Quotes, Invoices & Shop Floor Production Engine

The Quote & Invoice Engine is the primary revenue and production workflow driver of Print Life Software. It powers the entire lifecycle of custom apparel jobs—from initial quote assembly and multi-project price proration to digital customer approvals, integrated credit card processing, split-payer billing, and tablet-optimized shop floor execution.

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1. Where to Access Quotes & Invoices

• Sidebar Quick Action: Click the + Quote button at the very top of the left sidebar to open the quote builder (/quotes-invoices/new) from anywhere in the app without leaving your current screen.
• Main Quote Directory: Click Quotes & Invoices (/quotes-invoices) under the top-level operations in the left sidebar to view, filter, and manage all active quotes, invoices, and completed orders.
• Editing a Job: Click on any quote or invoice row to open the full Quote Builder workspace (/quotes-invoices/[id]).

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2. Standard Operating Procedure (The Guided Workflow Stepper)

Every quote and invoice features a visual Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Stepper pinned to the top of the document. The stepper dynamically guides your team through each phase of the job:

• Drafting Phase: Directs staff through Assign Customer $\rightarrow$ Add Items $\rightarrow$ Add Decorations $\rightarrow$ Review & Save.
• Order Lifecycle Phase: For active custom orders, tracking Send to Customer $\rightarrow$ Artwork Proof Approval $\rightarrow$ Customer Terms Approval $\rightarrow$ Collect Deposit / Payment $\rightarrow$ Ready for Production.
• Fulfillment Phase: Dedicated to wave-based batch fulfillment, tracking Finalize Batch $\rightarrow$ Print Production Paperwork $\rightarrow$ In Production $\rightarrow$ Sort & Pack $\rightarrow$ Manifest Complete.

The Smart Action Bar (Bottom Footer)

The sticky bottom action bar guides staff to the next logical operational objective using intelligent visual cues:

• Action Required (Glow State): When an essential step is pending (e.g. Save Draft, Send Quote, Collect Payment), the primary action button pulses with an active glow.
• Completed State: Once the action is recorded, the button transitions to a neutral outline state.
• Contextual Controls: Provides instant access to customer PDF downloads, the Print Station menu, activity logs, and status updates.

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3. Financial Calculation Engine (How Quote Pricing Works)

Print Life calculates retail garment and decoration pricing dynamically to ensure that both a 12-piece short run and a 500-piece bulk order are mathematically profitable.

a. The "Fully Loaded" Unit Price Formula

$$\text{Finished Unit Price} = (\text{Wholesale Blank Cost} + \text{Product Markup}) + \left(\frac{\text{Total Project Decoration Cost}}{\text{Total Order Quantity}}\right) + \text{Personalization Fee}$$

b. Shared Load Decoration Proration

The engine aggregates all setup fees (screens, digitizing, film prep) and press run charges across all print locations on a project and divides that sum by the total piece count. Setup costs are automatically distributed across the garments, meaning:

• A smaller order automatically carries a higher per-piece decoration share to absorb setup labor.
• A larger order automatically benefits from economies of scale without manual rate calculations.

c. The Cash Price Standard & Surcharge Fee Recovery

To ensure accounting precision across all payment channels, Print Life operates on a Cash-First Pricing Standard:

• Base Quote Total: Represents the cash or check amount (Subtotal + Tax + Shipping).
• Credit Card Fee Recovery: If enabled in Settings $\rightarrow$ Features, a credit card processing surcharge (e.g. 3% + $0.30) is calculated dynamically only during card checkout on the secure payment portal. Surcharges are never billed on cash or check payments, ensuring your shop recovers payment processing fees compliant with merchant regulations.

d. Discounts, Turnaround Fees & Tax Exemptions

• Global Discounts: Applied to the project subtotal as either a Percentage (%) or a Fixed Dollar Amount ($).
• Turnaround Rush Fees: Evaluated as a flat dollar rush charge or a percentage surcharge based on your production lead time settings.
• Sales Tax & Tax Exemptions: Evaluates tax based on the assigned tax rate. Toggling the master Tax Exempt switch sets tax to $0.00 while preserving the customer's tax certificate record for accounting reports.

