HIVEMARK HELP LIBRARY

Understand every field before it reaches production.

Search builder fields, pricing concepts, substrates, and production tools. The same short explanations appear beside fields as question-mark bubbles.

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PRINT BUILDER

Estimate Builder

Define the finished job, build its production path, and save a company-priced estimate.

Job specifications

These values establish the quantity, finished piece, material, and production allowance.

Quantity: Number of finished pieces required. It drives sheet counts and quantity-based rates.
Page count: Pages in one finished item. Use 1 for a single sheet or flat piece.
Finished width / height: Final trimmed dimensions of one piece, in inches.
Substrate: Paper, board, film, or other stock used for the job. Selecting it loads stored size, waste, and pricing.
Parent width / height: Full sheet or parent-material dimensions used for the layout.
Waste %: Extra material allowed for setup, spoilage, and production loss.
Bleed required: Use when artwork must extend beyond the trim edge.
Bleed size (each edge): Artwork extension beyond every finished edge; 0.125 inch is common.

Process blocks and live estimate

Add operations in production order. The builder recalculates the layout, production quantities, and total as the job changes.

Process palette: Click or drag an operation into the job. The palette order is controlled by Builder order.
Block options: Process-specific choices or quantities defined by the company administrator.
Price override: Optional technician-entered price for one block. Blank uses the calculated price; overrides are not copied into templates.
Layout estimate: Best normal or rotated single-orientation layout. Dutch or mixed layouts are not used.
Pieces per sheet / sheets: Calculated yield and required parent-sheet count after bleed and waste.
Estimated total: Current sum of material and process charges, including any visible overrides.

Saving and customer information

Save a priced snapshot, make a reusable template, or print a production copy.

Estimate title: Short internal job name used to recognize the saved estimate.
Existing customer: Attaches a saved customer record, or starts a new customer record.
Customer name / email / phone: Contact details saved with the estimate.
Customer notes: Internal customer or job notes stored with the estimate.
Save estimate: Stores the full workflow and current price snapshot. Later price-book changes do not rewrite it.
Save as template: Stores specifications and process steps for reuse, without customer details or one-time price overrides.
Print job sheet: Creates a press-room copy of specifications and production steps without estimate pricing.

COMPANY CONFIGURATION

Processes, rates, and machines

Create the production blocks estimators can use and define how each block calculates a price.

Process definition fields

These fields control identification, placement, and availability inside the builder.

Process name: Estimator-facing operation name, such as Machine Cutting or Spiral Binding.
Category / department: Shop area or reporting category used to organize the operation.
Process group: Places the process under prepress, printing, finishing, delivery, or other work.
Pricing method: Selects the calculation model: press tiers, per piece, per sheet, hourly, flat, entered quantity, or quote required.
Machine: Optional press or production device associated with the operation.
Builder order: Sort number in the estimator palette. Lower numbers appear first.
Available in builder: Allows the process on new jobs. Turning it off preserves historical estimates.

Rate fields

The selected pricing method determines which values are used.

Setup charge: One-time charge applied whenever the process is used.
Unit rate: Variable price multiplied by each billable piece, sheet, hour, or entered unit.
Minimum charge: Lowest amount the process may charge after calculation.
Make-ready charge: Separate preparation charge for calibration, plates, tooling, or machine setup.
Units per hour: Expected production speed used to convert billable units into time for hourly pricing.

Custom builder options

Add estimator inputs that appear inside the process block.

Field key: Unique internal storage name. Use short lowercase words without punctuation.
Label: Name shown to the estimator.
Type: Number entry or controlled dropdown.
Dropdown choices: Comma-separated values available in the dropdown.
Minimum: Lowest permitted number.
Default: Initial value when an estimator adds the process.
Billable units: Entered quantity multiplied by Unit rate for the custom pricing method.

Press pricing tiers

Printing uses five quantity bands for each press and ink configuration.

