MIS & W2P

MIS

PRINTIQ

PrintIQ says it is the new breed of print management system that stands out from the traditional MIS products on the market. It is a cloud-based web product, which by definition means that everyone accesses the application from an internet browser. Production-staff manage the factory while customers quote, order and track, all from within the same application. With no software to install, no separate web portal or online ordering system to add on, the company says printIQ represents a quantum shift from what most printers are doing right now.

With printIQ jobs can be quoted, and paid for, online in real time without delay, they can be easily tracked online, by customers, throughout the entire lifecycle of the job. Staff in various departments can update production status as the job progresses through their area of the factory, without the need to talk to anyone about it.

The job bag exists in a digital space, so any information change is updated live – it will not be outdated. The job status is updated via tablets, or terminals, as it moves throughout the factory, and is instantly updated on the online Job Track module. When production is complete the job will appear on the dispatch board ready for dispatch. If it has not yet been invoiced it will also show on the Finance board for individual invoice, or to be combined with other invoices for the same customer. It includes a full inventory system, including refresh level notification and online purchasing, and direct integration with a number of cloud-based accounting packages (and a CSV export for those older packages), with invoices being simultaneously pushed into the accounting software. Notification is automatically sent to the client upon dispatch and the delivery can be tracked through the delivery connote.

PrintIQ is one of the few print management systems produced locally. It is created by IQ who have development and support staff in Australia, New Zealand, The United Kingdom and the US. Working alongside customers has produced a competitive advantage for IQ, and their openness and ability to customise for their customers has certainly helped them convert a veritable who’s who of local printers to their management workflow system (MWS).

PrintIQ supports many segments of the industry from offset, digital and label printers, through to wide format and signage companies, with each segment having an option tailor-made for their industry.

PrintIQ also enhances its offering with a range of additional modules. The IQconnect Enfocus Switch module, for example, allows printIQ users to utilise the perfect automated workflow, encompassing Enfocus Switch, and Pitstop. PrintIQ Customers can now have a lights-out process to take an order from the web and push it through to the press without operator intervention.

 

QUOTE & PRINT

The Quote & Print MIS solution is the result of 37 years of experience providing MIS for the printing industry, both in Australia and overseas. Quote & Print is designed on a modular basis enabling companies to purchase the relevant modules and users for their business as needed.

It focuses solely on the growing and changing needs of the Printing and Packaging industries. It offers both its current Windows-based System and our new Cloud-based Software, using the latest Microsoft technology on an SQL data base, designed for all facets of the printing industry.

The new Cloud-based System is normally offered on a Software as a Service or rental model. Quote & Print will also continue to support and enhance its Windows System for the over 500 print businesses in Australia. It includes a Mobile App for the Cloud Software. Quote & Print Software offers an integrated Web 2 Print solution from OnPrintShop.

 

THARSTERN

Today, a printing machine is a piece of equipment where arguably, the greatest innovation lay in the software driving it. And the output of a printed sheet is frequently the bi-product of a customer relationship involving an exchange of services well beyond what used to be, a traditional print offering. Conver-sations are not about CMYK and gatefolds, but about data processing, self-service online ordering with automated approvals, website development, mobile apps and real-time data feedback.

As part of the journey to map Tharstern’s role in the print industry of the future, Tharstern recently compared its most successful customers to the rest. Those who stand out are businesses who engage in identifying processes which will be positively affected by the introduction of technology; who develop close relationships with software providers as essential, specialist partners; and who also recognise this shift in bias towards software and technology platforms demands a shift in bias toward employing technology people within the print organisation.

These companies leverage off the MIS as a cornerstone to provide production efficiencies, automate processes and provide a robust and consistent stream of information and data from one stage to the next. However, it is the resource of in-house tech savvy individuals with a vision, who build upon this foundation and look strategically across the range of products in the market, cherry-picking complementary systems, which has created some of the most inspired, advanced and profitable print environments in the world.

Over the last ten years, Tharstern’s approach has changed, where it now engages customers as a fellow technology company, as much as if not more than, as a printer.

Tharstern believes in working as part of a Team of Masters, and encourages its customers to constantly look across processes and systems and identifying where short-comings are affecting optimal operational efficiency – and swapping that part out. Technology is almost always playing catch up with the innovations that are coming from the customers themselves and so printers need to be agile and enhance their workflow to accommodate those changes. At the heart of future-proofing is flexibility and working to a shared vision.

 

AccuraOnline

 

W2P

ACCURAONLINE

AccuraOnline is the web-to-print and ecommerce module of the Accura MIS. The company says that unlike other solutions AccuraOnline offers seamless, real-time integration with the MIS – all from one vendor.

This means printers do not need IT, web designers and/or programmers to create unlimited web portals. Because AccuraOnline works directly from the MIS database there is little/no setup and sites can be setup within hours, not days or weeks. This means no integration costs, no protracted timescales, and no apis or xml files to handle.

Site administration is done almost entirely within the MIS database – customer changes, new addresses, product pricing, images etc. all updated in one place – reducing the overhead of managing the sites and multiple databases.

