Automated Paper Procurement in Print Job Bidding and Production

For the first time, small and mid-size U.S. commercial and in-plant printers have the ability to automate paper and substrate purchasing through a single print MIS software package, reports xpdex.  Print jobs can be estimated more quickly and accurately—and substrate specifications can be fully integrated in each print job.

Paper and substrates account for as much as half of a total job cost, and specification decisions directly impact total job profitability and cost, making automation a critical business issue for printers today.
 
xpedx, one of North America’s largest paper and graphics supplies distributors, and EFI, developed the new capability offered within EFI PrintSmith MIS software.  It is being demonstrated in the xpedx booth 3200 during GRAPH EXPO.
 
For PrintSmith customers

The new integration capability in PrintSmith, which is available to all xpedx and PrintSmith customers running version 8.1.10 or later, enables printers to view the current xpedx catalog for paper and substrate information and specification, view current, customer specific, pricing for their business and view current local and regional substrate availability. Additionally, printers can send their electronic purchase orders directly to xpedx systems, receive order confirmation and invoices by email and monitor and manage all purchasing and deliveries.

This new system gives printers the ability to integrate paper and substrate data into front-office operations and the entire production workflow, benefitting prepress, pressroom and postpress.

   Prior to the launch of the EFI PrintSmith version 8.1.10 or later, all of the functions outlined above were manually handled via computer, phone or fax.

 Automating all functions through a single software application provides important new cost savings, production efficiencies and streamlines operations—key benefits as printing companies and operations seek to maximize profitability, minimize cost and improve competitiveness.  The xpedx integration in EFI PrintSmith enables printers to save up to 10 minutes (or more) per estimate when confirming product availability—a potential multiple-hour time savings each day depending upon the number of estimates. It provides automatic product file updates with customer-specific pricing, resulting in savings of several hours per month in product file maintenance.
Customers also benefit from increased order placement speed and accuracy.  Electronic orders are placed into xpedx systems immediately and the needed inventory is held for the customer.  This also eliminates manual transcriptions by the customer and data entry errors.