GelatoConnect Estimator
This guide provides instructions on how to effectively use the estimation engine.
By Julia and 6 others7 authors176 articles
- [GC AI-Estimator] Explanation of each AI Estimator Configuration Field
- Best Practices: Adding SubstratesLearn how to correctly add and configure substrates so they route properly in estimates. Covers substrate types, tags, coat, weight ranges, sheet sizes, field rules, and a full troubleshooting checklist
Getting Started Guide
Initial setup guide and checklist
- [Getting Started - AI-Estimator] Step 1: Set Up Users and a Test Customer
- [Getting Started - AI-Estimator] Step 2: Create Your First Estimate with the AI Assistant
- [Getting Started - AI-Estimator] Step 3: Configure Estimate Setup
- [Getting Started - AI-Estimator] Step 3.1: Configure Your Machines and Substrates
- [Getting Started - AI-Estimator] Step 3.2: Configure Your Products and Reference Data
- [Getting Started - AI-Estimator] Step 3.3: Configure Pricing rules and Settings
- [Getting Started - AI-Estimator] Step 4: Create Real Estimates and Validate
- [Getting Started - AI-Estimator] Step 5: Enable Customers and Website Visitors to Generate Quotes with Self-Quote
- [Getting Started - AI-Estimator] Step 6: Export Estimates to Other System to Create Job Tickets or Track Data
How it works
Explanation of key concepts
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Create Multi-Product Estimates
- How to Set Up and Estimate Packaging with AI-Estimator
- How to Train Your AI Estimator with Guidance
- Die-Cut in AI-Estimator
- How to Make Granular Markup Adjustments within an estimate
- How to Enable No Bleed Option
- How to Configure the Notepads Category in AI-Estimator
- Setting Up Access Controls (MIS Admin and MIS User Roles)
- How to Create a New Product Category in the AI Estimator
- AI Estimator Onboarding
- [GC AI-Estimator] Using the AI Configurator for Effortless Onboarding
- [GC AI-Estimator] How to Use the New Estimate Setup Page to Configure AI-Estimator
Configure your Estimator
Set up substrates, machines, finishing, products, and pricing in Estimate Setup.
- [GC AI-Estimator] Setting Up Parent Sheet & Cut-to-SizeLearn how to configure Cut-to-Size in AI Estimator to automatically derive print-ready sheet sizes from your parent sheet stock, with accurate yield calculations and cutting costs included in every estimate.
- Guidance referenceThis reference documents the Guidance Settings surface in Estimate Setup: each Guidance type, what it changes, what it does not change, and how the two…
- [GC AI-Estimator] How Guidance works
- [GC AI-Estimator] Orient yourself in Estimate Setup
- How pricing setup works in EstimatorUse this article when you are about to edit a margin number, a pricing rule, or a custom step formula, and you want to know which of the three pricing…
- Add a crease machineUse this article when your shop creases covers, cards, or folded leaflets on a dedicated creaser and you need Estimator to price the crease step on quotes that…
- Create a banner large-format categoryUse this article when your shop runs wide-format roll-fed or sheet-fed work — vinyl banners, mesh banners, rigid board displays, vehicle signage, exhibition…
- Estimate Setup area referenceThis reference describes every area you will see in the Estimate Setup sidebar, what it configures, when to edit it, and what depends on its contents.
- Configure a large-format roll-fed pressUse this article when your shop runs roll-to-roll wide-format printers (HP Latex, Mimaki JV, Roland TrueVIS, Epson SureColor S, Canon imagePROGRAF, or similar)…
- [GC AI-Estimator] Add or edit a substrateUse this article when the paper merchant adds a new stock, drops a stock, or changes a price and your Paper Library needs to match what the shop actually buys.
- Pricing setup referenceThis reference describes the fields on the three pricing-setup surfaces: bucket markups on a product category, the price adjustment model on a product…
- Create a flat product categoryUse this article when your shop runs un-folded, un-bound sheet products — flyers, posters, postcards, business cards, single-sheet menus, point-of-sale headers…
- Add a cut machineUse this article when your shop runs a guillotine or other sheet cutter and you need Estimator to price the cut step on quotes that include trimming.
- Configure a large-format sheet-fed pressUse this article when your shop runs flatbed UV, latex, or eco-solvent printers on rigid sheets (SwissQprint, Durst Rho, HP Latex flatbed, Mimaki JFX, Canon…
- How Estimate Setup navigation worksUse this article when you are opening Estimate Setup for the first time and want to understand the layout before you start configuring substrates and machines.
