Created:
Oct 27, 2008
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12246
Author:
JH

Price List & Templates Setup DO's and DON'Ts
ProSelect's pricelist setup is quite flexible so you can use it in a number of different ways. However, you need to take care how you use this flexibilty else it may lead to some confusion when you are using the system to record orders. The following list is a suggested guide for what are things that you should do or should not do when setting up your price lists and templates.

PRINT PAPER SIZES

Don't have too many sizes.

Try to keep your sizes the same as the print paper sizes that you would normally order from your lab. The exception might be where you have odd crop shapes and wish to setup price list items for those shapes.

Make sure that you don't have the same print paper size more than once.

This is not a fatal problem but will make it harder to keep your price list organized. It is a good idea to keep your list of Print Paper sizes listed in size order. You can do this by dragging a size up or down in the list. Doing this will allow you to easily see if you have already created that size .

Don't enter a display name unless you want to give it a "non-sized" description such as "Desktop", "Sofa size".

If you don't have a display name entered, ProSelect will just display the actual paper size in the deafault units (eg 16" x 20").

In the case of Layouts, ProSelect will fit the layout's overall shape or main opening's shape within one of your Print Paper Sizes and show you the resulting size (see the section below for more on this).  If you enter a display name as a size then this name will be shown instead of the exact size of the layout. For example, if you have a square layout and choose the produce it on a 16x20 print paper size then it will normally be shown as a 16"x16". However if you set a display name of "16x20" for that size it will always show as a "16x20" which will lead to confusion.

Avoid using 0x0 sized print paper sizes.

You should only need these for creating price list items used when recording an "order" for any support images such as those used for head swaps. Note: All 0x0 sized items that you order will appear in the Hi-res production list (so you can select and open them in Photoshop) but will be ignored when you run production on them.

To creating non-sized price list items  (eg "Coffee Table Book 12x14"), you should set these up under the Order Adjustments tab in Price List Setup window.

PRESENTATION OPTIONS

Never refer to the product's size in your Presentation Option description.

The Presentation Options are designed so you can add descriptive text about the type of print or layout that you are ordering to a range of different print paper sized item. For example: the type of finish that you offer (eg "Art Print", Metallic Paper", "Framed print" etc). Referring to a size in this part will really confuse you and your client if you happen to put it with a different print paper size or any layout whose size will vary according to its shape.

TEMPLATES

Make sure that all your templates have different names!

This is very important otherwise it is easy to setup a price list item for one template and then select and use another template with the same name which doesn't have a price list item setup for it. You will then be wondering why there is no price list item shown when you try to order it.

Note: Having templates with the same name but in different templates groups is also not recommended for the same reason. You can't be sure which template you are selecting. If you select to display All Groups of templates at the same time then you will have no idea which is which if some have the same name because they are NOT necessarily listed with each group's templates together.

Don't have the same template with different orientations

There is no need to complicate things by having different copies of the same template in a portrait, landscape or flipped orientation. Simply create the template design once and add it to your price list once.

After selecting and adding the template to your album, you can use the tool bar buttons Rotate Layouts Right and Flip Layout Horizontal to rotate and flip any template to create the other options. You can even do this after you have added images to them (the images will not be rotated or flipped). This makes your price list simpler as well.

 It is not recommended that you name your templates at their final sizes.

All templates in ProSelect are scalable so naming them for a specific size can be confusing (unless that are being used for a specific sized traditionally matted book design). Naming them with the size will work provided you only have once price list item setup for each template at the same size as the name of the template and you don't have more than one with the same name. However you then can't easy show different sizes of the template at actual size or correctly scaled on a room view wall. 

A better way is to setup one template called a "Square Canvas", "1.25 ratio Canvas" or "Panorama Canvas" and create multiple price list items for each size.

Don't create more than one template with the same design

Because templates are scalable this is not necessary. If you are creating templates with one opening which covers the entire template then remember that a 4x6, 8x12, 16x24, 24x36 sized template is the same shape and can be easily handled by using just one template.

Make sure that you have set the correct template type for each template and match that type in your price list

In ProSelect 4, each template is either a Traditional Matted type or a Composite type.  The thumbnail images will have a dark red surround for the former and a dark green surround for the latter type. The template's type determines how it is sized when using Select size view. Traditional Matted types are sized by the main opening size and Composite types are sized by the overall size.

You can set the type for each template in the Template Editor by checking the Default to Composite type checkbox or not. Alternatively, in thumbnail view, you can select one or more tempates and use Set Selected Template Types to.. (under the Templates menu). For any layouts already added to your album, select the layouts and use Set Selected Layout Types to.. (under the Album menu) to change their type.

Likewise, when adding a template to the price list, by default, it will select the option (Traditional Matted or Composite) that matches the template's current type but you can override this either deliberately or by accident. So, while it is possible to create two price list items for the same template - one as Traditional Matted and the other as a Composite Type - it is recommended that you duplicate the template, set a different name and type and setup a separate price list item for each template that matches the template's type. This will avoid getting confused when selecting and ordering each template.

KnowledgeBase Article: Price List & Templates Setup DO's and DON'Ts