Use this article when your shop runs lithographic offset on individual sheets (Heidelberg Speedmaster, KBA Rapida, Komori Lithrone, or similar) and you need Estimator to price plates, make-ready, ink, and run time on every offset quote. After this you will have a sheet-fed offset press that prices correctly on offset quotes, with the press appearing in route information and the plate, make-ready, and run lines appearing on the price breakdown.
Steps
1. Configure the sheet-fed offset press
Open Estimate Setup → Print Machines, then add or open the press you want to configure and set Machine Type to Sheet-Fed Offset. Fill in the fields below.
Identification
Name — recommended format is brand and model, so the press is easy to recognise on quotes and in Excluded machines (e.g., "XL105" or "Heidelberg CD 102").
Manufacturer — free-text label captured alongside the name. Display only; no effect on routing.
Machine Type — select Sheet-Fed Offset. Changing the type later rewrites the editor and discards offset-specific values, so treat a type change as a re-create.
Status — set to Active when the press should be a candidate for routing. Inactive presses are dropped before the candidate filter runs.
Tags — link the press to the substrates, finishing machines, and product categories it can run. Without a matching tag, Estimator excludes the press from a quote with the reason "no machine matches tags".
Physical capabilities
Minimum sheet size (width × height) — the smallest flat sheet the gripper can pick up, in millimetres or inches. For example, 340 × 480 mm or 13 × 19 in.
Maximum sheet size (width × height) — the largest flat sheet the press can run. For example, 720 × 1020 mm or 28 × 40 in for a B1 press.
Maximum stock caliper — the thickest paper or board the press can handle without jamming, in microns or points. For example, up to 1000 microns or 0.040 in.
Non-printable margins (width / height) — edge area the gripper and cylinder cannot reach, in millimetres or inches. For example, 8 × 13 mm or 0.3 × 0.5 in.
Operational speeds and labour
Make-ready hours — fixed overhead time before the run starts (load paper, mount plates, run colour bars), in hours. For example, 0.1 h for a fast colour change.
Make-ready sheets — sheets consumed during registration before saleable copies print. For example, 160 sheets for a 4-colour job.
Output per hour — maximum sustained production speed at standard quality, in sides per hour. For example, 13,000 sides/hour for an XL105.
Machine rate per hour — hourly running cost (amortisation, electricity, consumables), in tenant currency. For example, €190/hour or $200/hour.
Operator labour rate per hour — operator cost per hour. If the operator can also run a second press while this one is in long run, enter a fraction of their full rate (e.g., 50%).
Over copies — extra sheets produced beyond ordered quantity to cover downstream finishing loss. For example, 50–200 copies depending on downstream cut and fold volume.
Running spoils % — extra sheets spoiled during the run, as a percentage of necessary quantity. For example, 0.5–2%.
Offset cost fields
Plate cost — all-in cost of one plate (material, chemicals, CTP processing). For example, €8.50 or $10.00 per plate. Plate count is colours × parts × surfaces, so a 4/4 single-section job consumes 8 plates.
Plate-making labour per hour — hourly cost of the operator mounting plates and running the processor. For example, €110/hour or $120/hour.
Processor plates per minute — throughput of the plate processor, in plates per minute. Used with plate-making labour to compute the plate-making line.
Make-ready material cost — fixed material cost on the make-ready line beyond the sheet count (chemistry, blanket wash). For example, €40 or $45 per make-ready.
Spot-colour make-ready fixed — fixed labour cost added per spot colour beyond CMYK. For example, €50 or $55 per Pantone.
Paper-coat extra price — per-coating adder applied to the paper bucket (e.g., Uncoated:30; Silk:61; Gloss:50). Tune to your press's behaviour on each coating.
Color units — number of ink units the press carries (e.g., 2, 4, 5, 8). Limits the maximum colours imageable in one pass; over this, Estimator costs a second pass.
Impose files price — per-file imposition charge added to prepress. For example, €5 or $6 per file.
Preflight check price per page — per-page preflight cost added to prepress.
Print method — imposition strategies the press supports (e.g., Work and Turn). Only methods listed here are considered by the planning engine.
Open the card view on the press row for additional details:
Run-speed override table — override Output per hour for specific substrates or weights (e.g., heavier board running at 60% of base).
Volume markup tiers — tier the markup by quantity (e.g., 50% on small runs, lower on large runs).
Save the change. The Pending Changes count increments by one in the sidebar.
2. Connect the press to substrates and categories
Open the substrates that should run on this press under Substrates and confirm each one carries at least one tag that matches the press's tags. Add the missing tag if it is not there.
Open the product categories that should route here (for example, Stitched Book or Leaflets & Flyers (un-folded)) and confirm the print step is set to use a sheet-fed offset path.
Save the change. Pending Changes increments again.
3. Apply the changes
Open the Pending Changes panel in the sidebar and review the staged edits to the press, substrate tags, and category. Select Apply Changes to publish them to live setup.
The Pending Changes count returns to zero and the press is now part of the active configuration. Recalculate a test quote that uses a matching substrate; the press appears in the route information and the plate, make-ready, and run lines appear on the price breakdown.
Things to know
Plate cost is multiplied by colours × parts × surfaces. A 4/4 single-section job needs 8 plates; a 4/5 job (CMYK + spot back) needs 9 plates and one additional spot-colour make-ready.
Make-ready sheets is independent of run quantity — it is a fixed setup loss. Long runs absorb this cost easily; short runs are penalised proportionally and may route to digital instead.
The Tags field is the primary mechanism for restricting which substrates and finishing paths route to this press. Leave it empty only if the press should be considered for any substrate-finishing combination.
Switching Machine Type away from Sheet-Fed Offset drops the plate-cost, wash-up, and coating fields. Treat a type change as a re-create.