Raw Materials & Consumables Operating Guide

Print Life Software provides a centralized raw materials and consumables library that standardizes physical production costs across your shop. By cataloging roll media, rigid flat stock, screen printing and DTF inks, hot-melt adhesive powders, and shop packaging supplies, the platform automatically derives precision unit costs (such as cost per square inch or cost per milliliter) and dynamically binds them into your pricing matrices.

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1. Feature Scope & UI Navigation

The Materials library lives under the primary pricing navigation and provides granular cost tracking across roll, sheet, liquid, powder, and per-item goods:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                             PRIMARY NAVIGATION PATHS                             │
├─────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────┤
│ Materials Library       │ /materials               │ Pricing & Materials Menu    │
│ Pricing Matrices Hub    │ /matrices                │ Pricing & Materials Menu    │
│ Quotes & Invoices       │ /quotes-invoices/[id]    │ Line Item Material Overlays │
└─────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────┘

Main Materials Dashboard (/materials)

Access by expanding Pricing & Materials in the left sidebar $\rightarrow$ click Materials (/materials):

• All Materials Tab: Master catalog listing every active consumable, raw good, and supply item.
• Folder Categories: Custom organizational tabs (e.g., DTF Consumables, Wide Format Vinyl, Screen Supplies, Packaging).
• Saved Line Items Tab: Reusable non-apparel line-item templates for quick addition to quotes.
• View Mode Toggle: Switch between Grid Card View (visual cards highlighting unit costs and specs) and Table View (high-density list with column sorting).
• Type Filter: Filter by consumable class: Roll Media, Sheet Media, Ink, Powder, or Per-Item Goods.

Header Actions & Modal Controls

• + Add Material (Header Button): Opens the MaterialDialog modal to configure a new raw material.
• + New Folder (Header Button): Prompts for an inline folder name to categorize shop consumables.
• Create Material / Save Changes (Modal Footer Action): Commits specifications and calculates unit costs.

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2. Capabilities & Operational Boundaries

The materials engine powers dynamic margin calculation by bridging bulk physical purchasing with micro-level production usage:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        RAW PURCHASING INPUTS                           │
│  Bulk Purchase Quantities: Rolls, Sheets, Bottles (ml), Bags (g)      │
└───────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      PRECISION UNIT COST ENGINE                        │
│  • Surface Area Math: Width (in) × Length (ft × 12) ➔ $/sq in          │
│  • Fluid Consumption: Test Area (sq in) ÷ ml Used ➔ $/sq in           │
│  • Powder Weight: Test Area (sq in) ÷ Grams Used ➔ $/sq in             │
└───────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     DYNAMIC MATRIX BINDING HUB                         │
│   Links raw consumable costs directly into DTF & Flat Stock Matrices   │
└───────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
         ┌──────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────┐
         ▼                                                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐           ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│   AUTOMATED JOB ESTIMATION      │           │    REAL-TIME MARGIN DEFENSE     │
│ Computes exact ink + film +     │           │ Wholesale supply cost increases │
│ powder costs for any artwork    │           │ auto-update future quote margins│
└─────────────────────────────────┘           └─────────────────────────────────┘

Supported Capabilities

• Automatic Roll Media Math: Converts roll width in inches, length in feet, and bulk dollar cost into an exact cost per square inch ($$/\text{sq in}$).
• Sheet Media Calculation: Determines per-square-inch and per-sheet costs for pre-cut transfer papers, poster boards, and sign blanks.
• Liquid Ink Swatch Testing: Derives fluid print costs from actual shop test runs (bottle cost, volume in ml, test print area in square inches, and ml consumed).
• Adhesive Powder Swatch Testing: Computes hot-melt TPU powder costs based on dry weight application rates (bag cost, weight in grams, test area, and grams consumed).
• Per-Item Supplies: Catalogs packaging supplies (polybags, shipping cartons, hangtags, neck labels) at a flat unit cost.
• Dynamic Matrix Integration: Directly binds raw materials to Direct-to-Film (DTF) and Flat Stock pricing matrices, ensuring quotes automatically adjust when raw material costs fluctuate.
• Folder Categorization: Organizes diverse raw goods into clean folder hierarchies with search filtering.

