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ERP software for printing industry: Key benefits explained

Written by Pratik Shah, Creative Head - PrintXpand The printing industry work environment is very dynamic with accuracy, speed and control of cost playing major roles. The use of manual control over various print jobs, materials, machines and delivery schedules is prone to inefficiencies and errors. This is where the ERP for printing industry comes as a necessity and not fancy. Enterprise Resource Planning systems designed specifically for print businesses help centralize operations, improve visibility, and streamline workflows. From job estimation and production scheduling to inventory control and invoicing, ERP software plays a vital role in transforming how print companies operate. In this blog, we explore the key benefits of ERP software for printing industry and explain why it is becoming a core requirement for modern print businesses. Understanding ERP for Printing Industry ERP for printing industry is the centralized software platform that brings all the main business functions of a printing company to one platform. As opposed to generic ERP systems, print focused ERP solutions are designed to support industry unique issues like variable job specification, quick turnaround, and sophisticated costing designs. These systems often work alongside or integrate with print MIS software and web to print MIS platforms to create a seamless flow of data from order placement to final delivery. ERP systems bring together various departments within an organization such as sales, production, inventory, and finance hence providing consistency and transparency in operations. Common Challenges Faced by Print Businesses It is prudent to know the difficulties that print businesses encounter on a daily basis before learning the advantages of ERP software. Most printing companies are using spreadsheets or disjointed software to track orders and production. This causes poor job costing, wastage of materials, late deliveries as well as the absence of real time visibility. Manual scheduling can lead to machine downtimes or production bottlenecks. Any type of inventory mismanagement may result in excess stock or even a sudden out-of-stock of key materials. There is also the increased expectation of customers. Customers are pressuring them to deliver faster services, correct manufacturing costs and quality services. The inability to have a centralized system makes it harder and harder to live up to these expectations. This is where mis software for printing industry integrated with ERP brings significant value. Key Benefits of ERP Software for Printing Industry Streamlined Production Planning and Scheduling Enhanced production planning can be given as one of the most critical advantages of ERP for printing industry. The ERP systems enable print companies to schedule jobs according to the availability of machines, capacity of the workforce, and delivery dates. ERP minimizes the wastage of time through automation of job sequencing and production schedules to maximize utilization of resources. Managers will be able to monitor the progress of the jobs real-time and make immediate changes when priorities are shifted. Such control assists print firms to print in time. Accurate Job Costing and Quotation Management Proper costing is a significant issue in the printing business because of the changes in the prices of materials and the different specifications of the jobs. ERP software for printing industry enables real time job costing by factoring in materials, labor, machine time, and overheads. Using precise costing information, the sales teams are able to make accurate quotations within a short duration. This minimizes the chances of quoting the jobs at a lower cost or losing business on offers that take too long to respond to. Integrated print MIS software ensures that cost estimates align with actual production data, improving profitability. Improved Inventory and Material Management ERP systems give full access to the inventory stored in warehouses and