Print Procurement SoftwareConnected to Every Job.
Control outsourced print, finishing, materials and supplier purchasing from the same specification used to estimate and manage the customer job.
Winning work at the right selling price is only part of the commercial equation.
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When print, materials or finishing are purchased externally, the final result depends on what is bought, which supplier is selected, what the supplier charges and whether the purchased specification matches the customer requirement.
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ePRO connects supplier management, RFQs, purchasing, warehouse receipts, direct deliveries and job costs within one print management workflow.
The Purchase Stays With the Job That Created It.
ePRO provides print procurement software designed to keep this activity connected.
Customer Requirement → Estimate → Supplier RFQ → Purchase Order → Production → Receipt or Delivery → Invoice
Instead of managing procurement through disconnected emails, spreadsheets and documents, the purchasing activity remains associated with the job that created it.
From Print Requirement to Supplier Fulfilment.
Print procurement software helps printers, print brokers and print management companies manage the purchase of externally produced print, specialist finishing, materials and related services.
It provides a structured process for moving from a print requirement to supplier pricing, purchasing and fulfilment.
This can include:
- Supplier Records
- Requests for Quotation
- Supplier Quotations
- Outsourced Production
- Trade Print Purchasing
- Specialist Finishing
- Material Purchasing
- Purchase Orders
- Delivery Instructions
- Warehouse Receipts
- Direct-to-Customer Delivery
- Purchased Cost Visibility
- Procurement History
The objective is not simply to create a purchase order.
It is to maintain control from the original customer specification through to production, receipt, delivery and final job costing.
The Supplier Should Quote the Same Job the Customer Ordered.
Print procurement often begins after the specification has already been captured during estimating or job entry.
These details should not need to be reconstructed in a separate purchasing system. Within ePRO, the procurement requirement can remain connected to the estimate or job that created it.
That specification may include:
- Quantity
- Finished Size
- Flat Size
- Material
- Colours
- Printing Process
- Finishing
- Packing
- Delivery Location
- Required Date
This reduces repeated data entry and helps prevent differences between:
- 01What the customer requested
- 02What the estimator priced
- 03What the supplier quoted
- 04What the business purchased
- 05What was eventually delivered
Maintain a Consistent Record of Your Supply Chain.
Manage supplier information within the same system used for customers, estimates, jobs and purchasing.
Supplier records can support businesses providing:
- Trade Print
- Digital Production
- Lithographic Production
- Large-Format Print
- Labels and Packaging
- Mailing and Fulfilment
- Binding and Finishing
- Specialist Processes
- Materials and Substrates
- Delivery and Logistics
- Other Outsourced Services
A consistent operational supplier record — rather than individual email accounts, address books and spreadsheets.
Request Pricing Against a Defined Requirement.
When work needs to be produced externally, an RFQ can be created for the required product, material or service.
Supplier quotations can then be recorded and reviewed against the same requirement before the work is purchased — a more controlled process than obtaining supplier prices through disconnected email conversations.
The supplier requirement can include the relevant:
- Specification
- Quantity
- Finishing
- Delivery Destination
- Required Date
- Production Instructions
Requirement → RFQ → Supplier Quotation → Supplier Selection → Purchase Order
Evaluate More Than the Lowest Price.
The cheapest supplier is not always the right supplier. A purchasing decision may also depend on:
- Production Capability
- Material Availability
- Quality Requirements
- Lead Time
- Delivery Location
- Finishing Capability
- Available Capacity
- Previous Supplier Experience
- Commercial Terms
- Total Purchased Cost
Keeping supplier responses against the same requirement makes the options easier to review — and creates a reference for future purchasing decisions.
Raise the Order From the Requirement.
Once a supplier has been selected, the approved requirement can continue into the purchase-order workflow.
The purchase order can identify:
- The Selected Supplier
- The Product or Service
- Quantity
- Agreed Purchase Price
- Specification
- Delivery Requirements
- Required Date
- Associated Customer or Job
Job Requirement → Supplier Selection → Purchase Order
Because the purchase remains connected to the underlying work, users can identify why the order was raised and which customer requirement it supports.
More reliable than an isolated purchase order with no operational relationship to the customer job.
External Production Is Still Part of the Job.
Outsourcing work does not remove responsibility for the specification, quality or delivery date. Trade print, specialist finishing and external production must still be managed as part of the overall job.
ePRO allows outsourced requirements to remain visible within the wider operational workflow.
