Manage Print Stock FromProduction to Final Release.
Printed products may be produced in bulk, stored for a customer, released in smaller quantities over time, replenished when stock runs low and invoiced either when produced or when released.
Print inventory is different from conventional inventory.
- 01
ePRO provides print inventory management software designed around these workflows.
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Manage stock received from production or purchasing, track available inventory, process warehouse releases, manage backorders and maintain the transaction history of each stocked item.
More Than What Sits on a Shelf.
A warehouse may contain thousands of units, but managing print inventory requires more than recording what is on a shelf.
You may need to know:
- Who Owns the Stock
- What Was Originally Produced
- What Has Been Received
- What Is Currently Available
- What Has Been Allocated
- What Has Been Released
- Where Each Release Was Delivered
- What Requires Replenishment
- What Remains on Backorder
- What Has Already Been Invoiced
- What Should Be Invoiced on Release
ePRO connects these activities to the wider print management workflow.
Eleven questions. One record that answers all of them.
Know Who Owns the Stock.
Not all inventory held by a printer belongs to the printer.
ePRO can be used to manage both customer-owned and company-owned inventory, helping distinguish stock being held on behalf of a customer from inventory owned by the business.
Particularly useful for printers and print management companies producing items in bulk and storing them for future customer requirements.
Three Routes Through the Warehouse.
Stock can be produced, purchased or simply released — and only two of those three need a print job behind them.
Produce to Stock
Add inventory through a print job.
When additional printed stock is required, a production job can be created to replenish the inventory. The job provides the operational record for producing the additional quantity, and once completed and received into the warehouse the new quantity becomes available for future releases.
Job → Production → Warehouse Receipt → Available Stock
Purchase to Stock
Receive outsourced products into inventory.
Not every stocked item is produced internally. Products sourced from an external supplier can be purchased and subsequently received into the warehouse, so outsourced print and other purchased products follow the same inventory controls as internally produced stock.
Purchase Order → Supplier → Goods Received → Available Stock
Release From the Warehouse
Fulfil requirements without creating another job.
When inventory already exists, there is no need to create another print job simply to release it. The required quantity can be picked from available warehouse stock and released for delivery.
Available Stock → Pick → Release → Delivery
Jobs add stock.
Warehouse releases reduce stock.
The result is a cleaner inventory history and a clearer picture of what has actually been produced, received and consumed.
Release What You Have. Replenish What You Need.
Customer requirements do not always match the quantity currently available.
For example:
50
Customer requires
24
Available stock
24
Released
26
Backordered
Request 50 → Pick 24 → Backorder 26 → Replenish → Receive 26 → Release 26 → Complete
The available quantity can be released while the outstanding requirement remains visible for replenishment.
Additional stock can then be produced or purchased, received into inventory and used to complete the remaining release.
A controlled workflow, without losing sight of the original customer requirement.
Quantities That Mean Something Operationally.
Stock Allocation and Availability
ePRO provides visibility into the status of warehouse stock so users can distinguish between inventory physically received, inventory available for use and quantities already committed to requirements. This helps prevent the same stock from being unintentionally committed more than once.
Multiple Inventory Receipts
A stocked product may be replenished many times. Rather than treating every receipt as an unrelated product, ePRO maintains inventory activity against the underlying material or stocked item — a transaction history of quantities received and quantities subsequently released, rather than a single current-stock figure.
Track Sequential and Numbered Products.
Some printed products need more than quantity tracking. Forms, certificates, tickets, vouchers and other controlled products may contain sequential numbers.
ePRO can maintain start and end number information against inventory, so the business can identify which numbered stock has been received and determine the next sequence required when additional stock is ordered.
For example:
500
Opening sequence
100,499
Last number in stock batch
100,500
Next production starts
Additional control for businesses managing sequentially numbered print products.
One Stock Item. Multiple Destinations.
Stored print is often produced centrally but distributed across multiple branches, departments, stores or customer locations.
Warehouse releases can be associated with the appropriate delivery destination, allowing inventory to be distributed according to each requirement while reducing the central stock balance.
Particularly useful for organisations managing:
- Multi-Location Customers
- Franchise Networks
- Retail Locations
- Branch Offices
- Healthcare Locations
- Education Organisations
- Corporate Departments
Invoice at the Appropriate Point in the Workflow.
