Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for stationery manufacturers.
A checklist built from how stationery manufacturers work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Variant item master
- Paper reel and board stock
- Ruling, printing and binding runs
- Pen and pencil assembly
- Ink, glue and consumable lots
- Dealer orders and pack lists
- Season stock and reorder
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For plant owners
- For planners
- For paper store staff
- For line supervisors
- For packing and dispatch
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Sheets cut per reel, with trim and spoilage
- Cover print batches by artwork code, plate swap minutes and spoilt first pulls
- Barrels, tips and refills issued against boxed pens assembled
- Ink drum, hot melt and lacquer lots against the batches where used
- Packed stock by variant against the term forecast
- Dealer orders held, naming the short variant
- Ruling, registration and spine pull results, with batches on hold
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Barcode and label printers
- Tablet entry at the line
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can the same system run notebooks and pens?
- How is paper wastage worked out?
- Can a cover printing changeover be recorded?
- What if a pen batch writes badly?
- How do dealer sets work?
- Can our existing codes and stock be loaded?
- Does it work out cost per notebook?
- Can supervisors enter data on the floor?
- Who owns the production data?
- How is it priced?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Reel and sheet wastage is not measured
- Too many variants for a spreadsheet
- Pen parts are issued loosely
- Cover printing changeovers are untracked
- Dealer orders wait on one short item
Prefer to talk it through? See the stationery manufacturers page.