Press: Printing device whose rate table is being edited.
Ink configuration: Front/back color configuration, such as 4/4, 4/1, 4/0, 1/1, or 1/0.
Minimum qty / maximum qty: Finished-quantity range assigned to the tier. The final maximum may be blank.
Setup: One-time press setup charge for the tier.
Front rate / back rate: Per-impression charges for the front and back sides.
Minimum charge: Lowest printing amount allowed within the tier.

COMPANY CONFIGURATION

Substrates

Maintain the materials, dimensions, costs, and estimating names used by the company.

Identity and description

Keep purchasing terminology separate from the clean name estimators need.

SKU: Shop stock-keeping code.
Internal name: Purchasing or production name used internally.
Builder name / display name: Clear substrate name shown in the Estimate Builder.
Category: Material family such as Paper, Cover, Board, Synthetic, or Film.
Basis weight / weight: Stock weight or caliper description.
Color: Material color shown to estimating and production staff.
Finish: Surface such as coated, uncoated, gloss, matte, or textured.
Vendor: Preferred supplier or source.

Size and pricing

Material pricing combines acquisition cost, unit, markup, and waste allowance.

Width / height: Parent-sheet or material dimensions in inches.
Cost per unit: Shop acquisition cost for one selected unit.
Cost unit: Sheet, each, linear foot, or square foot.
Markup %: Percentage added to cost when calculating the estimate price.
Waste %: Default material allowance for spoilage and setup.
Active: Makes the substrate available for new estimates while preserving inactive history.

PRICING CONTROL

Price books and imports

Stage pricing in a protected draft, review it, and publish it without changing historical estimates.

Version workflow

Only the active version prices new estimates. Manual edits are made in a working draft.

Active for new estimates: Published price book currently used for new calculations.
Working draft: Protected unpublished version where substrate and process changes are staged.
Create pricing draft: Copies active pricing into a safe editable version.
Publish draft: Makes the draft active for new estimates. Saved estimates retain their old snapshots.
Discard draft: Removes unpublished changes without affecting active pricing.
Change notes: Audit note explaining the reason for a pricing update or import.

Spreadsheet import

Files are parsed and previewed in the browser before a new draft is written.

Choose XLSX files: Select one or more supported Printer’s Plan exports or CSV files.
Preview: Shows recognized sheets, source columns, target fields, record matches, and warnings.
Import into new draft: Creates an unpublished version containing the imported definitions and rates.
Roll back: Removes an unpublished import. Published pricing cannot be rolled back from this control.

FREE PRODUCTION TOOLS

Production Tools library

Every HiveMark account includes six focused browser tools for common print-room questions.

Quick Add Bleeds

Creates production-ready bleed when supplied artwork stops at trim.

Upload PDF: Choose the customer PDF. Processing stays in the browser.
Bleed and safety settings: Set the image extension, marks, and outside safety area.
Downloads: Choose the edge-stretch or mirrored-edge result and verify it before production.

Print Coverage Calculator

Estimates how much of the page is covered by printed artwork.

Artwork: Load the page or file to analyze.
Coverage result: Use the estimated percentage as a planning signal for ink, toner, and production—not as a laboratory measurement.

Layout Calculator

Compares normal and rotated layouts on a parent sheet.

Finished size: Trimmed piece dimensions.
Parent size and margins: Available production sheet and reserved non-printing area.
Result: Pieces across, pieces down, total yield, and required sheets. Mixed Dutch layouts are excluded.

Lamination Calculator

Plans roll orientation, roll usage, material cost, and optional trimming.

Piece and quantity: Finished dimensions and number of pieces.
Roll settings: Roll width, price, gaps, and production margins.
Result: Recommended feed orientation, total roll length, material cost, and trimming requirement.

Image to PDF Sizer

Places image artwork on a PDF at the intended physical size.

Source image: Choose the artwork image.
Output dimensions: Enter the final physical width and height.
Download: Save the generated PDF and verify its page size before output.

Spiral Bind Builder

Matches assembled book thickness to a practical spiral diameter.

Pages and paper: Enter page count and paper thickness or stock assumption.
Covers: Choose the cover combination used by the finished book.
Recommendation: Review assembled thickness, suggested coil, fill percentage, and nearby coil sizes.