The physical movement of inventory and the commercial billing arrangement are not always the same.
A customer may pay for stock when it is originally produced, while another agreement may require invoicing as quantities are released. ePRO supports inventory as part of the wider job, delivery and invoicing workflow, providing the operational foundation for different commercial arrangements.
This helps the business distinguish between:
Stock already paid for
Stock requiring billing when released
What Happens After the Release.
Packing and Delivery
Inventory management does not finish when stock leaves the shelf.
Released quantities can continue into the delivery process, so the business maintains a record of what was dispatched, how much was sent and where it was delivered. Packing slips and delivery documentation provide the connection between the warehouse transaction and physical fulfilment.
Warehouse Release → Packing → Dispatch → Delivery
Connected Purchasing
Replenishment is part of the same operational workflow.
When stock needs replenishing through an external supplier, purchase orders can be raised for the required products and the resulting goods received into inventory — traceability end to end, rather than purchasing and warehouse records kept in separate systems.
Requirement → Purchase Order → Receipt → Inventory
Inventory Should Not Operate in Isolation.
Warehouse software can tell you what is in stock.
A Print MIS should tell you why it is there, where it came from, who it belongs to, where it is going and what happens commercially when it leaves.
ePRO connects inventory management with:
- Customers
- Materials
- Estimates
- Jobs
- Production
- Outsourcing
- Purchasing
- Warehouse
- Deliveries
- Invoicing
- Reporting
Inventory becomes part of the same operational record used to manage the rest of the print business.
Explore ePRO Web-to-Print MISBuilt for Businesses That Store What They Print.
ePRO inventory management is designed for print businesses that regularly produce, purchase, store and release printed products.
Commercial Printers
Store finished print for customers and release quantities as required.
Print Management Companies
Manage purchased print, customer inventory, suppliers, releases and deliveries from one workflow.
In-Plants
Control internally produced stock and distribution across departments or locations.
Print Brokers
Manage outsourced products that are purchased, stored and subsequently released to customers.
Multi-Location Print Operations
Maintain central inventory while fulfilling requirements across multiple customer or business locations.
One Requirement, All the Way Through.
Because warehouse management forms part of ePRO, inventory does not need to exist as an isolated application. A requirement can move through the wider business process.
- 01Estimate
- 02Job or Purchase
- 03Production / Supplier
- 04Goods Received
- 05Warehouse
- 06Stock Release
- 07Delivery
- 08Invoice
The transaction history remains connected throughout the process.
Frequently asked questions
What is print inventory management software?
Print inventory management software helps printers and print management companies control printed products held in stock, including goods received, available quantities, stock allocation, warehouse releases, replenishment, deliveries and inventory history.
Can ePRO manage customer-owned inventory?
Yes. Inventory can be identified according to ownership, allowing businesses to manage stock held on behalf of customers as well as company-owned inventory.
Can stock be added from a print job?
Yes. Print jobs can be used to produce additional inventory, which can subsequently be received into the warehouse.
Can outsourced products be received into inventory?
Yes. Products purchased from external suppliers can be received into warehouse inventory and subsequently released.
Do I need to create a job every time stock is released?
No. Where finished stock is already available, it can be released directly from the warehouse. Jobs are used when additional stock needs to be produced.
What happens if there is not enough stock?
Available inventory can be released while the remaining requirement is treated as an outstanding quantity or backorder requiring replenishment.
Can ePRO track numbered printed products?
ePRO can maintain start and end number information for applicable inventory, helping businesses manage sequentially numbered products and determine the next sequence required for replenishment.
Can inventory be delivered to different locations?
Yes. Warehouse releases can be associated with the appropriate delivery locations, supporting customers with multiple branches, departments or delivery destinations.
Can inventory be invoiced when it is released?
Inventory can form part of the wider ePRO delivery and invoicing workflow, supporting businesses where billing arrangements are linked to production or subsequent stock releases.
Is inventory management a separate PrintMIS product?
No. Print inventory and warehouse management form part of the broader ePRO Web-to-Print MIS workflow.
Manage Print Inventory as Part of the Whole Workflow.
Know what you have. Know who owns it. Know what has been allocated. Know what has been released. Know what needs replenishing. And connect the warehouse transaction to the job, purchase, delivery and invoice that sit behind it.
One record, from the job that made it to the invoice that closes it.