Use this article when an operator opens the create-estimate flow and a category, finished size, color option, or add-on the shop expects is not on the dropdown. After this you will have either restored the missing option in setup or confirmed which setup row is blocking it.
Symptom | Check (where to look) | Fix (action) | Verify (what you'll see) |
The category is not on the create-estimate dropdown. | Open Estimate Setup → Products → Categories. Find the category row and read its status. | If the row exists but is staged, open Pending Changes in the sidebar and select Apply Changes. If the row is missing, add the category and apply. | Reopen the create-estimate flow. The category now appears on the dropdown. |
A finished size is missing from the size picker on a category. | Open Estimate Setup → Products → Finish Sizes and filter by the affected category. | Add a Finish Sizes row that lists the missing size and links it to the category, then Apply Changes. | Recalculate the quote with the missing size selected. The size now appears in the picker and the quote calculates. |
A color option is missing on the quote for this category. | Open Estimate Setup → Products → Page Colors and read the rows linked to the category. Also open Field Rules to see whether a dependency rule is hiding the option. | Add or unhide the Page Colors row, or relax the Field Rules dependency that is filtering it out. Apply Changes. | Recalculate the quote. The color option appears in the dropdown for this category. |
A finishing add-on (shrink-wrap, drilling) is missing from the quote. | Open Estimate Setup → Products → Conditional Steps. Find the add-on row and read whether the linked price model is assigned to this category. | Either add the Conditional Steps row that points the add-on at this category, or assign the price model that the add-on rides. Apply Changes. | Reopen the quote. The add-on appears in the add-on selector for this category. |
A substrate is selectable on another category but not on this one. | Open the Category Parts for the affected category and read Tags on the part. Then open the substrate row and compare its Tags. | Align the part Tags with the substrate Tags — either remove the routing restriction from the part or add the matching tag to the substrate. Apply Changes. | Recalculate the quote with the substrate selected. The substrate is now available for this category's part. |
The whole category routes to a wrong-shape result (folded job priced as flat, bound priced as flat). | Open Estimate Setup → Products → Categories and read Category Type for this category. | Edit the category row and set Category Type to the correct imposition family (Flat, Folded, Bound, Repeat/Stack). Apply Changes. Validate with a fresh test estimate. | A new estimate on this category sheets the job per the corrected imposition. The price breakdown shows the expected step grouping. |
The expected page count is rejected on the quote. | Open Estimate Setup → Products → Page Limits and read the rows linked to the category. | Adjust the min or max page count on the Page Limits row, or add a row that covers the missing range. Apply Changes. | Reopen the quote. The page count is accepted and the quote calculates. |
Example 1 — A new finishing add-on does not appear on a Folded Leaflets quote
Northgate Press added a shrink-wrap add-on to its price model library last week, but the option does not show on a 5,000-run Folded Leaflets quote on Silk 100gsm SRA1.
Diagnosis: Open Estimate Setup → Products → Conditional Steps. The shrink-wrap row exists, but the Categories column shows only Stitched Book — the row was never linked to Folded Leaflets.
Fix: Edit the Conditional Steps row and add Folded Leaflets to the Categories list. Open Pending Changes and select Apply Changes.
Verify: Reopen the Folded Leaflets quote and re-select the add-on dropdown. Shrink-wrap now appears. Recalculate the quote — the price breakdown shows a new add-on line for shrink-wrap.
Example 2 — A Stitched Book category is missing from the operator's dropdown
Northgate Press added a Stitched Book category yesterday for a customer-specific cover style. This morning the operator opens the create-estimate flow and the new category is not on the dropdown.
Diagnosis: Open Estimate Setup → Products → Categories. The new row is present but marked as staged in Pending Changes — yesterday's edit was saved but never applied.
Fix: Open the Pending Changes panel in the sidebar. The staged row is listed. Select Apply Changes to publish it to live setup.
Verify: The Pending Changes count returns to zero. Reopen the create-estimate flow. The new Stitched Book category appears on the category dropdown.
What if this didn't fix it?
If the category row is applied, the supporting tables (Finish Sizes, Page Colors, Field Rules) all show the option linked to the category, and the create-estimate flow still does not show it, the issue is in the data layer rather than setup. Open a support request and include: the printhouse name, the category name, the missing option, the Pending Changes state at the time of the issue, and any Issue analysis message you can see on a test quote. Check Why a substrate is missing from a quote first if the missing option is a substrate.
Related articles
Why a substrate is missing from a quote