Use this article when an estimator wants to understand how the engine turns a spec into a specific sequence of machines. After this you will know which Estimate Setup records the engine evaluates, where the selected route is shown on a quote, and which setup levers move a route from one option to another.
What a production route is
When you click Calculate, Estimator works out which press, which finishing machine, which binding machine, and which cutting machine should run the job — and in what order. That sequence is the production route.
Estimator evaluates four pieces of Estimate Setup at calculation time:
The product category — defines the production steps the job needs (for example, print, cut, fold, saddle stitch).
The substrates configured for the category — sheet size, weight, coat, and any tags that restrict which press can take the substrate.
The print and finishing machines — colour units, max sheet size, speeds, and tags that restrict which substrates the machine accepts.
The price model and any conditional steps — adds finishing operations to the sequence based on the spec.
When more than one valid route exists for the spec, Estimator returns each one as a separate priced option. The estimator picks the option they want to send; that selection drives the quote total and the route production follows.
The selected route is read-only on the quote. To change it, adjust the Estimate Setup records (or the spec on the quote), then click Recalculate.
A worked example
Northgate Press receives an RFQ for a 5,000-run Stitched Book on Silk 100gsm SRA1 (the 100gsm row in Northgate Press' substrate table). The estimator picks the Stitched Book category, fills in the spec, and clicks Calculate.
Estimator evaluates the available presses:
XL105 — sheet-fed offset, 8 colour units, accepts SRA1 sheet size. Eligible for the cover and inner pages.
HP Indigo — digital sheet-fed. Eligible for the cover and inner pages.
For the binding step, only Stitcher 1 is configured for saddle stitching in Northgate Press' machine library, so the binding step is fixed on Stitcher 1. The finishing chain becomes Print → Cut → Fold → Saddle Stitch on Stitcher 1.
Estimator returns two priced options — one routing print to XL105, the other to HP Indigo. The estimator clicks the XL105 option (5,000 sits inside Northgate Press' offset band) and opens See price breakdown to confirm the run cost. Inside the breakdown, View estimation path opens the Issue analysis dialog and shows the selected machines per step and which presses were excluded for the unselected option.
What this affects
The total on every option. Each route carries its own substrate imposition, run speed, make-ready, and finishing chain — different routes have different totals.
The cost lines in the price breakdown. The selected route's machines drive the make-ready, run, and finishing rates the breakdown reports.
The information in the Issue analysis dialog. Assigned machines per step, and the Excluded machines section, both reflect the selected option's route.
What production will run. The saved quote carries the selected route into the MIS export and the production handoff.
What this does not affect
The Estimate Setup records themselves. Calculating or recalculating a quote never modifies the substrate, press, or category configuration. The route is a read-only decision against the live setup.
Other open quotes. Each quote runs its own route selection. A change on one quote does not move another quote's route.
The customer's standing rebate. Rebates apply after the cost calculation finishes. Changing the route changes the base price; the rebate gross-up is then applied on top.