PageDNA, a leading provider of print e-commerce solutions since 1997 - announces the immediate availability of Quotes and Quotes Plus - two new modules that expand PageDNA storefront capabilities to include support for custom jobs - jobs that require a quote and artwork submission.

Solutions for Today's Print Marketplace

"With shorter runs increasingly driving today's print economy, our customers demand a streamlined workflow with online quoting and artwork management," says PageDNA President Doug Ballinger.  "This module offers the convenience of a 24/7 storefront, combined with the automation of costly and traditionally non-integrated tasks."

While "program sales" of template-driven and pick and pack items have long been a natural fit for "web to print" solutions, customers increasingly expect to get quotes and upload artwork through an automated online process.  At the same time, print providers are feeling intense competitive pressure to decrease internal costs while maintaining or enhancing service levels.

Quotes and Quotes Plus Overview

The PageDNA Quotes and Quotes Plus modules allow print buyers to choose a product, get a quote, upload artwork, then pay for and track a custom print job to their doorstep.

Dynamic Pricing

Pricing is driven by manufacturing cost inputs and markups and is displayed to the user as they change available options.  The system includes an option to provide "quantity up-sells" that shows buyers better unit pricing at higher quantities, and quotes can be displayed either in real-time as options are changed, or when the user clicks a "Show Price" button.

Quotes Administration

Quotes and Quotes Plus are two related modules that differ only in the sophistication of the price calculation.  "Quotes" is simply an item level price calculation tool where user options can change a setup and "per unit" price.  "Quotes Plus" takes the concept a step further, adding computations that model manufacturing costs at the sheet-level - something traditionally only available in offline MIS systems.

In both systems, item markups can be configured by login, such that different customers or groups see different prices for the same items.  This is especially helpful in a multi-tenant storefront where the print provider wishes to incentivize different customers differently.

Artwork Submission and Workflow

After getting a price, customers can upload artwork files of any type using an integrated, in-line file upload tool that replaces cumbersome FTP or driver-based workflows.  The upload tool supports very large file sizes of any type, and provides a progress bar to users.  Multiple files can be uploaded, and a proof is displayed if the user uploaded a PDF file for their artwork.

Once artwork is uploaded, customers can pay for and track the job all the way to their doorstep.  "Workflow doesn't end with a quote and artwork, that is just the beginning", said Steve Enstad, Sales for PageDNA.  The quote and artwork are linked to a PageDNA order number throughout the process.