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4. Line Item Assembly & Granular Price Overrides

a. Adding Products & Intelligent Size Ordering

When adding apparel items to a quote, you can choose from two sources in the Live Search panel:

1. My Products: Custom garments, customer-supplied blanks, and Quick Items saved in your shop library.
2. Supplier Live Search: Live catalog integration with SanMar, S&S Activewear, and AlphaBroder with real-time stock levels and negotiated wholesale pricing.

Sizes are automatically sorted in natural retail progression (XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL) rather than alphabetical order.

b. The 4 Types of Price Overrides

Print Life provides four distinct, independent override controls so sales reps can tailor pricing without altering master price matrices:

1. Decoration Price Override:
   • Where: On the dedicated bottom action bar of any Decoration Card $\rightarrow$ click the $ Price Override button.
   • What it does: Sets a custom per-piece decoration run charge (e.g., locked at $3.00/pc) for that specific print location. Displays an amber Price Overridden badge with a 1-click Reset to Matrix option.
2. Product-Only Price Override:
   • Where: On the product row action bar, click Edit Breakdown (or Add Sizes) $\rightarrow$ select Product Only mode.
   • What it does: Overrides the blank garment price for specific size variants (e.g., setting 2XL blanks to $10.50 while leaving small–XL at standard markup). Decoration fees remain separate line items.
3. All-Inclusive Unit Price Override:
   • Where: On the product row action bar, click Edit Breakdown (or Add Sizes) $\rightarrow$ select All-Inclusive mode.
   • What it does: Overrides the final combined per-unit price (Garment + Decoration) for specific sizes (e.g., $18.00 flat all-in).
4. Project Total & Flat Bundle Price Override:
   • Where: Click directly on the large bold Project Total price number in the bottom-right corner of any Project container card.
   • What it does: Overrides the entire calculated sub-project with a flat package amount (e.g., $1,200.00 flat bundle) or target per-piece average. An amber Price Overridden badge appears, the original calculated price is shown with a strikethrough, and a 1-click Reset to Calculated Price button restores standard matrix math.

c. Dedicated Action Button Bars

Every card and product line item features a dedicated, always-visible action bar along its bottom edge:

• Decoration Card Action Bar:
  • Edit Config (Button): Opens the configuration dialog to adjust print method, placement location, stitch count, color counts, Pantone swatches, and dimensions.
  • $ Price Override (Button): Sets a custom per-piece decoration cost.
  • Library (Button): Opens the Art Manager to link stored customer artwork or production film separations.
  • Generator (Button): Opens the Mockup Studio to generate digital garment proofs.
  • ... (More Actions Menu): Provides 1-click Duplicate and Delete options.
• Product Line Item Action Bar:
  • Edit Breakdown / Add Sizes (Button): Opens the size grid modal to enter quantities, manage per-size price overrides, and configure team personalization rosters.
  • Change Image (Button): Assigns custom product thumbnails or color swatches.
  • Customer Supplied (Toggle / Checkbox): Flags the garment as customer-provided inventory, automatically bypassing wholesale costs.
  • Delete Icon: Removes the product row from the project.

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5. Team Personalization Roster (Names & Numbers)

For athletic jerseys, team uniforms, and corporate gear requiring individual names and numbers:

1. In the Quantity & Pricing Breakdown modal, turn ON the Enable Personalization Roster switch.
2. For each requested size, input the player's Name, Jersey Number, and optional per-player fee override.
3. Roster rows automatically match the entered size quantities (e.g., ordering 12 Large shirts creates exactly 12 Large roster slots).
4. Click Apply Global Pricing to apply a flat personalization surcharge (e.g. $6.00/name) across all roster units simultaneously.

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6. Multi-Payer Split Billing (Co-Pay Orders)

For corporate orders, fraternities, booster clubs, or group purchases where multiple parties contribute to a single job:

• Assigning Co-Payers: Enable Split Billing on the quote to add co-payers by name and email.
• Flexible Share Allocations: Allocate payer portions as either a Percentage (e.g. 60% sponsor / 40% club) or a Fixed Dollar Amount (e.g. $500.00 deposit paid by company).
• Private Payer Checkout Links: Each co-payer receives a secure payment link (/q/[id]?payer=[token]). When accessed, the page filters the "Amount Due" to show only that payer's assigned share.
• Independent Payment Attribution: Credit card payments from co-payers are attributed individually, updating their portion of the roster while advancing the job's overall balance.