AccuraOnline is a comprehensive B2B portal with full client branding, quoting, orders, storefront, proofing, live-stock levels and built-in artwork editing to imposed camera-ready PDF artwork. From login, users can access their restricted data – both current and historical for online and offline orders.

PDF proofing workflow enables customers to view, annotate and approve proofs, and those changes are synchronised back to the MIS in real-time automatically.

Printers who store/warehouse stock for clients can manage this with ease, as live stock balances are displayed in the customer, who can then create a shopping basket of items for submission and picking by the printer.

AccuraOnline is mobile-responsive for the way people access the internet today – everything is pure HTML5 so can be accessed from any device. Artwork editing tools allow creation or editing of templates for self-proofing and submission as hi-res PDF artwork. Alternatively, customers may upload their own artwork files, which are attached to the order in the MIS seamlessly.

OnPrintShop from Quote & Print

 

ONPRINTSHOP

OnPrintShop is web-to-print company extension of MIS designed to help simplify and automate the print ordering process, and has been operating since 2006. Quote and Print is the distributor in Australia and New Zealand.

The OnPrintShop W2P is integrated with MIS. It helps print service providers simplify print ordering for their customers, and reduce print ordering costs, integrating with preflight, production, shipping, accounting

Major features include both SAAS and License Solutions for Platinum Pro, Multistore, Trade Printer, Photo Book, Photo Album, Wide Format, Book Module, Advance B2B, Market Place, Procurement Module. There are specially designed Mobile Responsive Portals for B2B, B2C, Resellers, Print Stores, In-plant, and specially designed modules to manage – Stationary, Marketing, Promotional, Photobooks, Photo Calendars, Apparels, Wide Format. It has HTML 5 Designer Studio to offer rule based personalisation, admin panel – complete control over content, website design, auto generate invoice, job ticket, shipping label, vendor module to outsource, dashboard and reports.

Third Party Integrations have 150 options and adding (MIS, Accounting, ERP, CRM, Payment & Shipping Gateways, Marketing Tools, Social Media. It awards – Must See’em’s Winners at Graph 16, Orlando and Print 17, Chicago, USA, Twice Best Social Media Championship at drupa 2016.

Optimus dash: in the cloud

 

OPTIMUS CLOUD WEB2PRINT

Optimus says its Cloud web-to-print simplifies and automates print purchasing and provides a complete online solution for its customers. Cloud offers more than web-to-print. Customers can obtain instant quotes, gain access to historical data and information about production job statuses, and order static products in one interface. Once an order is placed all tasks, materials required and invoicing are automated for the print production and job processing in Optimus dash MIS to start the work straight away with no re-keying. Optimus Cloud is a logical extension of Optimus dash MIS with no more guess work, handling errors or double entry, without increasing staff. Optimus Cloud is modular and includes Fast Quotes, Fast Orders, Stock Orders and Customer View. This ensures the solution can grow with a printer’s customer demands.

Optimus links with multiple or bespoke web to print options – Optimus also recognises that many print providers have existing successful web ordering systems. Optimus has developed Optimus Web Services Module so that many custom built or market available web2print systems can be integrated. These can be linked to the dash Sales Enquiry System (if web-to-print infrastructure permits) to ensure real-time pricing held in dash not only drives the user experience, it also eliminates the need to update two systems.

Optimus links with XMPie ustore – One such significant piece of global development delivered in the last two years which uses the Optimus Web Services Module and includes a four-way bi-directional integration, has been delivered in partnership with XMPie, and relates to its uStore web2print module. Customers are now able to manage and view Instant pricing / Automatic MIS job submission /Stock/ Inventory call offs and see / Live status updates all within the XMPie uStore interface.

Optimus says whilst a bigger investment will be required with this type of solution this feature rich integration between Optimus and XMPie has proved effective when having to manage multiple online stores and lots of small transactions.

printIQ: web-to-print functionality

 

PRINTIQ

PrintIQ is a new breed of print management system. As a cloud based web solution, printIQ has web-to-print functionality incorporated directly into the product as part of the management workflow system. There is no separate bolt-on or third party software, it is simply part of the base product and everyone accesses it.

The main differentiator between printIQ and other W2P solutions is that printIQ is more than just a shopping cart. It combines the power of the printIQ pricing engine with an integrated online ordering process to give your customers an online experience specifically designed for the complexities of print.

The combination also removes the need to integrate the online order with your MWS. With printIQ, the online order hits production as soon as the order is confirmed by the customer. This is a smart move given that integration is rated as one of the biggest frustrations with IT systems.

This point of difference has seen printIQ rapidly become one of the main players in the industry. The now familiar Powered by printIQ icon is featured on many of the ProPrint Power 50 online portals, and the Australian-made status sees it as a popular choice.

It also offers extra modules to enhance the offering. The IQconnect – smartsite module provides widgets that can be placed on any live search engine optimised marketing website and be skinned to match the brand. This is achieved this by using HTML and javascript with self-contained API calls that do all of the technical aspects of connecting the front-end website to the printIQ for pricing and the shopping cart.

PrintIQ completes its W2P offering with an integrated variable data option. With Chili Publish being recognised as the market leader in the world of variable data and document editing, the move to deliver Chili as part of the monthly subscription now opens up the once cost prohibitive Chili option to all printIQ customers.

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