- [GC AI-Estimator] Assign Substrates to Products and Parts
- [GC AI-Estimator] Set up Pricing Rules
- Create a folded leaflets categoryUse this article when your shop runs folded marketing collateral — tri-fold leaflets, 4-panel zigzag brochures, half-fold menus, gate-fold flyers — and you…
- Add a fold machineUse this article when your shop folds leaflets, brochures, or signatures and you need Estimator to price the fold step on every quote that includes a folded…
- Configure a sheet-fed digital pressUse this article when your shop runs sheet-fed digital production (HP Indigo, Xerox iGen or Iridesse, Konica Minolta AccurioPress, Canon imagePRESS, or…
- Navigate Estimate Setup areasUse this article when you are onboarding a tenant and want to visit every Estimate Setup area once to learn what it owns.
- Export substrates to a fileUse this article when you need a spreadsheet copy of your substrate library — to audit current prices, share the catalogue with a buyer, or edit many rows at…
- Add a laminate machineUse this article when your shop laminates covers, postcards, business cards, or other printed pieces and you need Estimator to price the laminate step on…
- Why a pricing rule did not applyUse this article when a pricing rule you expected to fire is missing from the price breakdown, or fired with the wrong adjustment.
- Create a hardback casebound book categoryUse this article when your shop builds hardcover books — coffee-table photography, hardback novels, presentation editions, board-cover annual reports — and you…
- Navigate Estimate SetupUse this article when you have just opened Estimate Setup and want to find the right area, run a search, switch between table and card layouts, and stage edits…
- [GC AI-Estimator] How Brands Work with Substrates
- Configure a sheet-fed offset pressUse this article when your shop runs lithographic offset on individual sheets (Heidelberg Speedmaster, KBA Rapida, Komori Lithrone, or similar) and you need…
- Create validation quotesUse this article when Estimate Setup is complete for a product category and you need to prove the category quotes correctly across the quantity bands the shop…
- Add a spot finishing machineUse this article when your shop applies spot UV, spot foil, embossing, or another localised finish and you need Estimator to price the spot step on quotes that…
- Create a notepads categoryUse this article when your shop produces pad-glued notepads or NCR sets — desk pads, branded notepads, multi-part receipt books — and you need Estimator to…
- [GC AI-Estimator] How Grain Direction Works With Substrates
- Configure included steps for a combined finishing machineUse 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…
- How setup validation works in EstimatorUse this article when Estimate Setup is configured and you need to confirm the shop can quote real work before estimators rely on the tool for live customers.
- Configure a web digital pressUse this article when your shop runs continuous-feed digital inkjet or web Indigo (HP PageWide, Canon ProStream, Indigo 7250 web, or similar) and you need…
- Binding machines referenceThis reference describes the fields common to every binder row under Estimate Setup → Binding Machines, and points to the per-subtype Configure articles for…
- Create a perfect bound book categoryUse this article when your shop perfect-binds inner blocks with PUR or EVA glue and wraps a softback cover — paperbacks, manuals, annual reports, photo books —…
- How included steps workUse this article when one of your finishing machines performs two production steps in the same pass and you want the quote to reflect that.
- [GC AI-Estimator] How Parent Sheets and Cut-To-Size Work
- Setup validation checklistThis reference is the per-category sign-off checklist used during setup validation in Estimate Setup and Manage Estimates.
- Configure a web offset pressUse this article when your shop runs continuous-web offset (heatset or coldset commercial web, newspaper, or magazine lines) and you need Estimator to price…
- Create a stitched book categoryUse this article when your shop saddle-stitches signatures into booklets — magazines, brochures, catalogues, programmes — and you need Estimator to surface a…
- Included steps referenceThis reference describes the Included Steps field on the finishing machine editor under Estimate Setup → Finishing Machines, plus the eligibility rules…
- Configure a case-making binderUse this article when your shop assembles hardcover cases — covering boards, turning in, jointing, and pressing — and you need Estimator to price the…
- How substrates and the paper library workUse this article when you are setting up your shop's paper library for the first time or trying to understand why a particular paper does or does not appear on…
- [GC AI-Estimator] What to Check When a Validation Quote Looks Wrong
- How large-format roll-fed presses work in GelatoConnect EstimatorUse this article when your shop runs a roll-to-roll wide-format printer (HP Latex roll, Mimaki JV, Roland TrueVIS, Epson SureColor S) for banners, vinyl,…
- Create a wire-o bound book categoryUse this article when your shop wire-binds or spiral-binds gathered sheets — notepads with hard covers, recipe books, instruction manuals, presentation…
- Configure foldingUse this article when your shop folds leaflets, brochures, or signatures and you need Estimator to price the fold as part of the quote.
