PrintDesk digitizes your printing operations from the ground up: manage orders, create documents automatically, control production processes - all in a system that was built for print shops.
The printing market is highly competitive and low-margin. Anyone who still processes orders manually today loses time, money and customers to more digitally positioned competitors. The two biggest operational hurdles in everyday life:
The problem: Receiving orders by email or telephone, manually transferring them to internal systems, creating documents in Word or Excel, communicating status by email – each of these steps costs time and has potential for errors. An incorrectly typed copy, a forgotten attachment, an overlooked email: every error costs money and ties up post-processing capacity.
The PrintDesk solution: Orders enter the system in a structured manner – via the shop interface or direct entry. Documents are generated automatically. Status updates are automatic. The freedom this creates flows into production and customer service. More about this in the blog article Printing shop digitization.
The problem: Orders in one list, invoices in one folder, customer data in another file - and at the end of the month there is no overview. How many orders are open? Which invoice is overdue? Which customer ordered last? Without a central system, these questions are difficult to answer.
The PrintDesk solution: All data is in one system: orders, customers, products, documents and payment status. Filters and dashboards provide the current status at all times - without searching in multiple systems or manually merging data.
PrintDesk was developed specifically for the needs of printing companies. Not generic business software that needs to be laboriously customized - but a solution that knows the processes of a printing company right from the start.
Every order goes through a defined process in PrintDesk: entry, calculation, confirmation, production, shipping, billing. The status is transparent at all times – for employees in the office, in production and, if requested, for the customer. Orders can be filtered and prioritized by type, urgency, customer or status. All communication, files and documents related to an order are bundled in one place. The site offers a more detailed look at this functional area Order management.
PrintDesk creates all commercial documents automatically based on the order data: offer with price calculation, order confirmation after approval, delivery note when preparing for shipping, invoice after delivery and - if necessary - reminder in the event of non-payment. Templates can be configured in the system: company logo, address, bank details, individual texts and payment terms. Documents are generated as PDFs and can be emailed directly from PrintDesk. Manual creation in Word or Excel is now a thing of the past. The workflow automation section of the platform is below Workflow automation documented.
Customer data, contact persons, delivery addresses and the complete order history are stored in a customer master file. When new orders are created, customer data is automatically transferred. Products with all specifications – format, paper, grammage, finishing, edition – can be stored as product templates. Price calculation with graduated prices and individual conditions per customer is directly integrated. This saves time when preparing offers and avoids calculation errors.
Print shops with an online shop can connect WooCommerce or Shopify directly to PrintDesk. Incoming orders are automatically created as print jobs in PrintDesk - including customer data, product specifications, print files and delivery address. The entire one Web-to-print process This means that it runs fully automatically: from the customer's click in the shop to the handover of production in the print shop. Status changes in PrintDesk can be mirrored back to the shop so that customers can see the current status at all times.
PrintDesk is not a niche product for a specific printing company. The solution is scalable and adapts to different operating models:
Printing companies with 2 to 50 employees who previously work with email, Excel and Word benefit most from PrintDesk. The setup does not require an IT department. Core processes such as order management and document creation can be used immediately. The system grows with the company: new products, employees and customers can be added at any time. The learning curve for employees is low – the interface is tailored to print shop workflows, no generic ERP complexity.
Anyone who already runs WooCommerce or Shopify knows the problem: orders arrive in the shop but have to be manually transferred to internal systems. PrintDesk closes this gap completely. The shop connection transfers every order automatically – including all product details and print data. The manual transfer effort is completely eliminated. As a result, more orders can be processed with the same staff without any loss of quality in order processing.
PrintDesk works completely as a standalone solution without a shop connection. Orders are recorded directly in the system - orders received via telephone, email or personal contact end up structured in PrintDesk. All follow-up documents, status updates and communication are then automated. If you would like to set up an online shop at a later date, you can Web-to-print connection add at any time. This Print MIS supplements PrintDesk with business metrics and reporting.
Many printing companies are faced with the decision: general ERP system or specialized printing software? A factual comparison:
General ERP systems such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics or Sage are designed for widespread use in a wide variety of industries. This means: A customizing project is required for each specific use case – for example print products with graduated prices, circulation quantities and print data workflows. These projects take months, cost tens of thousands of euros and create technical dependencies on the system partner.
PrintDesk has been aimed at printing companies from the start. Edition scale prices, print data storage, commercial document chain for print orders and shop integration for WooCommerce and Shopify are not add-ons, but core components of the system. There is no customizing effort for standard printing processes - these are already mapped out.
| criterion | General ERP | PrintDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction effort | 3-12 month project duration | 1-2 days |
| Print-specific processes | Customizing required | Included out of the box |
| WooCommerce/Shopify integration | Third party interface required | Natively present |
| Document creation for print jobs | Individual configuration | Can be used immediately |
| Ongoing costs | License + Maintenance Agreement + Partner | Transparent monthly SaaS fee |
| Technical dependency | System partner required for changes | Self-service in the admin area |
| Updates | Paid upgrades | Included in the SaaS package |
This does not mean that ERP systems have no right to exist. A fully-fledged ERP can make sense for printing companies with more than 200 employees, their own IT department and complex corporate structures. For small and medium-sized printing companies, the advantages of a specialized solution clearly outweigh the disadvantages – less effort, faster commissioning, lower overall costs.
PrintDesk is suitable for small and medium-sized printing companies – with or without an online shop. Print shops that have previously taken orders manually via email or telephone will benefit, as will those that already run WooCommerce or Shopify and want to automate the backend process.
PrintDesk automatically generates: offer, order confirmation, delivery note, invoice and reminder. All documents are based on configurable templates with company logos and individual texts. They can be sent by email directly from the system or downloaded as a PDF.
Yes. PrintDesk works completely as a standalone solution without a shop connection. Orders are created and managed directly in the system. Shop integration is optional and can be added at any time when an online shop is set up or already exists.
ERP systems are designed for general business processes and require extensive customization for printing operations. From the outset, PrintDesk is geared towards the needs of printing companies: print products, print run prices, print data workflows and Web-to-print integrations can be mapped directly – without customizing projects.
Digitize your printing operations with software that was built for printers from the start. No credit card required, can be canceled at any time.
No credit card required. Can be canceled at any time.
Web-to-print automation for modern print shops. A product from Druckhaus interactive GmbH.