production floors. Print businesses are able to monitor the raw materials e.g. paper, ink and plates in real time. Stockouts can be prevented by automation of reorder alerts and waste can be minimized by proper monitoring of consumption. This becomes particularly useful when the quantity of print jobs, or even custom jobs is high. By integrating ERP with mis software for the printing industry, companies gain tighter control over material usage and inventory costs. Enhanced Workflow Automation and Job Tracking ERP software automates some of the repetitive jobs like creating jobs, approving workflow and updating the status. This minimizes the number of errors in manual processes and enhances efficiency in operations. All departments operate on the same data which leads to improved coordination of the sales, production, and dispatch teams. Job tracking can be done in real time and is better at enhancing accountability and detecting early delays. When combined with web to print MIS, ERP creates a smooth flow from online order placement to production and delivery. Better Order Management and Delivery Accuracy Order management is a critical area where ERP software for printing industry delivers significant value. ERP systems trace all the order stages all the way through order entry and up to final dispatch. This guarantees good order filling and prompt deliveries. The customers are constantly informed about the status of the orders, and this enhances transparency and confidence. Better customer relationships are also achieved because it results in increased accuracy on delivery and reduction of reprints and customer complaints. Real Time Visibility and Reporting ERP systems have centralized dashboards and reports which make the management have a clear picture of the business performance. Real time availability of metrics like job profitability, production efficiency, material consumption and delivery timelines are available. This information based understanding assists decision makers to detect inefficiencies, manage expenses and strategize how money will be invested in the future. These insights can enable print businesses to scale operations in a strategic manner and react fast to market changes. Quality Control and Process Consistency It is paramount that the quality is kept with the printing industry. ERP software assists in the management of quality control through standardization of the workflow and keeping production records. The system may have quality checkpoints that would guarantee adherence to the internal standards and customer demands. Past job information assists in correcting the common problems and enhancing processes in the long run. This leads to the reduction of reworks and customer satisfaction. Improved Customer Satisfaction and Retention The customers are direct beneficiaries when print business runs smoothly. The improved turnaround time, correct pricing and guaranteed delivery times improve the overall customer experience. ERP system enhances interdepartmental communication which makes sure that the requirements of the customer are well understood and implemented. In the long-term this reliability creates long term relationships with customers as well as augmenting repeat business. Conclusion ERP for printing industry is now an important tool that businesses seek to implement in an attempt to enhance efficiency, cut costs and remain competitive. ERP software, by consolidating production planning, inventory management, job costing, and reporting, enhances the print operations, which previously were fragmented into different processes, into flowing operations. When combined with web to print MIS and print MIS software, ERP systems create a powerful digital foundation for growth and scalability. The ERP solution will be of great help to print businesses intending to modernise operations and provide customers with steady value. PrintXpand can assist digital transformation of the printing industry by providing expertise in companies that aim to acquire advanced print technology solutions and integrate these systems with each other.