- Why a finishing job still shows two make-readiesUse this article when the price breakdown on a finished product (a creased and folded brochure, a laminated and trimmed cover) shows two finishing make-ready…
- Import substrates from a fileUse this article when you need to load many substrates at once — onboarding from a supplier list, refreshing prices monthly, or migrating papers from another…
- How large-format sheet-fed presses work in GelatoConnect EstimatorUse this article when your shop runs a flatbed UV, latex, or eco-solvent sheet press (SwissQprint, Durst, HP Latex flatbed, Mimaki JFX) and you need to…
- How products and product categories workUse this article when you need to understand how the quoteable products on a quote (Stitched Book, Folded Leaflets, Banner) are built from the Categories table.
- Configure guillotine pretrimUse this article when your shop trims multi-up sheets on a guillotine and you need Estimator to count an extra perimeter pass before the separation cuts so cut…
- How sheet-fed digital presses work in GelatoConnect EstimatorUse this article when your shop runs an HP Indigo, Xerox, Konica Minolta, or Canon sheet press and you need to understand how Estimator prices a digital run.
- Substrates and paper library referenceUse this reference when you are editing a substrate row in the Substrates table and you want to know which field controls which part of the quote, when to…
- Configure a pad glue binderUse this article when your shop pads notepads, memo blocks, or NCR sets with a glued top edge and you need Estimator to price the pad-glue step on every padded…
- AI Configurator referenceThis reference documents the boundaries of the AI Configurator chat surface in Estimate Setup: what each chat action does, what it cannot do, and the…
- Product category field guideThis reference describes the fields you will see on the Categories editor and the supporting tables (Category Parts, Page Limits, Page Folds, Page Colors,…
- How sheet-fed offset presses work in GelatoConnect EstimatorUse this article when your shop runs a litho press (Heidelberg, Komori, KBA, manroland) and you need to understand how Estimator prices an offset run.
- Configure a perfect binderUse this article when your shop runs softcover books on a perfect binder — PUR or EVA glue — and you need Estimator to price the bind step on every…
- [GC AI-Estimator] Why a Substrate is Missing From a Quote
- Configure your shop with AI ConfiguratorUse this article when you are bootstrapping a new shop in GelatoConnect Estimator and have machine lists, paper catalogs, or category notes you want to import…
- How web digital presses work in GelatoConnect EstimatorUse this article when your shop runs an HP PageWide, Canon ProStream, Indigo web, or similar continuous-feed inkjet line and you need to understand how…
- Why a product or option is missing from quote creationUse 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.
- Configure tags for machine compatibilityUse this article when your shop has more than one possible production path for a step and you need Estimator to prefer or exclude a specific route — for…
- Configure a saddle stitcherUse this article when your shop saddle-stitches signatures into booklets and you need Estimator to price the stitch step on every stitched-book quote.
- How web offset presses work in GelatoConnect EstimatorUse this article when your shop runs a continuous-web litho line (heatset or coldset) and you need to understand how Estimator prices a web offset run.
- [GC AI-Estimator] How AI Configurator Works
- Add or edit a price modelUse this article when your shop needs a custom finishing or binding step that the built-in machine tabs do not cover — shrink wrap, drilling, hemming,…
- How machine tags and compatibility workUse this article when your shop has more than one possible production path for a job and you need Estimator to pick a specific one — for example, keeping a…
- Troubleshoot AI Configurator loops and revertsUse this article when an AI Configurator chat seems to re-process the same file, when Pending Changes keeps refilling after you apply, or when applied data…
- Configure a wire-o binderUse this article when your shop bind books with a metal coil — calendars, notebooks, presentation decks — and you need Estimator to price the wire and the bind…
- Assign price models with conditional stepsUse this article when you have already created a price model and need to control which product categories offer that step on a quote, and whether estimators…
- Machine tags and compatibility referenceThis reference describes the Tags field as it appears across Estimate Setup → Substrates, Print Machines, Finishing Machines, and Category Parts under Products…
- Large-format roll-fed press field guideThis reference documents every field you will edit on a press record under Estimate Setup → Print Machines → Large Format → Roll-Fed in GelatoConnect Estimator…
- Cutting machines referenceThis reference describes the fields on a guillotine row under Estimate Setup → Finishing Machines → Cut, and the Perimeter pretrim strategy options that change…
- [GC AI-Estimator] Why a Tag or Compatibility Problem Blocks a Quote
- Large-format sheet-fed press field guideThis reference documents every field you will edit on a press record under Estimate Setup → Print Machines → Large Format → Sheet-Fed in GelatoConnect…
- How step price models workUse this article when you are configuring a custom finishing or binding step and need to choose how it should be priced.
