Estimating & Invoicing Software for digital print/copy center

[Morning Flight]

You can ring up a customer and attach a receipt printer with a cash drawer but you cannot maintain any sort of inventory for pens, folders, ink cartidges or any other typical office supply you may want to sell.

Sorry to hear Morning Flight isn't working for you, Salvy, but that's not why I'm answering your post. My question is, why look for a W2P solution for office supplies when there's such a variety of shopping cart software out there that doesn't specifically target printing but has the capabilities you're looking for?

For instance, WordPress with WooCommerce (both free except for a minimal monthly hosting fee), or Bigcommerce (starting at $29.95/month)? Both are easy to set up and use and can accommodate products with a large number of variations, something you would need for printed products should you want to set up a storefront for that. I got to know both programs while developing our Skypricer. They won't handle custom print jobs, but I wouldn't hesitate using them for any product you see on Vistaprint.

 

[DYP]

I'm assuming you have the size issue sorted out, DYP. As for developing a Mac version, that's no longer viable. Today's market demands either a universal mobile app or a browser-based combination desktop/mobile SPA. With either approach, the Mac versus PC debate goes away. While the Cloud is all the rage nowadays, we're seeing a lot of pushback concerning slow performance and too much reliance solely on the web, on all eggs in one basket so to speak.

We looked at FileMaker a while back but put it aside because it was iPad only on the internet (though it does work on both the Mac and PC on the desktop). Version 13 features the new WebDirect so it's worth another look. Stay tuned. And thanks for using Morning Flight.

Been testing out the Pixelblitz Demo because that has the features I would most need, including the Booklets. But I am stomped at the booklet pricing. Can't find a way to select the press or 4 color etc.

 

[Morning Flight]

Been testing out the Pixelblitz Demo because that has the features I would most need, including the Booklets. But I am stomped at the booklet pricing. Can't find a way to select the press or 4 color etc.

Once you've entered the booklet type and size, click or press F4 to select the contents, DYP. The screen captures illustrate how to enter the cover. The same workflow applies to the inside signatures.

When the product entry window opens, click or press F2, then select either a copy or digital product from the picklist. To customize, click the button to the right of F2 (or press Ctrl-F2). Select color for the front, then click the small button in the upper right to rotate through 4/4, 4/1, or 4/0. That's all there is to it. The only reason to select from the picklist first is to avoid having to enter a bunch of unnecessary stuff when you customize - the custom product inherits the properties from the product in the picklist. Morning Flight - V14.1

Note that you can mix and match between copies and digital, and color or black, for the cover and inside signatures. You can even add a reply card or an envelope as an insert. The workflow I described for the contents is identical to how you enter a digital product: Morning Flight - V14.1

Let me know if you have more questions.

 

[DYP]

I can't get that to work. Always get 1 color and have no choice of paper stock. That program hangs, freezes and lockup a lot, typical of my experience of Windows apps.

 

[Keith]

What kind of PC do you have it installed on and which version of Windows? What shape is it in? Has it had any maintenance done recently?

In the years I've used Morning Flight, it's been installed on crappy laptops to six-core gaming PCs; at one point it was installed on an iMac using Parallels and a second monitor (worked quite nicely, in fact, I miss that set up a little bit). And I have even run Morning Flight on Linux/Ubuntu using WINE (my geekness must be obvious by now). As of now, I have it installed in Dropbox using Win8.1 so I can access it from home as well, so I guess, technically, it's already cloud-enabled (as long as I have a Windows OS to access it).

One word of caution using Parallels and Mac- if you don't use an email client on the virtual machine, Morning Flight will not automatically open a new message window. It will still copy it to the clipboard and you can paste it into Apple Mail (which is what I did) with very little inconvenience.

 

[DYP]

Win 7 in VMware on main Mac. The only Windows computers we have here are RIPs and I am not about to mess with them, installing other stuff on them.

I find Morning Flight pretty frustrating, especially the Booklet quoting, change one little thing like adding cover and it changes to 1 color. Trying to figure out why and then it locks up. Just frustrating and I don't have the time for all this.

 

[Craig]

Don't get so frustrated, I bet you said the same thing going from film to digital on a camera. Windows and Macs are NOT that far apart. If Macs were as great as everyone thinks, then why does my $75,000.00 print server run off Windows 7?

 

[DYP]

Well I did get past the freezing part and got the booklet quoting to work. Always have to reboot windows to fix those kind of things.

Film to digital was a breeze.

Why your print server is Windows 7 is a damn good question. Never could figure out why EFI does not use a unix/linux OS. One print server here needs to be rebooted about every 4 days. So far the Versant print server has been pretty reliable. The Fiery XF is doing ok for now but it does need rebooted every once in a while. These are all clean machines without anything else installed on them and are kept off the internet.