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7. Quote Expiration Dates & Auto-Archiving

To keep shop pipelines clean, prevent customers from approving stale estimates after wholesale costs increase, and eliminate visual clutter on Kanban boards:

• Setting an Expiration Date: In the Document Breakdown card on any quote, click Set Expiration Date. Choose a preset (7 Days, 14 Days, 30 Days) or select a custom calendar date.
• Auto-Archiving Upon Expiration: If a quote reaches its expiration date without customer approval:
  1. The quote is automatically flagged as archived (isArchived: true) and moved to system_rejected.
  2. The card is instantly removed from active Kanban board columns, production calendars, and material procurement queues.
  3. The public link (/q/[id]) displays a clear expiration notice (⚠️ This Quote Has Expired) and disables checkout buttons.
• Protection for Approved Orders: The moment a quote is approved or converted to an invoice, expiration dates are automatically ignored so active production is never archived.
• Manual Staff Decline: Staff can decline cold quotes immediately by clicking More Actions (...) $\rightarrow$ ❌ Decline & Archive Quote.
• Restoring an Expired Quote: From the Quotes directory, open the row action menu on any archived quote and click Extend Expiration & Restore to grant 14 additional days and restore the card to active dashboard views.

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8. Customer Approval & Price Locking Rules

a. Public Customer Quote Portal (/q/[quoteId])

Customers access their quotes via secure, mobile-friendly links without needing a password. The portal allows them to:

• Inspect garment colors, size breakdowns, and itemized decoration details.
• Review and digitally sign off on visual mockup proofs.
• Select preferred shipping speeds or turnaround lead times (if enabled).
• Sign digital terms of service and submit secure credit card payments via Stripe or Square.

b. Invoice Conversion vs. Price Locking (Crucial Distinction)

Print Life provides two dedicated settings under Settings $\rightarrow$ Features:

1. Auto-Convert to Invoice (convertQuoteToInvoiceOnApproval):
   • When enabled, the moment a customer approves their quote online, the document automatically converts from a Quote to an Invoice.
2. Lock Pricing When Customer Approves (lockPricingOnApproval):
   • Why this is critical: Converting a quote to an invoice only sets edit-permission flags—it does not, by itself, freeze prices against future catalog wholesale changes.
   • How Price Locking Works: Turning ON Lock Pricing When Customer Approves creates an exact price snapshot of every size variant at the second the customer signs off. From that moment forward, future wholesale price increases or matrix edits will never alter the customer's approved quote total.
   • Manual Unlock: If sales staff genuinely need to adjust pricing post-approval, they can click the amber 🔒 Locked at Customer Approval badge in the quote builder to unlock live pricing.

c. Artwork Approval Workflow Policies

Configured in Settings $\rightarrow$ Features & Preferences:

• Standard (Default): Customers can review mockup proofs and submit payments in any sequence.
• Mockup First (requireMockupApprovalBeforePayment): Disables the payment checkout button until all digital artwork proofs are formally approved by the client.
• Payment First: Hides artwork proofs until an initial deposit or full payment is received.

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9. Shop Floor Tablet Production Sheet

Every quote and invoice includes a dedicated Production Tab (/quotes-invoices/[id] $\rightarrow$ Production), engineered as a touch-friendly command center for press operators, darkroom techs, and fulfillment staff.

a. Garment Receiving & Shelf Inventory Matching

• Blank Count Progress: Displays garment thumbnails, colorways, and required piece counts by size.
• Touch Increment Steppers: Large - and + buttons let receiving staff check in blanks as boxes are unpacked. Counts sync immediately across all shop devices.
• Shelf Stock vs. Sourced Badges: Cross-references local inventory to show on-hand shelf stock (e.g., 12 in stock) and marks fulfilled quantities with green Complete checkmarks.
• Mark All Counted: One-click header button to instantly receive 100% of required blank apparel when unpacking verified distributor shipments.

b. Decoration Specs & Print File Hub

• Aspect-Square Mockup Zoom: Digital mockups feature a 1-click full-screen Lightbox zoom for press alignment checks.
• Exact Print Dimensions: Displays width, height, placement coordinates (e.g. 3.5" down from collar), and press locations.
• Pantone Chips: Interactive Pantone color swatches and ink codes.
• 1-Click Asset Downloads: Direct download buttons for print-ready vector files, high-res customer art, and pre-separated film files.

