to-print?
Yes. Web-to-print is one entry route. Work can also begin as an internal enquiry, estimate, RFQ, repeat order or direct job entry.
Can an approved estimate become a job?
Yes. An approved estimate can continue into job entry without requiring the same specification to be rebuilt.
Can online orders continue into production?
Yes. Approved storefront orders can continue into the operational MIS workflow.
Does ePRO include production management?
Yes. ePRO includes job tickets, a job board, job planning and production data capture.
Can ePRO manage outsourced work?
Yes. Supplier RFQs, outsourced requirements, purchase orders and supplier activity can remain connected to the relevant estimate or job.
Can purchasing be connected to inventory?
Yes. Products or materials purchased for stock can continue into the warehouse workflow for receipt, storage and subsequent release.
Can ePRO manage customer-owned inventory?
Yes. Warehouse workflows can support customer-owned and company-owned inventory.
Does ePRO control presses or RIP software?
ePRO is primarily the commercial and operational MIS layer surrounding the print job. Specialist prepress, RIP and equipment automation are handled by the relevant production systems, with integration considered according to the technical requirement.
Does ePRO integrate with accounting and shipping systems?
ePRO supports integrations including QuickBooks Online, Stripe and GoShippo, together with APIs and custom integration for additional requirements.
What is the difference between print workflow automation and Print MIS software?
Print MIS is the wider management system used to control the print business. Workflow automation describes how information and activity move between those MIS functions with less repeated administration.
Specify It Once. Manage It All the Way Through.
Receive the customer requirement. Create and approve the estimate. Convert the approved work into a job. Carry the specification into production. Connect materials, suppliers and inventory. Manage delivery and invoicing. Maintain visibility from beginning to end.
Developed through more than two decades of print software experience, across more than 400 installations.