Come to think of it, even in the Minolta and Versant demos I got the Fiery RIPs to screw up and had to be rebooted.

 

[Morning Flight]

I can't get that to work. The program hangs, freezes and locks-up a lot, typical of my experience of Windows apps.

One of the most difficult positions a software developer can be placed in is smack in the middle of the Mac/Win religious wars. One of the dumbest things to do is to then pick sides. Experience has taught me that I shouldn't do that. Declared my neutrality in February of 1984 when I bought a 128 Mac to replace the pre-Windows/pre-DOS 1978 Northstar Horizon I had ordered as a kit, then wired together inside a wooden box.

Today, we run four Macs and around a dozen Windows machines - we like both platforms. But we also know which machine to use when. Morning Flight has been tested on Macs equipped with both Bootcamp and Parallels, and those are the only Apple configurations included in our list of requirements (Morning Flight: Downloads). VMware is not on that list. It hasn't been tested, we don't have a copy of it, and as a result I can't even begin to explore the problems you're having, DYP.

But I do understand your frustration and why you probably shouldn't spend more time on this. In the end, it may all come down to having to buy yet another Windows machine, and that may not sit well. Although, for what it's worth, they're practically giving them away these days. We have a Win box coming in tomorrow that cost us less than $300 with free shipping:

HP 110t Desktop PC Windows 7 Professional 64

•HP USB keyboard and optical mouse
•3rd generation Intel(R) Pentium(R) G2020T processor dual-core[2.5GHz,3MB Shared Cache]
•4GB DDR3-1600MHz [1 DIMM ]
•500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
•Intel HD Graphics [VGA and DVI-D]
•SuperMulti DVD Burner
•Wireless-N LAN card (1x1)
•Integrated Sound
•7-in-1 Memory Card Reader, 2 USB Ports (Front), Audio [Front 2USB2.0]

Considering that the combined cost of Windows 7 Professional + VMware is getting close to what we paid for this thing altogether . . .

 

[Morning Flight]

Well I did get past the freezing part and got the booklet quoting to work.

Outstanding, DYP, good to know. Looks like you may not have to go "Windows" shopping after all.

 

[DYP]

Unfortunately that would make for a real inefficient workflow just to have separate box to run MF. I'll keep testing MF in VMware.

 

[Craig]

Maybe Hal will make you an official VMware Beta Tester!

 

[DYP]

Maybe Hal will make you an official VMware Beta Tester!

Don't give him any ideas. I am maxed out in that department. Still feel like a beta tester on the Versant.

 

[Morning Flight]

In the years I've used Morning Flight, it's been installed on crappy laptops to six-core gaming PCs; at one point it was installed on an iMac using Parallels and a second monitor (worked quite nicely, in fact, I miss that set up a little bit). And I have even run Morning Flight on Linux/Ubuntu using WINE (my geekness must be obvious by now). As of now, I have it installed in Dropbox using Win8.1 so I can access it from home as well, so I guess, technically, it's already cloud-enabled (as long as I have a Windows OS to access it).

Wow, Keith, that must qualify as some kind of record. Reminds me of Frank Sinatra singing "New York, New York . . . if I can make it there,
I'll make it anywhere." Thanks for sharing.

Hal

 

[Craig]

Don't give him any ideas. I am maxed out in that department. Still feel like a beta tester on the Versant.

We just had that discussion here! It seems every time we have an issue with our Konica's we here the service guy say "I haven't seen that one before"! Unfortunately as new as the Versant is, you pretty much are beta testing. I remember years ago when Cannon released the 7000VP, I asked about the beta testing. They told me they had 3 locations and one place used it strictly for B/W prints since the clicks were free!! Not a single location put over 1M on a machine either.

 

[DYP]

Beta testing, I have done a lot of that over the years and I kind of like doing it if I have the time. The Versant is really I nice challenge given the rewards in quality and gamut. And yes I have found bugs and have fed a lot of info back to the engineers even though I am not an official beta tester.

Sometimes you just have to wonder how some of this stuff get released. It is like didn't anyone really test this stuff?

 

[DYP]

I have got Morning Flight working pretty well. Running on Win 8.1 in VMWare.

But God I hate Windows. I spoke to soon just should have kept my mouth shut. Now the Versant server is screwed up. Won't launch Stock Library Manager. Script error. So much for Saturday being a catch up day.

 

[Craig]

I know is is late, but the same thing happens with the C1000 and Fiery. Restart the fiery or just select the paper you have loaded in the deck (whether or not is is assigned a deck) and it should work.

 

[DYP]

Problem was Java 8 got installed automatically. Automatic update turned off for now. How long that will last is anybody's guess. Took hours to figure it out. I should have known better than to try to use the restore NON-FUNCTION.

 

[Craig]

Ahhh, we NEVER have automatic updates turned on. Cause more problems then they fix!!!