- Finishing machines referenceThis reference describes the fields on a sheet-finishing row under Estimate Setup → Finishing Machines — the Fold, Crease, Laminate, Spot Finishing, and Folder…
- Sheet-fed digital press field guideThis reference documents every field you will edit on a press record under Estimate Setup → Print Machines → Sheet-Fed Digital in GelatoConnect Estimator (HP…
- How binding machines workUse this article when your shop assembles signatures into bound books, calendars, or pads and you need Estimator to price the bind step on every quote that…
- Price models referenceThis reference describes the fields available on custom price-model records under Estimate Setup → Finishing Machines (or Binding Machines) → Custom (Price…
- How cutting machines workUse this article when your shop runs press sheets through a guillotine and you need Estimator to price the cut step on every quote that needs trimming.
- Why a price model step is missing from a quoteUse this article when an expected custom finishing or binding step does not appear on a quote, or appears but costs zero.
- How finishing machines workUse this article when your shop folds, creases, laminates, or spot-finishes press sheets and you need Estimator to price each post-press operation on the quote.
- Sheet-fed offset press field guideThis reference documents every field you will edit on a press record under Estimate Setup → Print Machines → Sheet-Fed Offset in GelatoConnect Estimator.
- Troubleshoot missing or duplicate finishingUse this article when a quote is missing a cut, fold, or bind line, when a job shows two make-readies for one finishing machine, or when the guillotine cost…
- Why a print machine is not selected for a quoteUse this article when a quote routes to the wrong press, when no valid route is found, or when an active press is missing from the route information.
- Web digital press field guideThis reference documents every field you will edit on a press record under Estimate Setup → Print Machines → Web Digital in GelatoConnect Estimator (HP…
- Web offset press field guideThis reference documents every field you will edit on a press record under Estimate Setup → Print Machines → Web Offset in GelatoConnect Estimator (heatset and…
- Set up a graduated price tableUse this article when you want different markups to apply to each quantity band rather than having one rate take over for all output once a threshold is…
- Require a customer before quotes, status changes, and ordersUse this article when your business needs every committed estimate tied to a named customer, so a quote PDF, a forward status, or an order can never go out…
- Why View PDF, status change, or Convert to order is blockedUse this article when View PDF, a status change, or Convert to order is greyed out or keeps refusing on an estimate and you are not sure why.
Create and review quotes
Create estimates, review the production route, and read the price breakdown.
- Create and edit a quoteUse this article when an estimator needs to turn a single-product RFQ into a saved, priced quote.
- How everyday quote creation worksUse this article when you want to understand the daily loop your estimators run for routine single-product quotes.
- Quote creation referenceThis reference describes the controls on the everyday-quote workspace — the form fields and totals-panel actions an estimator uses to build, calculate, refine, and save a quote.
- Troubleshoot missing or incomplete quote optionsUse 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.
- Validate a quote before you send itUse this article when an estimator is ready to send a quote and you need a quick sanity check on the total, the route, and the breakdown.
- Compare route details to setupUse this article when a quote's assigned route looks wrong and the spec on the quote itself is correct — for example, when an offset-sized Stitched Book lands on the…
- How Estimator chooses a production routeUse this article when an estimator wants to understand how the engine turns a spec into a specific sequence of machines.
- Review the estimation path on a quoteUse this article when an estimator needs to see exactly which press, finishing machine, and binding machine Estimator chose for a calculated quote — and which alternatives were ruled out.
- Route selection referenceThis reference describes the surfaces an estimator uses to inspect the route Estimator picked, and the Estimate Setup levers that control which route the engine returns.
