Printing Press Management System in Excel: Job Estimator, Paper and Plates, Quotation, Delivery Status and Dashboard

By Ravindra Bagale · Last updated: 17 October 2026

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Download the template: printing-press-management-system-template.xlsx: a 6-sheet system with example data and real formulas (Read me, Setup, Jobs, Quotation, Report, Dashboard). Yellow cells are inputs you can type over; green cells hold formulas; blue rows are headers and totals. Replace the example data with your own and every report and the dashboard recalculate.

Made-up data: every name, amount, business and date on this page is made up for practice. Cities are used only to make the examples feel real.

1. The business story

Shahrukh Printers, Nashik, October 2026 (made-up data). Plate ₹350 per colour per side, printing ₹300 per 1,000 impressions, wastage 5%, margin 25% on cost. GST on print work is an input (18% here; confirm it for your work).

Eight jobs quoted at ₹76,851 before GST against a cost of ₹61,480.10: ₹15,370.90 profit. ₹18,515 is still to collect on open jobs.

2. Build it sheet by sheet

Step 1. Setup: rates

1. B4 plate cost per colour per side (₹350), B5 printing per 1,000 impressions (₹300), B6 wastage (5%), B7 lamination per sheet, B8 binding per copy, B9 margin (25%), B10 GST.
2. Paper rates per sheet in A13:B15 and job types in D13:D17.

Step 2. Jobs: sheets and costs

1. Type customer, job type, qty, ups per sheet, colours, sides, paper, lamination and binding. A5 numbers the job ="P-"&TEXT(ROW()-4,"000").
2. N5 sheets: =ROUNDUP(ROUNDUP(E5/F5,0)*(1+Setup!$B$6),0) (ROUNDUP). 1,000 cards at 12 ups need 84 sheets, plus 5% = 89.
3. O5 paper =ROUND(N5*XLOOKUP(I5,Setup!$A$13:$A$15,Setup!$B$13:$B$15,0),2), P5 plates =G5*H5*Setup!$B$4.
4. Q5 printing =ROUNDUP(MAX(1000,N5)/1000,0)*G5*H5*Setup!$B$5 charges at least 1,000 impressions per colour per side; R5 finishing for lamination and binding.

Step 3. Jobs: quote, status and profit

1. S5 cost =O5+P5+Q5+R5, T5 quote before GST =ROUND(S5*(1+Setup!$B$9),0) and U5 with GST =ROUND(T5*(1+Setup!$B$10),0).
2. X5 status: =IF(W5<>"","Delivered",IF(M5<Setup!$B$3,"Overdue","In press")) with M5 due =B5+L5.
3. Y5 profit =T5-S5. Colour Overdue red with conditional formatting.

Step 4. Quotation

1. Type a job no in B4; B6 =XLOOKUP($B$4,Jobs!$A$5:$A$500,Jobs!$C$5:$C$500,"Not found") and the rows below bring job, qty, paper, colours, sides, lamination, prices and delivery date.
2. P-004 for Shraddha Tuition Centre: 2,000 brochures at ₹18,031 before GST, ₹9.02 a piece. Set the print area to A1:B18.

Step 5. Report and Dashboard

1. Report per job type: B5 jobs, C5 quoted, D5 cost and E5 profit with SUMIFS, F5 open jobs with COUNTIFS; rows 13 to 16 split costs into paper, plates, printing and finishing.
2. KPI cards: jobs, quoted value, profit, overdue, balance on open jobs and paper share =Report!B13/Report!D10. Charts: profit by job type and cost split.

3. Formulas used

Every formula above is written in the template, so you can click a cell and see it in the formula bar. All values on this page were recalculated in LibreOffice with zero errors.

4. Common mistakes

1. ROUND instead of ROUNDUP for sheets. You cannot print on 83.3 sheets. ROUNDUP keeps the paper count whole and enough.
2. No wastage allowance. Setting up colours spoils sheets. Leave B6 at 0 and every job runs short.
3. Plates only for one side. A 4-colour job printed both sides needs 8 plates: colours × sides.
4. Margin on the quote with GST. Add margin to cost first, then GST on that quote, as in T5 and U5.
5. Quoting short runs per piece. Printing has a minimum of 1,000 impressions per plate; Q5 uses MAX(1000,…) for that.

5. More real examples

Example 1: Screen printing on T-shirts. Replace plates with screens per colour and paper with blank shirts per piece.

Example 2: Flex and banner printing. Cost by square foot: width × height × rate, plus eyelets and frame as finishing.

Example 3: Stationery for offices. Add a Repeat job of column and reuse plates at no cost for reprints.

Quick revision cards

Englishमराठीहिंदी

Quick revision

Each card shows formulas from this page, each with an example and its answer from the template. Scan the QR code on a card to open this lesson. All names and numbers are made up for practice.

More cards: Ravi Sir's Cards.

6. Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate sheets needed for a print job?

Quantity ÷ ups per sheet, rounded up, then × (1 + wastage), rounded up again: =ROUNDUP(ROUNDUP(E5/F5,0)*(1+wastage),0).

How do I cost plates?

Colours × sides × plate cost. A 4-colour, two-sided job needs 8 plates.

How do I add margin and GST to a quotation?

Quote = cost × (1 + margin), rounded; with GST = quote × (1 + GST rate), rounded.

Is GST on printing always 18%?

Not always; it depends on the job and who supplies the content and paper. Confirm with your accountant and set Setup B10.

How do I show the price per piece?

Quote before GST ÷ quantity: ₹18,031 ÷ 2,000 = ₹9.02.

7. Quick quiz

Ten questions on this page. Sign in to save your score.