Editor in News Feb. 10, 2026

ERP software for printing industry: Key benefits explained

Editor in News Feb. 10, 2026

ERP software for printing industry: Key benefits explained

Editor in News Feb. 10, 2026

How to implement automation in printing operations

It is becoming necessary in printing operations to automate as much as possible to gain efficiencies. But before you begin your planning processes, look at your current state to ensure that you understand how works happen today. Kodak, a global technology company focused on print and advanced materials and chemicals, explains the vital role of automation in printing operations and how to do it properly. Read on. Single system of record that reliably gathers data from business and production systems If you have that system of record, you are in the perfect state to take on end-to-end automation. If you have multiple points of data collection that have never been integrated, there is still a path to automation. Still, your planning may take longer to accommodate identifying the required data and the processes that use them. Standard processes for order taking, job specification, and order management When there are standard processes, planning for automation can leverage them to speed implementation. When the procedures to take orders are different for every sales channel, it is hard to standardize order intake. When the process of capturing job specifications varies by sales team member and orders are managed without a strategic view into machine usage and job deadlines, some work will be required before automating and making those processes more efficient. How many spreadsheets are used to track jobs, components, or processes? Every business has some ad hoc processes tracked on spreadsheets, whiteboards, and notepads to keep mission-critical items front of mind. There is nothing wrong with them, but when they become the sole source of truth about a job or a process, they add risk to production. Some organisations justify using spreadsheets by putting them onto shared-access servers so that all authorized constituents can easily access them. It sounds like a great idea, but over time you may find that copies are sitting on individual desktops, and the shared copy is no longer the reliable source of information. Knowing what you have as you plan for automation will help you size the effort. Moving to that automated environment creates a single system of record that is reliable and can be integrated into adjacent business and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Planning for automation You could find some processes that appear easy to automate, add some new tools, and call that your automation plan, but there is a better path. It starts with knowing what is possible. New options in cloud-based workflows bring the same powerful options to smaller shops as the largest shops enjoy. With minimal investments and immediate implementation, shops with a single digital press can build an efficient workflow that will scale using the same technology as a mid-size shop with a mix of offset and digital devices. And these modern cloud-based production workflow solutions can help in any segment, whether the work you produce is graphically-rich static content or uses data-driven processes to execute variable content targeted to a specific recipient. Today’s automated production workflows are built to integrate MIS and ERP tools, Web-to-Print solutions, and e-commerce options. This approach should be high on your list as you consider automation options because it brings a robust IT infrastructure to the table. Automating individual processes glued together with manual interventions isn’t the accomplishment that brings the most benefit. Considering automation requires a dive into every action involved, from the point of estimation and sale to the final delivery to the customer. Planning is the active event designed to identify the touchpoints and the best approach to reviewing each step, the people involved, and the current tools used. Start by articulating your strategic goals for 2022. You may be looking to expand into a new industry or print segments. Your current workload may require more capacity. You may want to acquire more capabilities, either through buying more equipment, optimising workflows, or buying a company. As you consider your strategic plan, itemize the candidate processes for automation to move you toward those goals. Don’t be surprised if you identify current manual processes as critical roadblocks. Strategic goals are long-term and inform the way the business runs. There will be some work to do to build the bridge from strategy to implementation, and that is where tactical planning becomes essential. Tactical goals are more than solving today’s bottleneck. They work within the strategy to consider implementing new software and processes while keeping production moving. Think of it as changing the tires on a car while it’s in motion. There will be practical concerns as current processes are replaced by automation, including how and when to move off tools that are no longer providing value. Tactics should support the strategic goals and solve the business' specific challenges without adding more hurdles to creating an automated environment. Build the strategic plan for automation to consider the practical implication of automating the current processes, including goals for gaining buy-in from the team members in each department, who may be asked to change how they do their jobs or change positions to accommodate the planned process modifications. Look for onramps to the fully automated business environment for every element in the tactical plan that enables lower cost and higher margins. A part of tactical planning includes your approach to daily operations. To create an efficient environment in 2022, consider a standalone Operational Plan to document the expectations for each department, interface points between departments, and the key performance metrics that will help everyone stay on the strategic course. Automation does not eliminate the need to understand the production touchpoints. The best practice is to document what should happen if you lose access to the automation, too. The last step in planning for automation is to build the appropriate contingency plans. Cloud-based automated workflows protect you from onsite server disruptions and mitigate much of the risk associated with onsite installations when paired with a disciplined backup strategy. What to do next If you plan to automate your print workflow in 2022, look for scalable and easy platforms to integrate with your core business systems. Ensure that your chosen technology partner lets you automate each task within prepress and production and then map those automated tasks together to ensure that each type of job takes the correct journey through each process. Learn your options, and then create a plan that works for you.

