Most reliable shop mgmt program?

[GraphicDisorder]

Fast Manager is what we are using, its buggy at times, but not often. 

[ebscreen]

How do you guys handle customer file management?

IE what is your directory layout? Say you are working on a mockup
and need to email it to the client, do you start writing an email, hit attach, drill down to the file,
attach it, etc? Are all of your clients folders in one main area regardless of age? Search through
all clients to find the active one you are working on?

I'm not being derisive though it may sound that way. I'm honestly asking because that
was one of my biggest peeves with doing everything manually. Chit can get out of control real
quick.

[GraphicDisorder]

Ours are in folders by customer, inside that are folders for each project.  Generally named by date.  Some Company > Shirts > Event 2.14 > filename.eps

It's not as organized as it could be since we have technically 3 different people creating artwork at times.  So we do have to chase files to another computer at times.  Not terrible though, we just create short cuts to shares.  Easy enough. 

[ebscreen]

That's how we organize as well and seems to be the best option. I just automated it with a frontend in Filemaker so that instead of
chasing a file down to email it you hit one button. Opening the directory is another button, etc.

How about applying job info from your management program into films, and also press layout and scheduling? That was another of my pet
peeves, manually typing job numbers into film seps.

[GraphicDisorder]

That's how we organize as well and seems to be the best option. I just automated it with a frontend in Filemaker so that instead of
chasing a file down to email it you hit one button. Opening the directory is another button, etc.

How about applying job info from your management program into films, and also press layout and scheduling? That was another of my pet
peeves, manually typing job numbers into film seps.

We don't do near the volume as most of you so we don't use the program to schedule press time or anything like that.  Just a standard Google Calendar in our shop.  We have one for Embroidery, Screen Print, Artwork (design and print materials), then a general one for like "Friday is Hawaiian shirt day".  Fast Manager will do some of this stuff I think but right now it seems to be easier for us to do it like we are.  But I can see that will change some day. 

[trebor]

We have used Fast Manager for about13 or 14 years. Started with version 1.0 back in 2000. We use it mostly for job scheduling and keeping track of the different steps leading to press. We had nearly 500 jobs in it last fall at the busy time. Occasionally we have to have them clean up our data base a bit every 4 or 5 years. Most of the problems we have had was a result of outgrowing  the hardware we run it on... we are a 7 license user.

[ZooCity]

We're locked out again.  I have the largest client in the history of the co. waiting to approve their first order and we're stuck and looking like disorganized fools.  It's unbelievable how little consideration some of these people selling these programs have for the businesses using their product.  That's just about bottom rung on my ladder of respect.   

Anyways, while I'm sitting around with my d!ck in my hand waiting to get work done....I'm with eb on less redundancy.  Single point of entry is the name of the game.   This is where web based can shine by using links to pages for estimates and invoices and linking api to other apps.  I wonder if Adobe has API available now that it's all "cloud"?

[Flash Ink]

Zoo, you should have seen the string of emails between me and our friend at T-Boss. He came out from under his rock and was trying to "fix" our problem by starting us at 0 with no data base and no history. I have been using Printavo for most of the day today and there are some draw backs but the support is outstanding. Brian gets back to me ASAP and I feel like he is dedicated to the cause. I am still stuck with no quoting capabilities.

[ZooCity]

Wait, I thought Bruce with the printavo guy?  Nice guy for sure, we spoke last week, and we will probably use his program as a "face" for the time being with a real mgmt program or system of some type behind the scenes.  Printavo's look on the front end, with the client, is nearly exactly what I prefer, there's just zero back end there. But Bruce tells me he is building API for printavo and that opens up a lot of options.

Brian, on the extreme other hand, is the T-Boss feller.  I hope he wanders over from his rock very soon to fix whatever the hell is blocking my entire staff from logging into the program from any computer.  We're down to one tab on my workstation that is working, it's apparently the last portal to all of our data.  Bookkeeper is putting in extra hours to try to get all of it out before we're locked out forever.  Like we agree on Flash, it's a shame as that program could be darn near ideal with just a touch of effort.

I've determined that we too will need to commission someone to build us a nice filemaker setup.  I'm exhausted from trying to find something that is simple, clean, functional and doesn't spit out invoices, quotes, packslips and work orders that look like someone made them at home on their Gateway computer in 1992.

[mk162]

T-quoter is pretty good.  It was 6 years after we got the program that I learned the biggest trick of all, you don't have to order the entire line of shirts in the work order screen.  You have no idea how much time this saves when one vendor is missing the mediums and you can order them from another later in the day and you can leave those shirts in the to-be-ordered screen.

The problem I have with T-quoter right now is the SQL upgrade.  I can't get it to work.  It's running fine the way it is, but with that upgrade, they are opening a ton more possibilities down the road.

Also, I prefer to make my own pricelists for it.

[gtmfg]

We just started using Printavo. Could be pretty cool in the future but is really lacking many main features. Pretty much right now usefulness is limited to schedualing.

[Homer]

We just started using Printavo. Could be pretty cool in the future but is really lacking many main features. Pretty much right now usefulness is limited to schedualing.

I just discovered Google calender for scheduling...it actually works very well so far..and it's free......T-quoter has it's place but the scheduling part of it doesn't work for us. and the tech support end of t-quoter is absolutely horrendous...

[Flash Ink]

The thing that I like about Printavo is that Bruce will get back to you and he is making an effort. I would suggest that features that are lacking in Printavo, make Bruce aware of it and if enough of us say the same thing he will make it happen. He just rolled out the full Sanmar catalog, which is very nice for us. I am sticking with Printavo for now.

[Parker 1]

tech support end of t-quoter is absolutely horrendous...
[/quote]

Agree....

[mk162]

if another system could import all of t-quoter's information, they would make a mint taking their customers away.