Printing
ERP software for printing presses and label printers
Quote every job with paper, printing and finishing on separate lines, follow up until it is won, keep paper and ink stock honest, and invoice printed goods and print services on one bill.
In short
SimpleERP is ERP software for printing presses and label printers. Job quotations convert to orders and tax invoices, the CRM keeps follow-ups on time, paper and ink stock sit in one ledger, and payroll runs from attendance.
Illustration of the CRM pipeline with four stages and a list of follow-ups due today.
A day in a printing business
A press lives on quotes: most of the day goes into pricing jobs, chasing answers and then printing the ones that come back.
The morning starts with three enquiries. Greenleaf Bakery wants 5,000 brochures for the holiday season, a food distributor needs carton labels, and a school wants its annual diary repriced. Each quote is worked out on a calculator and sent as a photo.
By evening two quotes have gone quiet, one customer says yes on the phone, and nobody is sure whether the 130 gsm art paper in the warehouse will cover the run. The ink is short again, and the binding staff want an advance.
SimpleERP puts the job on two documents that carry it through: a quotation that lists paper, printing and finishing as lines and converts to an order or invoice without retyping, and an invoice that applies the right tax rate to each line.
Quotations
Quote a job line by line and convert it when it is won
A quotation in SimpleERP lists every cost of the job as its own line, and once the customer accepts, it converts to a sales order or an invoice with every line carried over.
- Free-text lines for plates, printing and finishing that are not stock items.
- Expiry date on each quote, so a paper price quoted in June is not honoured in October.
- Revise copies a sent quote into a new draft for the changed quantity.
| Line | Quantity | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Art paper 130 gsm | 2,600 sheets @ $0.12 | $312 |
| Plates, four colour | 4 @ $12 | $48 |
| Printing, four colour | lump sum | $120 |
| Folding and trimming | 5,000 @ $0.008 | $40 |
| Job total | about $0.10 per brochure | $520 |
CRM
Every open quote has a follow-up with a date on it
Enquiries go into a pipeline as leads and deals, and each follow-up is a dated task that shows up in the salesperson's inbox on the day it is due.
- Kanban board of deals by stage, with the value of each column.
- Log calls and visits against the lead, deal or customer.
- Duplicate warning when an enquiry's phone number is already a lead.
Illustration of the CRM pipeline with four stages and a list of follow-ups due today.
Purchase and inventory
Paper and ink stock you can quote against
Paper, board, ink and plates are stock products valued at weighted average cost by warehouse, so you know how many sheets of 130 gsm art are on hand before you promise a delivery date.
- One unit per product. Count art paper in sheets and board in kg, or add a ream unit in settings.
- Purchase orders and supplier bills bring paper into the warehouse at the bill cost.
- Low stock list from reorder levels, grouped by supplier for the next order.
- Stock adjustments with a reason record paper issued to a one-off job or spoiled in make-ready.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
Manufacturing
Repeat jobs costed once and made from stock
For jobs you print again and again, such as a customer's carton labels or a standard letterhead, a bill of materials fixes the paper, ink and labour per batch, and a work order uses the stock and adds the finished labels at actual cost.
- Scrap percentage on paper covers make-ready and trimming waste.
- Additional cost per batch for printing labour and power.
- Work order from the sales order line, with the quantity still needed filled in.
Illustration of a bill of materials with cost roll-up and a work order moving from planned to in progress to completed.
Billing and payroll
Invoices with the right tax rate, and wages from attendance
Each line on the invoice carries its own tax rate, so printed goods and printing services can go on one bill even when your country taxes them differently. Payroll for machine operators and binding staff runs from the attendance you mark.
- A tax summary by rate on the A4 print, with your bank details.
- Receipts allocated to invoices, with ageing and statements per customer.
- Payslips with your deductions, and advances recovered month by month.
Illustration of tax invoice INV-2026-0213 to Northside Retail with tax 10% and the amount in words.
Ready on day one
What you don't have to set up
SimpleERP seeds the general parts when you sign up, so your first day is about entering paper and customers, not configuring software.