Operational Boundaries

• No Automated Vendor Replenishment (EDI): Materials track internal shop costs and specs. The system does not place automated reorders with media or ink distributors.
• Non-Garment Scope: T-shirts, fleece, and wholesale apparel blanks are managed in Custom Products (/products) and distributor catalogs, not in the Materials library.
• Immutable Historical Quotes: Updating a material's cost recalculates all future quotes and open drafts. Approved invoices and past historical jobs remain locked to protect past commitments.

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3. Step-by-Step SOP Workflows

Workflow 1: Adding Roll Media (DTF Film, Sign Vinyl, Banner Substrates)

1. Navigate to Pricing & Materials $\rightarrow$ Materials (/materials).
2. Click + Add Material in the top-right header.
3. In the modal, select Roll Media as the material type.
4. Enter the Material Name (e.g., Double-Matte Instant Peel DTF Film 24").
5. Enter the Roll Width in inches (e.g., 24).
6. Enter the Roll Length in feet (e.g., 328).
7. Enter the Total Purchase Cost in dollars (e.g., $145.00).
8. Select a folder (e.g., DTF Consumables).
9. The system immediately computes and displays the cost per square inch.
10. Click Create Material.

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Workflow 2: Adding Liquid Inks via Test Swatch Calibration

1. In the Materials dashboard, click + Add Material.
2. Select Ink as the material type.
3. Enter the Material Name (e.g., Kodak DTF White Ink).
4. Enter the Bottle Cost (e.g., $65.00) and Bottle Volume in milliliters (e.g., 1000).
5. Conduct a physical test print on your press or review your RIP software report:
   • Print a solid graphic of known dimensions (e.g., $12'' \times 12'' = 144\text{ sq in}$).
   • Record the ml of ink consumed during the run (e.g., $2.5\text{ ml}$).
6. In the modal, enter the Test Area (sq in) as 144 and Ink Used (ml) as 2.5.
7. The system computes the precise cost per milliliter and cost per square inch.
8. Click Create Material.

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Workflow 3: Adding Hot-Melt Adhesive Powders via Weight Calibration

1. Click + Add Material and select Powder.
2. Enter the Material Name (e.g., Digital Factory Medium TPU White Powder).
3. Enter the Bag Cost (e.g., $38.00) and Bag Weight in grams (e.g., 1000).
4. Weigh an un-powdered printed test film on a precision gram scale.
5. Apply powder, shake off excess, and weigh the film again to determine grams used (e.g., $1.8\text{ g}$ on a $144\text{ sq in}$ test sheet).
6. Enter 144 for Test Area (sq in) and 1.8 for Powder Weight Used (g).
7. Click Create Material.

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Workflow 4: Organizing Consumables into Folders

1. On the Materials dashboard (/materials), click + New Folder.
2. Enter the folder category name (e.g., Embroidery Supplies or Wide Format Substrates).
3. Press Enter to save the folder.
4. To move items into the folder, click the Edit icon on any material card, select the folder from the dropdown, and click Save Changes.

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Workflow 5: Dynamically Binding Materials to a DTF Pricing Matrix

1. Expand Pricing & Materials and click Matrices (/matrices).
2. Open or create a Direct-to-Film (DTF) pricing matrix.
3. In the Material Bindings section:
   • Select your configured Film Roll from the dropdown.
   • Select your White Ink and CMYK Inks.
   • Select your Adhesive Powder.
4. The matrix will automatically calculate composite raw substrate cost per transfer based on graphic dimensions, guaranteeing that every quoted transfer covers consumable overhead.
5. Click "Save Matrix".

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4. Business Logic, Formulas & Rules

Roll Media Cost Formula

Roll media purchases are converted into a standard cost per square inch ($$/\text{sq in}$) by converting roll length from feet to inches:

$$\text{Total Surface Area (sq in)} = W_{\text{roll}} \times (L_{\text{roll}} \times 12)$$

$$\text{Cost Per Square Inch} = \frac{\text{Roll Purchase Cost ($)}}{\text{Total Surface Area (sq in)}}$$

Example: A 24" wide by 328' long roll costing $145.00: $$\text{Total Area} = 24 \times (328 \times 12) = 24 \times 3,936 = 94,464\text{ sq in}$$ $$\text{Cost Per Sq In} = \frac{$145.00}{94,464} = $0.001535/\text{sq in}$$

