Quoting Outsourced Products

[Hal Heindel]

Question received by e-mail from Lindale, Texas: I do a lot of outsourcing for my full color business cards and brochures that are over 500. Do you have a recommendation on the best way to set this up for order entry?

Outsourced products and services are best handled by quoting them as Merchandise in the Silver and Gold Editions. Pricing per lot is tailor-made for purchased business cards, postcards, brochures ... any item that's available only in predefined quantities from the vendor.

Note that Merchandise can also be priced per piece (similar to Copies), per hour, and per 1,000.

[Keith]

Since I don't have a 4 color offset press and I use Merchandise for my wide format, I use the 4 color press under Printing. How? I don't know. I just make it work so I can track the order and email quotes and print out price sheets for my customer, etc.

It is a virtual press, right Hal! It's not actually "there" anyway, kinda like the internet. :) I do the same thing for one and two color work as well. I don't actually have them in my shop, but a friend of mine across town does! I always get a price first and I have MF set-up pretty close to what I expect. A little tweaking and then "Write Estimate". It sure beats pencil and paper.

Keith

P.S. When did I become a Senior Member? How'd that happen? Do I get to boss anyone around? (Just kidding)

[Hal Heindel]

When did I become a Senior Member? How'd that happen?

For what it's worth (and it will be worth something soon), all members of the original Morning Flight Forum come into the new Lounge as Senior Members. Looks like you're getting every ounce of power out of Morning Flight, Keith. Way to go!

... had some catch-up to do at the shop. Which also meant that I got a chance to sneak out on my motorcyle.

Bet you enjoyed that ride. I sold my 1000R a couple of years ago, but still have the 6-cylinder CBX and a 500 single. Selling the "R" was precipitated by weight. The bike's weight, not mine. Had I dropped the 750+ lb. motorcycle with a full tank, I probably would have had to ask some squid to help me pick it up. That's when I realized it was time to befriend something less hefty. Like that 1-cylinder thumper - under 300 lbs. wet.

Ride safe!

[Keith]

That's what I love about my '99 Ninja 250. It's light, narrow, comfortable and fast enough!

Keith

(If I wasn't such a loser, I'd have a picture here of my bike.)

[jerryjfm]

OK this got me thinking. I to like to track job and give estimates on paper.
four color is farmed out. say you have 1000 cards . We pay 25 dollars and mark it up . Some things we do often . then you have art charges. so what is the best way to get it into MF and have it do the work for you ? Can we set lot prices then add art and mark ups ?

[Hal Heindel]

The best way to deal with outsourced business cards in Morning Flight is still as merchandise, priced per lot. Just set up two separate items, one with and one without design, and include your markup in the lot price of each.

When selecting per lot pricing, you can enter prices for up to six separate quantities. Then, when you make the quote, pick the three adjacent quantities you want to show from those six.

Merchandise calls for some paper and pencil additions up front when you're putting together your catalog. Once that's done, you can use and track merchandise just like offset or digital.

[jerryjfm]

Ah yes just what I thought. by the way HAL I do not need no stinking pencil . I got MF gold now!!!! :D
Have a good one
Thanks