Print shops juggle more jobs than almost any other manufacturer
You might have 30 active jobs at any given time. Some are on the press. Some are in prepress. Some are waiting for paper. Some are in finishing. Some are ready to ship.
Each job moves through a different set of machines depending on what it is. A brochure goes from prepress to offset press to cutter to folder. A banner goes from prepress to the wide-format printer to grommeting. A book goes from digital press to collator to perfect binder to cutter.
The schedule is complicated because the paths are different for every job. And the deadlines are tight because print customers always need it yesterday.
What print shops deal with
High job volume. Print shops run more concurrent jobs than most manufacturers. 20 to 40 active jobs is normal. Each one at a different stage. Tracking them all by memory or whiteboard doesn’t scale.
Multiple production paths. A business card job and a packaging job go through completely different machines. Your schedule has to handle both workflows on the same board.
Press time is expensive. Your presses are your most valuable machines. Idle press time costs real money. The schedule needs to keep presses loaded and minimize gaps between jobs.
Make-ready and setup. Ink changes, plate changes, substrate loading. Make-ready time varies by job. Your schedule needs to account for it or every job runs late.
Material variety. Paper stocks, inks, substrates, binding materials, laminate. A dozen materials per job, and running out of the right stock means the press sits idle while you wait for delivery.
Tight deadlines. Print customers expect fast turnaround. A one-day delay can lose a client. The schedule has to be accurate because there’s no margin for error.
How Machestra works for print shops
Every machine on one screen. Offset presses, digital presses, wide-format printers, cutters, folders, binders, laminators. All on the scheduling board. You see what’s running and what’s open.
Per-step job tracking. Prepress, press, cut, fold, bind, ship. Each step gets its own machine and time slot. You know exactly where every job is in the process. Not just “in production” but “on the cutter, next goes to folding.”
Material tracking. Paper stock, ink, substrates. Track by type, weight, and quantity. Get alerts when you’re low. Know whether you have the stock before you schedule the run.
Conflict detection. Two jobs on the same press at the same time? Machestra flags it. No surprises at the press.
Mobile access. Your press operator checks the queue from the press. Your finishing team sees what’s coming. No walking to the office to ask.
If you’re running your print schedule on a spreadsheet, it works for a handful of jobs but falls apart at 20+. And full MRP systems like MRPeasy charge per user and add modules print shops never touch.
Pricing
No per-user fees. Press operators, prepress, finishing, sales, office. Everyone sees the schedule.
- Free: 3 machines, 5 users.
- Starter ($12/mo):* 10 machines, 50 users.
- Growth ($39/mo):* 100 machines, 100 users.
Getting started
- Sign up free
- Import your machines and jobs
- Start scheduling your production
Under 10 minutes from signup to your first scheduled job.
*All Machestra prices shown in USD. Actual price may vary based on your location.