Use this article when an estimator tries to build a quote and a substrate, finishing option, or product variant they expected to see is not in the list — or when Recalculate returns with fewer routes than usual. After this you will have either fixed the missing option in Estimate Setup or confirmed the option is intentionally excluded for that spec.
Symptom table
Symptom | Check (where to look) | Fix (action) | Verify (what you'll see) |
Recalculate finishes but the substrate the customer wants is not on the substrate picker | Open Issue analysis on the quote and read the Excluded machines section for the print step | Open the substrate's row in Estimate Setup → Substrates, confirm the relevant product and part are listed under assigned products, add the missing assignment, then Apply Changes | The substrate now appears in the substrate picker for that product on a new quote |
A finishing step (fold, stitch, laminate) is missing from the quote's step list | Open Issue analysis and confirm the step's category step list does not include the finishing step | Open Estimate Setup → Products for the category, open the part, and add the finishing step in the steps list. Apply Changes | The step appears in the new quote's step list and on the price breakdown |
The expected press does not appear on the assigned route | Open Issue analysis on the quote and check Excluded machines for the reason (tag mismatch, sheet outside size limits, stock over caliper) | Adjust the press tag, max sheet, or max caliper in Estimate Setup → Print machines, then Apply Changes | Recalculate picks the press; the Excluded machines entry for that press disappears |
An add-on option (lamination, spot UV) is not in Additional options at quote time | Open the product's part in Estimate Setup → Products and check whether the add-on price model has Show by default turned on for that category | Toggle Show by default on, or add the add-on to the part's conditional steps. Apply Changes | The add-on appears in Additional options on a new quote for that product |
Recalculate errors with a validation message | Read the validation message on the quote header — it names the missing field (quantity, size, or substrate) | Fill the missing field on the quote and Recalculate | The quote calculates; price breakdown appears |
Example 1 — A Stitched Book quote shows no SRA1 substrate option
Northgate Press quotes a 2,000-run Stitched Book and expects to choose Silk 100gsm SRA1 for the cover. The substrate picker on the cover part shows only RA1 rows, not SRA1.
Diagnosis: Open Issue analysis on the quote. The cover part's substrate list is filtered to substrates that are assigned to the Stitched Book category. The SRA1 row in Substrates has no entry for Stitched Book — cover under its product assignments.
Fix: Open Estimate Setup → Substrates, open the SRA1 row, add Stitched Book → cover to its assigned products list, and Apply Changes.
Verify: Open the quote again and Recalculate. The substrate picker on the cover part now lists SRA1. Selecting it produces a price breakdown with the SRA1 row as the cover substrate.
Example 2 — A Folded Leaflets quote has no fold step on the price breakdown
Northgate Press quotes a 5,000-run Folded Leaflets product. The price breakdown shows print and cut lines but no fold line, and the finished spec includes a 4-panel roll fold.
Diagnosis: Open Issue analysis on the quote. The step list shows print and cut; fold is not in the category's step list for Folded Leaflets. Folder 1 is configured but never gets called because the category does not request a fold step.
Fix: Open Estimate Setup → Products, open the Folded Leaflets category, open the part, and add the fold step to the part's step list. Apply Changes.
Verify: Recalculate the quote. The price breakdown now has a fold line driven by Folder 1's run speed and rate, and the total reflects the added fold cost.
What if this didn't fix it?
If the substrate, machine, and product setup all look correct but the option still does not appear after Apply Changes and Recalculate, the issue is in calculation logic or in a tenant-specific data sync rather than setup. Open a support request and include: the estimate ID, the product and part names, the substrate or machine name that should be available, and the Issue analysis export from the affected quote. See Troubleshoot first quote fails for the broader diagnosis flow when Recalculate errors instead of returning a partial result.
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Why a substrate is missing from a quote