Users can retain a record of:
- 01What has been outsourced
- 02Which supplier is producing it
- 03The quantity required
- 04The expected purchase cost
- 05The required completion date
- 06The delivery destination
- 07The customer job it supports
This helps purchasing, production and customer-service teams coordinate work produced both inside and outside the business.
Procurement Is Not Only About Finished Print.
Print procurement is not limited to buying finished print jobs. A printer may also need to purchase production materials.
That can include:
- Paper
- Board
- Envelopes
- Vinyl
- Laminates
- Packaging Materials
- Finishing Supplies
- Customer-Specific Stock
- Other Production Materials
Material purchasing can remain associated with the production requirement, so the business can identify what is needed, why it is required and where it will be used.
Purchased materials can then continue into the relevant material or warehouse workflow.
Into Stock, or Straight to the Customer.
Purchase for Warehouse Inventory
Receive purchased products into stock.
Not every purchased product is delivered immediately to the customer. A supplier may produce a larger quantity that is received into the warehouse and released in smaller quantities over time.
This supports workflows involving:
- 01Customer-owned inventory
- 02Company-owned inventory
- 03Bulk-produced printed products
- 04Numbered products
- 05Corporate stationery
- 06Multi-location fulfilment
- 07Stock invoiced on release
Purchase Order → Supplier Production → Goods Received → Warehouse → Stock Release
Direct-to-Customer Procurement
Purchase and deliver without receiving into your warehouse.
Some outsourced work is produced by a supplier and delivered directly to the customer or final destination. The product need not enter the printer's warehouse, but the purchase should still remain connected to the customer job.
Particularly useful for:
- 01Print management companies
- 02Print brokers
- 03Multi-location customers
- 04Businesses using trade production partners
- 05Jobs produced closer to the delivery destination
Customer Job → Purchase Order → Supplier → Customer Delivery
Connecting purchasing with inventory and delivery provides traceability between what was ordered, what was received and what remains available.
Understand What You Are Selling and What You Are Buying.
Procurement is one of the points at which expected job margin can be protected or lost.
A customer may already have accepted a selling price, but changes in supplier cost, materials, finishing or delivery can alter the eventual profitability of the job.
Keeping the purchase requirement connected to the estimate and job provides visibility into the relationship between:
Customer Sell Price
Supplier Purchase Cost
The objective is not simply to find the cheapest supplier.
It is to fulfil the customer requirement while maintaining the required quality, delivery date and commercial margin.
Print Procurement Needs More Context.
A conventional purchasing system may record a supplier, product, quantity and price.
Print procurement frequently requires more.
The purchased item may involve:
- A detailed print specification
- Multiple production processes
- Customer-specific materials
- Specialist finishing
- Several delivery locations
- A required production date
- Warehouse receipt
- Direct delivery
- Customer-owned stock
- Margin against an existing selling price
ePRO connects purchasing to the print transaction surrounding it, so the business understands not only what was purchased, but also:
- 01Why it was purchased
- 02Which job required it
- 03What specification was approved
- 04Where it should be delivered
- 05Whether it should enter inventory
- 06What it cost
- 07How it affects the job
Buy It, Find It, or Let It Find You.
ePRO Web-to-Print MIS
Manage procurement within the complete workflow.
ePRO is designed for printers and print management companies that need procurement to connect with estimating, jobs, materials, warehouse, delivery and invoicing.
Use ePRO to manage:
- 01Suppliers
- 02Outsourced requirements
- 03Supplier RFQs
- 04Supplier pricing
- 05Purchase requirements
- 06Purchase orders
- 07Materials
- 08Warehouse receipts
- 09Direct deliveries
- 10Purchased costs
- 11Operational reporting
Procurement remains part of the same record used to manage the rest of the print job.
Print Supplier Network
Find additional suppliers and production capacity.
A business may understand exactly what needs to be purchased but not know which supplier has the required capability, capacity or location. The Print Supplier Network provides a connected route for publishing print requirements and reaching suppliers that may be able to quote or produce the work.
It can support businesses looking for:
- 01Additional production capacity
- 02A specialist print process
- 03Trade print suppliers
- 04Suppliers in another region
- 05Alternative pricing
- 06Specific finishing capabilities
- 07Unusual materials or products
- 08Support for urgent requirements
The Supplier Network can be used independently or alongside ePRO.
Print Intelligence
The future intelligent procurement layer.
