John Knowlton

Today's production software works toward optimum process efficiency both converter and customer can monitor. by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor THE ROAR OF the crowd for e-commerce capability will eventually grow too loud for package print firms to ignore; in preparation, business/production software suppliers have been charged with seamlessly integrating shop-floor data with on-line customer service. The notion of e-commerce and its implications for business has become increasingly familiar to package printers over the last few years. "Today, we are finding printers are much more knowledgeable about the Internet and software in general," states Glen Forbes, VP/sales, Western Region, CRC Information Systems. He

In business and production software, there's no such thing as old reliables. Suppliers tally tell-tale signs an upgrade is in order. by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor Lack of integration A singular, self-contained management tool is the key element of today's efficiency-plus software packages. printCafe's Flexo Products Group Manager Clay Horsley explains a high percentage of printers currently use a mish-mash of spreadsheet estimating, database job entry, and pen and paper to handle job costing/tracking. Capitalizing on the virtues of integrated software, printCafe's redesigned Flexo Quotation System feeds data directly to all modules, including Job Planning, Scheduling, Purchasing, Shipping, and Invoicing. Inefficient data collection John

A computerized shop means an organized business. Find out what software is available for all areas of your operation. By Chris Bauer LONG GONE ARE the days of using a pegboard to track the production cycle of packaging jobs. Today it is imperative to have computer software in place not only to provide real-time tracking of jobs, but also for order entry, pricing, scheduling, fulfillment, data collection, inventory management, and estimating. There are a slew of computer management software companies out there serving the printing industry, yet the choices seem to thin out when looking for packaging-specific offerings. "Although there are roughly 80 [printing]