admin in News July 22, 2022

Estimable estimators

If they were lucky, the human estimators had an adding machine or desktop calculator to help with the figures. A busy medium-sized printer might have 10 or more full time estimators. Finding and keeping that many specialised estimators could be tricky, as the work was exacting but hardly exciting. Computers were an obvious solution, but the knowledge of how to program for such specialised calculations wasn’t. One of the first UK companies to crack it was what was to become Imprint Business Systems, which is still going strong after 42 years. Today its customers in print and packaging run into the hundreds and many of them have used Imprint systems for at least 25 years. Like most of the early MIS developers, Imprint grew out of the needs of a particular print company, which then used the experience gained to sell to a wider circle or printing and packaging companies. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw a lot of computer estimating start-ups, often with printing company roots. Some of Imprint’s original UK competitors from 40-odd years ago have also survived and prospered independently, such as Optimus (originally Optichrome Computer Systems Ltd, or OCSL), DDS (Accura) and Tharstern, while others were taken over by the ever-expanding EFI empire (such as Prism, Radius, Shuttleworth and Technique). A few others have either merged, or closed, or both. Imprint itself was founded in 1978 by Glennys Bourne and Jonathan Richards. Originally the pair had worked together at the art book printer Shenval Press in Harlow. Richards was general manager, later a director of Shenval, but had learned programming skills at college. Bourne went on to run the nearby Caterpillar Press. Bourne says that the reason for writing the original computer estimating program was a shortage of the trained human variety. “You could not get estimators for love nor money,” she says. So the first estimating program was written to suit the needs of Shenval Press and Caterpillar Press. Bourne saw the potential for Imprint beyond the needs of Shenval and Caterpillar, so the latter was sold to concentrate on the new business. “The Imprint name describes the company well and has stood us well over the years,” says Richards. “As for why the name was chosen, it just seemed a good fit at the time.” Both are still very much involved today. Bourne is CEO, while Jonathan Richards says he’s “allowed to be chairman on high days and holidays”. However, time marches on and their children Will Richards and Nick Bourne have also joined Imprint – the latter now being MD. Today Imprint is based in High Easter, in the countryside between Chelmsford and Bishop’s Stortford, handily close to the M11 and Stansted airport. It employs 16 people in an often overlapping mix of management, programming and customer services roles.

admin in News July 22, 2022

Star product: Zaikio Print Connectivity Platform

What does Zaikio do? Zaikio is a “print-specific connectivity platform,” intended to allow everyone in the print industry to link their systems together, whether printer, software vendor or supplier. End-users can access its connectivity for free, though they can buy compatible Zaikio or third-party products through an app store. According to Zaikio’s partner success manager Karl Ciz, who will handle UK enquiries, it will allow “print-related data to be shared on a level playing field for the first time”. In simple terms, it’s an alternative to JDF that should allow user-level plug-and-play connectivity between systems from different manufacturers – JDF promised but never delivered plug-and-play.

Aug. 2, 2022

Star product: Sitma 1150-FP Fast Pack

What does it do? Sitma’s introduction of the FP-version of its 1150 wrapping machine last year proved prescient in a way that couldn’t be predicted. FP stands for Fast Pack and this model is particularly suited to wrapping variable-sized ‘e-commerce’ goods for mail and courier delivery that have boomed this year. Sitma’s website points out that it can wrap packs of facemasks. The first 1150-FP to be ordered has gone to the US, to “one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world,” that Sitma won’t name but it’s easy to guess. The Fast Pack can also be used for conventional paper or film wrapping of direct mail and publications. When was it launched and what is the target market? Sitma is an Italian company. Its 1150 wrapping line was introduced in 2007 and is one of several wrappers in its range, offering different speeds and price points. All are sold in the UK though Engelmann & Buckham. The Fast Pack was announced last year as a new configuration, joining the existing 1150-FW-PK model, for either paper or polywrapping of printed media; and the PK dedicated to paper wrapping. Richard MacLean, the director at Engelmann & Buckham specialising in Sitma products, says that the Fast Pack is aimed squarely at e-commerce fulfilment, but could help existing DM houses branch out into fulfilment of items other than flat printed papers. Sitma has also recently introduced a dedicated e-commerce fulfilment polywrapper called e-commerce 2.0, which handles single or multiple items of varying shapes and sizes and forms bags around them on the fly. How does it work? The Fast Pack model is primarily intended to wrap using strong brown kraft paper as an automated replacement for hand wrapping or boxing of products, especially variable height flat items such as books, CDs and DVDs. White paper or polywrap can also be used, but is thought less likely in use. Items can be hand-fed on a conveyor into the wrapping area. In 2018 Sitma demonstrated a corobot load/unload unit offline at a mailing exhibition, and now lists this as an option for most of its wrap lines. A barcode reader is used to ensure data integrity with matching of the contents to outer addresses. A label printer-applicator or inline direct inkjet printer can be fitted for addressing and other personalisation.

Aug. 2, 2022

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