Print Intelligence represents the concept-stage procurement layer within the wider PrintMIS product strategy. The objective is to use structured print requirements to identify relevant production options while protecting the commercial position of the business sourcing the work.
Where it sits today:
- 01Concept stage, not yet released
- 02Not a replacement for ePRO purchasing
- 03Built on structured print requirements
- 04Designed to protect the buyer's position
- 05The future direction of connected procurement
Print Intelligence is not presented as a replacement for the current ePRO purchasing workflow.
What Buying Actually Looks Like.
Outsource a Complete Print Job
A print management company purchases the entire job from a production supplier while retaining control of the customer, specification, selling price, delivery and invoice.
Purchase Specialist Finishing
A printer produces the main job internally but outsources foil, embossing, die-cutting, binding, lamination or another specialist process.
Source Additional Capacity
The internal production department is at capacity and work needs to be transferred to a trade supplier without losing visibility of the job.
Purchase Production Materials
Paper, board, envelopes or another substrate needs to be ordered for a particular production requirement.
Purchase Finished Stock
A supplier produces printed products that are received into the warehouse and subsequently released to the customer.
Deliver Direct From the Supplier
The supplier produces the work and sends it directly to the customer, branch or final delivery destination.
Re-Source a Repeat Product
A regularly purchased product needs to be quoted by alternative suppliers because of pricing, capacity, location or lead-time changes.
Built for Businesses That Buy Print.
Commercial Printers
Manage outsourced production, specialist finishing, materials and trade supplier relationships.
Print Management Companies
Control customer requirements, supplier quotations, purchase orders, direct delivery and purchased margins.
Print Brokers
Purchase complete print jobs from production suppliers while maintaining control of the customer transaction.
In-Plant Print Departments
Source materials, services or work that cannot be produced internally.
Multi-Site Print Operations
Purchase centrally while directing production or delivery to different locations.
Businesses Managing Print Inventory
Purchase finished printed products for warehouse receipt and subsequent release.
It Begins With a Requirement and Ends With a Delivery.
Procurement should not operate as a detached administrative process. It begins with a customer or production requirement and ends when the correct product has been produced, received or delivered.
- 01Customer Enquiry
- 02Estimate
- 03Job
- 04Internal or Outsourced Production
- 05Supplier RFQ
- 06Purchase Order
- 07Warehouse Receipt or Direct Delivery
- 08Customer Delivery
- 09Invoice and Reporting
A connected record across the commercial, purchasing and production lifecycle of the work.
Frequently asked questions
What is print procurement software?
Print procurement software helps printers and print management companies manage supplier enquiries, quotations, outsourced production, material purchasing, purchase orders, warehouse receipts and delivery requirements.
Does ePRO include supplier management?
Yes. Supplier management forms part of the ePRO workflow alongside customer management, estimating, outsourcing, purchasing, warehouse, delivery and invoicing.
Can ePRO manage outsourced print?
Yes. Outsourced print and supplier services can be associated with the relevant job so externally produced work remains visible within the wider workflow.
Can I create supplier RFQs?
Supplier requirements can be created for outsourced products, materials or services so pricing can be obtained before a purchasing decision is made.
Can supplier quotations be recorded?
Supplier prices can be recorded against the relevant requirement, providing a reference when reviewing purchasing options.
Can purchase orders be linked to jobs?
Yes. Purchase requirements and purchase orders can remain associated with the work that created the requirement.
Can purchased products be received into the warehouse?
Yes. Products purchased for inventory can continue into the warehouse workflow for receipt, storage and subsequent release.
Can a supplier deliver directly to the customer?
Yes. A purchase requirement can include the relevant delivery destination where the supplier is producing and delivering the work directly.
Is the Print Supplier Network part of ePRO?
The Print Supplier Network is a separate connected application that can be used independently or alongside ePRO when additional suppliers or production capabilities are required.
Is Print Intelligence currently available?
Print Intelligence is currently positioned as a concept. It represents the planned intelligent procurement layer within the wider PrintMIS product strategy.
Is print procurement only for complete print jobs?
No. Procurement can cover complete outsourced jobs, individual production processes, specialist finishing, materials, stock products, delivery and other supplier services.
Control What You Buy, What It Costs and Where It Goes.
Keep supplier requirements connected to the customer specification. Maintain visibility over outsourced production. Raise purchase orders from a controlled requirement. Receive purchased products into inventory or deliver them directly to the customer. Understand the purchased cost before it affects the job margin.
Know why it was bought, what it cost and which job it belongs to.