Use this article when one physical finishing machine handles two post-press operations in the same pass — a creaser/folder, a laminator that trims, a cutter that creases — and you want Estimator to price the combined operation as one make-ready instead of two. After this you will have a finishing machine configured so that the included operation no longer adds a duplicate make-ready to the price breakdown.
Steps
1. Configure the finishing machine
Open Estimate Setup → Finishing Machines and open the machine record for the physical machine that performs both steps. Fill in the fields below.
Identification
Name — recommended format is brand and model, so the same physical machine is easy to recognise when you make it available across multiple step types. For a Duplo creaser/folder, use the same machine name on both the crease and fold records.
Tags — keep the routing tags identical across the step records that share this physical machine. Estimator uses tags to confirm that the same shop machine is the candidate for both steps.
Step type assignment
Step type — set the primary post-press operation this record represents (fold on the fold record, crease on the crease record). One record per step type — a creaser/folder needs two records that share the same machine name.
Included Steps — the additional post-press operations the machine performs inline as part of the same pass. On the fold record for a creaser/folder, enter
crease. On the crease record for the same creaser/folder, enterfold. Accepted values arecut,crease,fold, andlaminate. For machines that include more than one operation, separate the values with commas (for examplecut,crease).
Make-ready and spoilage
Make-ready time — minutes the machine is unavailable for paying work before the run starts. Configure this on the primary record. When Estimator applies the included-step calculation, it uses the higher make-ready of the two records rather than adding both.
Make-ready labor — fixed labor cost added once per run; configure on the primary record.
Speed and cost
Sheets per hour — running speed on this machine in this configuration.
Machine rate per hour — all hourly running costs (amortisation, electricity, consumables).
Labor rate per hour — operator cost; if the operator can do other work while the machine runs, enter a fraction of their full rate (e.g., 50%).
Save the change. The Pending Changes count increments by one in the sidebar.
2. Make the same physical machine available on every step it covers
Open the second finishing record for the same physical machine. If a creaser/folder is on the fold record from Step 1, this is the crease record (or vice versa). Confirm the Name matches the first record exactly — same brand and model string — and that Tags carry the same routing tag. Set Included Steps to the other operation so Estimator can see the machine handles both steps in one pass.
Save the change. Pending Changes increments again.
3. Apply the changes
Open the Pending Changes panel in the sidebar and review the two staged edits to the finishing machine records. Select Apply Changes to publish them to live setup.
The Pending Changes count returns to zero. Create or recalculate a test estimate that needs both included operations on the same product. The price breakdown now shows one make-ready line for the combined operation instead of two.
Things to know
Included Steps does not override tag, sheet-size, weight, or step-type eligibility. If the machine is filtered out by any of these on the route, Estimator falls back to separate-step pricing. Open the Issue analysis panel on the quote and read the Excluded machines section if the combined path is not chosen.
The combined path is used only when it is cheaper than the separate-step path. If the separate-step calculation is cheaper, Estimator stays on the separate path even when Included Steps is configured correctly. This is by design.
Included Steps is for post-press operations only. It does not merge print, prepress, or paper cost into the finishing machine — those stay on their own lines on the price breakdown.