c. Jersey Personalization Flight Sheet

For team roster jobs, operators get an interactive checklist displaying player names, jersey numbers, and sizes. Tapping each row checks off the jersey as it comes off the dryer belt, syncing completion in real time.

d. Shop Floor Milestone Progression (Live Kanban Sync)

The milestone checklist links tablet progress directly to your shop Kanban boards:

• Configurable Milestones: Link the checklist to any dashboard column (e.g. Production) and choose which sub-statuses appear as milestone buttons (e.g. Blanks Counted $\rightarrow$ Screens Burned $\rightarrow$ Inks Mixed $\rightarrow$ On Press $\rightarrow$ QC Done).
• Automatic Job Progression: When an operator taps a milestone button on the tablet, the job automatically advances to the next status on your shop dashboard.
• Column-to-Column Auto Advance: Checking off the final milestone in a column automatically moves the quote into the next pipeline column on your Kanban board.

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10. Payment Processing, Gateways & Refunds

a. Payment Gateway Troubleshooting (Stripe & Square)

If credit card processing fails or payment buttons decline:

1. Navigate to Finance & Settings $\rightarrow$ Settings $\rightarrow$ Connections.
2. Locate Stripe or Square under Payment Processors and click Disconnect.
3. Click Connect to re-authenticate your merchant account with a fresh OAuth token.
4. Retry the customer transaction.
5. If issues persist, submit a ticket in Help & Support for immediate developer assistance.

b. Processing Invoice Refunds

Every transaction (Credit Card, Cash, Check, or Credit Terms) is tracked individually in the invoice payment ledger:

1. Open the invoice $\rightarrow$ scroll to Payments $\rightarrow$ click the Refund tab.
2. Under Which Payment?, select the specific transaction you wish to refund (e.g. deposit vs. final balance).
3. Enter the refund amount (capped to the refundable balance of that specific payment) and add an optional internal note.
4. Click Record Refund:
   • Credit Card Payments: The refund is reversed live on the customer's card through Stripe or Square without needing to log into external gateway dashboards. If the processor rejects the reversal, nothing is logged to prevent bookkeeping drift.
   • Cash / Check / Terms: Recorded as an internal accounting reversal, reducing the paid balance and updating sales tax reporting.

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11. Frequently Asked Questions & Troubleshooting

How do I create a new quote?

Click the + Quote button at the top of the left sidebar, or go to Quotes & Invoices (/quotes-invoices) and click New Quote/Invoice.

How do I override a price on a quote without changing my master price matrices?

• To override a Decoration cost: Click the $ Price Override button on the bottom action bar of the decoration card.
• To override a Garment price: Click the Edit Breakdown (or Add Sizes) button on the product row action bar $\rightarrow$ enter custom per-size prices in Product Only mode.
• To override the Entire Project package price: Click directly on the bold Project Total price number at the bottom-right of the project card to set a flat bundle amount.

How do I enable credit card surcharge fee recovery?

Go to Finance & Settings $\rightarrow$ Settings $\rightarrow$ Features $\rightarrow$ turn ON "Cash-First Transaction Fee Recovery". Surcharges (e.g. 3% + $0.30) will only be applied when a customer chooses credit card checkout on the public payment link.

A customer's quote price changed between when they approved and when they paid. How do I prevent this?

Turn ON Lock Pricing When Customer Approves under Settings $\rightarrow$ Features (nested under Public Quote Approval). The moment a customer signs off, every line item's price is frozen (approvedGarmentPrices). Future wholesale garment cost updates or matrix edits will not affect that quote. Converting a quote to an invoice alone does not snapshot prices; price locking must be enabled.

Why does a decoration price display $0.00 on my quote?

The decoration has no pricing matrix assigned, or the assigned matrix has missing quantity breaks. Click the Edit Config button on the decoration card action bar, and select an active pricing matrix.

Why is a Project Total price number yellow/amber with a strikethrough?

A manual project price override or flat bundle price is active. Click directly on the Project Total price number and select Reset to Calculated Price to restore standard matrix pricing.

How do press operators advance job statuses from the tablet Production Sheet?

Open the job $\rightarrow$ click the Production tab. Press operators simply tap each completed milestone button (e.g. Screens Burned, On Press, QC Done). Each tap automatically moves the job across your shop Kanban board in real time.