Print MIS Cloud-Based Platform Releases New Case Study For Upcoming SGIA Event In Las Vegas 

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. – PressWise by SmartSoft announced today that IMS Printing & Signs in Lone Tree, CO has successfully implemented PressWise—the all-in-one, cloud-based Print MIS, Web-to-Print, and Workflow Automation solution—to manage 98% of their orders.

IMS has a blended workflow; 70% of their business is wide-format jobs such as banners, tradeshow displays, and retail signs, while digital and small-format pieces make up the remainder of their work.

PressWise has published a new case study detailing how IMS has implemented PressWise across all departments and will have it available at the Specialty Printing & Imaging Technology annual conference (SGIA EXPO) in Las Vegas, October 22nd to October 24st 2014. PressWise by SmartSoft will be in booth #4116.

“PressWise has revolutionized the way we operate as a print provider. It is the ‘brain’ of our organization. It helps us track everything from proofing and production to accounting and inventory,” explains J.J. Heim, president of IMS.

In addition to managing orders within the production shop, IMS has also utilized PressWise to launch several private ordering websites for select customers and three online storefronts that target specific segments of the IMS customer base:

1. IMS Colorado for existing customers to submit orders that need graphic design assistance,
2. IMS Wholesale for receiving orders from other print and sign shops, and
3. QuickPrintingandSigns.com, which is a full service online    storefront open to the general public.

In response to customers, including IMS, running wide-format work through PressWise, SmartSoft has introduced a number of enhancements to the system to manage unique facets of wide-format jobs that most traditional MIS systems find challenging, such as less standardized dimensions, huge file sizes making real-time online PDF proofing through a storefront extremely difficult, and more wasted substrate.

“At SmartSoft we pay close attention to what our customers tell us about their experience with our software, “ said Eric Wold, VP of SmartSoft, who heads up the PressWise team. “We identified a number of areas where we could make that experience much better for wide-format work. Our development approach is such that we have the agility to quickly implement new product features, and since PressWise is a cloud-based service, we can distribute product updates quickly to our customers, so everyone has access to the most current version of the software.”

IMS has found the product enhancements well suited to both their wide-format and conventional workflows. “We don’t work around PressWise at all,” notes Heim. “Prior to PressWise we were sending old school proofs. Now estimating, quoting, proofing, production, and billing are all produced out of PressWise.”

Heim appreciates the pay-as-you-go business-model for PressWise, a SaaS platform with servers hosted and managed by SmartSoft remotely. While he notes that “we treat the expense as one additional employee,” the PressWise system is able to accomplish much more than just one employee could. 18 months after adopting PressWise, IMS is processing 20% - 25% more jobs. Heim credits the ability of the company with less than 10 employees to handle such an increase in sales to the implementation of PressWise—both and the resulting reduction in manual touches during the production process and online dashboards that put every detail and asset immediately at the fingertips of every employee.

Heim sums up IMS Printing & Signs’ experience with PressWise by saying, “We are thankful to have the PressWise team in our corner and love having the system in place.”