Liquid Ink Unit Cost Formula

Ink pricing is evaluated across container volume and calibrated test consumption:

$$\text{Cost Per Milliliter} = \frac{\text{Container Cost ($)}}{\text{Container Volume (ml)}}$$

$$\text{Ink Cost Per Square Inch} = \frac{\text{Cost Per Milliliter} \times \text{Test ml Consumed}}{\text{Test Area (sq in)}}$$

Adhesive Powder Unit Cost Formula

Powder adhesive is computed from dry mass consumption per unit area:

$$\text{Cost Per Gram} = \frac{\text{Bag Cost ($)}}{\text{Bag Weight (g)}}$$

$$\text{Powder Cost Per Square Inch} = \frac{\text{Cost Per Gram} \times \text{Test Grams Consumed}}{\text{Test Area (sq in)}}$$

Total Composite DTF Substrate Cost

When a DTF matrix estimates an image with surface area $A = \text{Width} \times \text{Height}$:

$$\text{Consumable Cost}(A) = A \times \left( \text{Cost}{\text{film}} + \text{Cost}{\text{white ink}} + \text{Cost}{\text{color ink}} + \text{Cost}{\text{powder}} \right)$$

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5. Troubleshooting & Diagnostic Matrix

Symptom / Question	Root Cause	Exact Remediation Step
Calculated cost per sq in is astronomically high	Roll length was entered in inches instead of feet (e.g. entering 36 instead of 300).	Edit the material in /materials and ensure Length is entered in feet and Width is entered in inches.
DTF Matrix displays $0.00 material cost on quotes	The DTF pricing matrix has not been bound to specific consumables.	Navigate to Pricing & Materials $\rightarrow$ Matrices (/matrices), edit your DTF matrix, and select your film, inks, and powder under Material Bindings.
Wholesale supplier raised roll or ink prices	Supplier price increase took effect.	Edit the material in /materials with the new purchase cost. All subsequent quotes will automatically recalculate using the updated rate; existing approved quotes remain protected.
Test consumption measurement was inaccurate	Test swatch was too small to register reliably on shop scales.	Print a larger swatch test (e.g., $24'' \times 24'' = 576\text{ sq in}$) or run a batch of 10 test transfers to obtain an easily weighable powder and ink delta.
Material card missing from dashboard	An active folder tab is selected that does not contain the material.	Click the All Materials tab at the top of the Materials dashboard to view the full inventory.

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6. Frequently Asked Questions & Action Prompts

Q: Where do I add raw production supplies like DTF film, vinyl rolls, or inks?

Answer: Expand Pricing & Materials in the left sidebar and click Materials (/materials). Click + Add Material to define roll media, sheet media, inks, powders, or flat-rate supplies.

[How do I add a new material?](chat:How do I add a new raw material in materials?)

Q: How does Print Life calculate cost per square inch for roll films?

Answer: The system multiplies the roll width (in inches) by the length converted to inches ($\text{feet} \times 12$) to find the total square inches, then divides the roll cost by the total area: $$\text{Cost Per Sq In} = \frac{\text{Roll Cost}}{\text{Width} \times (\text{Length} \times 12)}$$

[Calculate roll film cost](chat:How do I calculate roll film cost?)

Q: How do I link our raw materials to our DTF transfer pricing?

Answer: Open Pricing & Materials $\rightarrow$ Matrices (/matrices), select your DTF Matrix, and scroll to Material Bindings. Select your film roll, inks, and powder from the dropdowns. The matrix will automatically calculate exact raw consumable costs for every quote based on graphic square inches!

[Show me DTF matrix settings](chat:How do I link materials to a DTF matrix?)

Q: Do I add wholesale blank t-shirts in the Materials section?

Answer: No. Blank apparel (t-shirts, fleece, caps) is managed in Suppliers & Inventory $\rightarrow$ Custom Products (/products) or imported from connected distributors like SanMar, S&S Activewear, and AlphaBroder. The Materials library is strictly reserved for raw consumables and packaging supplies.

[Take me to Custom Products](chat:Show me Custom Products)