- A chart of accounts with stock, cost of goods sold and a manufacturing overhead account mapped.
- Your country's tax rates, ready to pick on a product or service.
- Units such as pieces, kilograms, boxes and sets, and document numbering on your financial year.
- Seven ready-made roles, from Owner to Employee self-service, to copy and adjust later.
By job
Printing and labels by job
Inventory for printing presses
Paper in reams, board in kilos and ink by colour, per warehouse and at weighted average cost.
Read moreAccounting for printing presses
Books that write themselves from press invoices, paper bills and payroll, with a lock date at month end.
Read morePayroll for printing presses
Monthly payroll for press operators and binding staff, with season shifts, advances and deductions.
Read moreManufacturing for printing presses
Bills of materials for repeat cartons and labels, and work orders that cost each batch from real usage.
Read more
One system
The modules that do this work
A quotation becomes an order and an invoice; the invoice writes the sale, the tax, the receivable and any stock issue in the same step.
Invoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
See howCRM
Leads, a deal pipeline, today's follow-ups and conversion to customer and quotation.
See howInventory
Stock on hand by warehouse at weighted average cost, with a movement ledger and a low-stock list.
See howPurchase
Purchase orders, supplier bills that receive stock, debit notes and payables.
See howManufacturing
Bills of materials with scrap and cost roll-up, and work orders from plan to complete.
See howPayroll
Salary structures, monthly runs and payslips with your earnings and deductions, posted to the books.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do for printing presses yet
Better to know these before you move your jobs over.
- An estimation calculator. Work out the paper, plates and run cost yourself and enter them as quotation lines.
- Job costing beyond a BOM and work order. There is no job-wise profit report for one-off jobs.
- Job-work dispatch notes for paper sent to a binder or laminator. Use a stock transfer to a warehouse named for them.
- Unit conversion between reams and sheets. Each product keeps one unit.
- E-invoicing or transport documents filed through a government system.
Getting started
Start with your first invoice
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and, if you are registered, type your tax number. Accounts, tax rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for that country.
Add what you sell
Import your paper, board and ink from a CSV file with opening stock, and add your printing and finishing work as services with their tax rate.
Post your first invoice
Pick the customer, add lines and save. Your first invoice can be out within 10 minutes of signing up.
FAQ
Questions, answered
What tax rate applies to printing jobs?
It depends on your country and on whether the job counts as printed goods or a printing service, which can turn on who supplies the paper and the content. Some countries zero-rate books and brochures while charging the standard rate on labels and stationery. In SimpleERP you set the rate on each product or service, and the invoice applies it line by line. Rates differ by country and change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your accountant or tax authority before you rely on it.
Does SimpleERP calculate the price of a print job for me?
No. There is no estimation calculator for sheets, plates or impressions. Work it out from your price list and enter it as quotation lines for paper, printing and finishing.
Is it suitable for a small press with five or six people?
Yes. Every member you invite is included, and a single-location press never sees branches or warehouses until it needs them.
We keep jobs in a register and accounts in an old app. How do we move?
Import your paper and ink as products from a CSV file with opening stock, import customers and suppliers with their tax numbers, and bring in opening balances. Start new quotations and invoices in SimpleERP from the first day of a month so the registers line up.
Can I track paper used on a single job?
For repeat jobs, yes: a work order consumes paper and ink from stock and puts the cost on the finished product. For a one-off job billed as a service, record the paper issued with a stock adjustment and a note naming the job.
Related
Keep reading
Plastics and packaging
BOMs for moulded items and cartons, work orders per run, and invoices to regular buyers.
Read moreManufacturing
BOMs with scrap and cost roll-up, work orders that move stock, and payroll for shop-floor staff.
Read moreProfessional services
Service invoices with the right tax, quotations, a CRM pipeline, expense claims and payroll.
Read moreSales teams
Today's follow-ups, a pipeline, and quotations that become invoices without retyping.
Read moreCRM
Leads, a deal pipeline, today's follow-ups and conversion to customer and quotation.
Read more
Run your whole business from one simple place.
Seven days free. No card. Your first invoice in minutes.