News

To the uninitiated, MIS is an impenetrable subject. There is a tendency to associate it with beardy programmer types who speak in jargon which is undecipherable to the majority of printers. It certainly isn’t sexy, unlike a shiny new press or digital print engine. However, what it lacks in style, it makes up for in time-saving and bottom line-boosting usefulness. At least, that’s the theory.

There can be few printers out there who aren’t running an MIS of some sort nowadays. If there are, it won’t be for long because, in essence, MIS allows you to see where you are and aren’t making money. That awareness enables printers to become more profitable. Far from a new concept, MIS has been around since the early 1980s when the likes of Optimus founder Ted Stephens started tinkering with financial software with the aim of incorporating production methodology.

Since then, other suppliers have followed suit, including Printpak, whose first system was written for the Psion Organiser in 1989. By 1991, Printpak had launched a PC version, which it believes was one of the first systems to use calculations based on algorithms, rather than on a spreadsheet breakdown of print production elements. This is one of its core strengths, according to founder and managing director Norman Marks.

“Printpak’s core calculation is based on a knowledge engine that can make intelligent use of the available production methods for each variation of a job, which makes the resulting prices not only accurate but extremely consistent.” he ex­­plains. “In systems where the user has to specify every detail, the resulting price is as variable as a manually quoted job.”

Web-based campaign
Since its inception Printpak has, like MIS, moved on, taking advantage of advances in computing technology such as networking, emailing, rapid file transmission, data storage and analysis, all the while retaining its strong mathematical base. The company has quietly made a name for itself, gathering around 900 installations worldwide, the majority of which have been multi-user sites. Having recently launched version four of its eponymous MIS software, the company is now on the verge of launching a “significant new marketing strategy”, involving worldwide distribution via the internet, which it expects will impact heavily on sales.

The system is designed to calculate the cost of a job and provide the user with a set of tools to help in client negotiations, whilst always taking true profit and added value into consideration. However, its involvement doesn’t end there, as Marks is keen to stress. “Printpak can then produce all the documentation to go with the job including quotation, confirmation note, jobsheet, box end labels, delivery note and invoice,” he says.

One of Printpak’s strengths is that, despite the complexity of the behind-the-scenes algorithms that are the guts of the system, the user interface is remarkable in its simplicity. The software employs a ‘wizard’ to guide the user through the job description, without requiring the specification of complex production technicalities. Printpak then selects the best press and material size from the printer’s battery for the job, from a mixture of digital, litho, continuous and web presses, taking both origination and finishing into account, and advising on which pages to view and the nature of each pass.

“A Printpak QuickQuote template job contains details of the finished job without specifying in advance the production method,” says Marks. “This means that the system can calculate the best solution for itself at run-time, considering all the possible production methods, material sizes, presses, pre-press operations, trimming, finishing and so on.”

According to Marks, this contrasts radically with traditional MIS templates, which assume the production methodology contained within the template itself. “This is ridiculous,” he says. “It means that whether you want a hundred or a million of an item, it will always be calculated to run the same way.”

Greater flexibility
In addition, while the software is designed to make recommendations on how the calculations are configured, the user can change the way each task impinges on the core processing, thereby allowing greater flexibility. Other features born out of the software’s 18 plus years of development include tools for analysing turnover, profit, and added value, as well as customer-relationship tracking. These are all included in the standard software package, rather than being add-on modules, as can be the case with some alternative MIS systems.

“Printpak has its own integrated forms designer for estimates and invoices, as well as a scheduler for helping plan production, all of which are fully integrated to minimise user entries,” says Marks. “There’s also a profit analysis tool, CRM tools and plate layout diagrams. These are all included – there are no extra modules and there’s no extra charge.”

The one common MIS feature not included in Printpak is an accounts package, although it can link into systems such as Sage. Marks says that, with the wealth of available accounts software on the market, there was little point in developing their own. “There’s no use re-inventing the wheel,” he adds.

Printpak recently underwent a full-scale rewrite, making it compatible with 64-bit computers and Windows Vista, while retaining functionality on both Windows 2000 and XP and on 32-bit PCs. “The resulting system is pretty much as future proof as Microsoft itself,” boasts Marks. “We believe that many of our rivals are likely to come unstuck in the future – they’ll either have to rewrite from scratch or fall by the wayside.”

Marks bills Printpak as “a truly low-cost system”. The price for a full system, reaches £4,495 for up to three active users. It comprises estimating, CRM, costing, shopfloor data collection, purchase order processing, scheduling, management reporting, stock control, accounts links and target marketing. According to Marks, the only comparable systems on cost are entry-level MIS, which feature significantly reduced feature sets.

Printpak has gambled its marketability on being a low-cost option. However, that sort of strategy can prove a double-edged sword in that ‘low-cost’ for some inevitably comes with the assumption of low-quality. Thankfully that does not appear to be the case with Printpak and, even if the system’s low-cost makes some feel more wary than enthused, Marks has the definite answer up his sleeve to allay any such fears. “We’ve always operated a free try before you buy policy,” he says. Whether this, coupled with the firm’s mystery marketing ploys will be enough to propel Printpak into the stratosphere remains to be seen, but the words ‘free trial’ will certainly be music to the money men’s ears.

---

SPECIFICATIONS
Platform Windows 2000 and above including Vista, 32bit an d 64bit
Price £4,495 for the full system with up to three active users
Contact Printpak 020 8941 0952 www.printpak.com

---

THE ALTERNATIVES
Prism
Prism is launching new versions of its WIN MIS and iQTMS production monitoring product range this year. Both systems use the .NET platform and can run on SQL and Oracle databases.
Platform Windows/web browser
Price from £15,000
Contact Prism 01206 761300 www.prism-world.com

SolPrint
SolPrint offers automatically updated scheduling from live JDF/JMF feedback, integrated print management and customer specific contract pricing, in addition to standard MIS features.
Platform Windows/web browser
Price £75 per month for rental to £50,000 for purchase of all modules
Contact SolPrint 020 7978 0113 www.solprint.co.uk

SmallPrint
Tharstern’s SmallPrint offers estimating, job production, delivery notes, invoicing and purchase order processing and has an integrated link to Sage line 50, Microsoft Word and Crystal Reports. The package includes training, installation and one year’s software support. SmallPrint is based on its sister product, TharsternSQL.
Platform Windows
Price £4,995 for up to 3 users
Contact Tharstern 0870 720 2080 www.tharstern.com

Technique
Established in 1995 Technique has recently joined forces with Agfa to provide Enterprise-wide systems for the commercial print sector. Technique offers a set of modular applications that can be implemented as standalone products or as an integrated suite.
Platform SQL
Price £40,000+
Contact Technique 0113 383 6000 www.technique-group.com

Shuttleworth
Shuttleworth is a modular system that can include CRM, TPM, materials management, accounts and e-commerce. It can be configured to suit all types of print and packaging firms.
Platform Windows
Price £250 per month
Contact Shuttleworth 01536 316316 www.shuttleworth-uk.co.uk

Optimus
Optimus QS is a modular MIS that covers every aspect of the print workflow, from estimating through to invoicing. Optimus customers include commercial, digital and DM printers, with each install ranging from five to 100 users.
Platform Windows, Linux, Solaris
Price £6,000 to £30,000
Contact Optimus 01483 740233 www.optimus2020.com