In this guide 6 sections
A press usually loses margin on stale paper rates, uncounted spoilage, reprints after the wrong proof, outside work with no cost and ageing dues. These leaks are hard to spot. Each shows once estimate and actual sit on one job card. GullySystem’s Printing Press Management Software compares them for every job.
The estimate built on last month’s paper rate
Paper merchants change rates often. If the estimate sheet still carries the old figure, every job quoted that week starts short. Nobody notices until the month closes.
Check the date on the paper rate behind your last ten estimates. Then look at repeat jobs. A school bill book reprinted at last year’s rate is a common leak.
Spoilage and leftover sheets that never reach the register
Make-ready sheets, colour setting and jams all eat paper. An estimate allows for some spoilage. The leak is the gap between that allowance and what the job really used.
Issue sheets against the job card and note spoiled sheets at the machine. Leftover sheets go back to stock under the job. Paper stock and merchant bills then begin to agree.
- Sheets issued against each job card
- Spoiled sheets noted at the machine
- Leftover sheets returned to stock
- Plates and ink issued per job
Reprints after the wrong proof
A correction arrives on WhatsApp after the plates are made. The machine runs the old file, and the job is reprinted at your cost. One wrong run can erase the profit on several jobs.
Record every proof version against the job, with the customer’s approval beside the one that was passed. Plates are made only from that version. Afterwards, the record shows who approved what, and when.
Outside work billed by guess
Lamination, foiling, die cutting and binding often go to outside units. When no return date or rate is recorded, the charge reaches the job late or not at all. The bill to the customer is then a guess.
Enter each outside unit as a vendor. Note the date sent, the date due back and the charge. That cost then sits on the job before you raise the invoice.
Dues that age while the press stays busy
A busy press can still run short of cash. Challans go out with the goods, invoices follow a week later, and regular customers settle monthly. Balances drift between Tally and a diary.
Set a monthly review that reads from job records, not memory. Ten minutes per customer is often enough. Look for the patterns, not single jobs.
- Jobs that earned less than their estimate
- Paper used against paper estimated, by job
- Outside work still pending return, by vendor
- Machine idle time by press
- Dues by customer, oldest first
Estimate against actual worksheet
Give each finished job its own line, with columns for estimated and actual paper, plates, machine time, outside work and labour. A final column shows the difference. Sorting by that column shows which job types to reprice first.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
How do I find which jobs lost money?
Compare each job’s estimate with what it used in paper, plates, machine time, outside work and labour. Jobs that earned less than quoted show up once both figures sit on the job card.
Does the press software handle imposition and plate making?
No. Imposition and CTP stay with your prepress software. This holds the specification, the approved artwork and the cost.
Is the press software linked to Tally?
Not built in. Your accountant works from the invoices and payments held in the system, and a Tally link is priced after scoping.
Is this worth it for a press with one machine?
Possibly not. If jobs are few and quoted from a rate card, a register and UPI will do. The case grows with machines, finishing steps and credit customers.