- Troubleshoot wrong route selectionUse this article when a quote calculated successfully but Estimator picked a press, finishing machine, or binding line that does not match what your shop would actually run.
- How price adjustment models workUse this article when you need to choose how a category turns its raw step costs into a final quoted price, or want to understand which markup the price breakdown…
- How to read the price breakdownUse this article when you have a calculated quote and need to understand how Estimator built the total — materials, step costs, markups, rebates, and pricing rules.
- Open and review price breakdown linesUse this article when you have a calculated quote and need to walk the price breakdown table to confirm the route, the step costs, the rebate, and any pricing rules.
- Review make-ready, run, and markup linesUse this article when validating a quote against the shop's reference, or when confirming the make-ready, run, and markup math came out as configured.
- Troubleshoot unexpected price breakdown totalsUse this article when the price breakdown total on a finished quote is higher or lower than expected, or disagrees with what your MIS produced for a similar job.
Control pricing and margins
Adjust quote prices, apply rebates, and manage margins.
- How rebates work in a GelatoConnect Estimator quoteHow a customer rebate grosses up a quote's selling price to protect margin, where the percentage comes from, and how the rebate appears on the price breakdown.
- Override the rebate on a single quoteApply a one-off rebate percentage to a single quote — a volume concession or goodwill rebate — without changing the customer's standing rebate.
- Remove a rebate overrideRevert a one-off rebate override so the quote falls back to the customer's standing rebate, or to no rebate at all.
- Rebates referenceReference for the rebate controls on the quote totals panel, the rebate captions on the price breakdown, and the canonical gross-up math.
- Troubleshoot rebate values that look wrongFix a rebate line that's wrong — wrong percentage or value, missing entirely, or a final price that doesn't match the gross-up math.
- How manual price adjustments workHow to change one quote's selling price — total or per-bucket markups — without editing the global pricing setup that drives every other quote.
- Manually adjust a quote totalSet, add to, or reduce a single quote's total for a one-off concession or round number, with a mandatory reason for the audit trail.
- Adjust markups in the price breakdownTune individual cost-bucket markups (substrate, labor, machine…) on one quote when the total is right but the mix is wrong.
- Manual price adjustments referenceReference for every manual-adjustment control: the Manually adjust price dialog, the per-bucket markup fields, and the headline pricing-model lines they recalculate.
- Troubleshoot manual price adjustment issuesFix adjustments that won't save, totals that don't match after saving, locked markup fields, or missing adjustment controls.
Send, export, and hand off
Send the quote letter and export estimates to your MIS or other systems.
- Configure the email template copyUse this article when you need to set the company block, customer details layout, and letter copy that appear on every quote letter PDF Estimator generates.
- Configure quote letter brandingUse this article when you need to upload your company logo, set up the header and footer artwork, and control how the branding repeats across multi-page quote…
- Configure tax on quote lettersUse this article when your shop bills with a flat single-rate tax (GST, VAT, Sales Tax) that needs to appear on every quote letter and on the in-app totals —…
- Preview a quote letter PDFUse this article when the quote is ready to go out and you need to see the customer-facing PDF — totals, tax line, company header, footer copy — before you…
- How the quote letter worksUse this article when you are about to send a price to a customer and need to understand which controls in setup drive the rendered PDF, and where the live…
- Quote letter fields referenceUse this reference when you are editing the quote letter template in Estimate Setup, or setting a flat tax rate that should appear on quote letters, and you…
- Quote letter totals or details look wrongUse this article when the customer-facing PDF you just rendered shows a total, a tax line, a company header, or a body layout that does not match the on-screen…
- Estimate export field referenceThis reference describes every field an administrator configures under Estimate Setup → Settings → Connections → Connect with external MIS, plus the…
- Export an estimateUse this article when a calculated estimate is ready to leave GelatoConnect Estimator and become a job in your external MIS or downstream system.
- Configure external MIS exportUse this article when your shop wants to push calculated estimates to an external system — a MIS, ERP, or job-ticket service — and you need to set the…
- How estimate export worksUse this article when you need to understand how a calculated estimate leaves GelatoConnect Estimator and arrives in the system your shop already uses to run…
- Why an export failedUse this article when Export returns an error, when Export Log shows a failed entry, or when the MIS team reports the estimate never arrived.
Administer and govern
Manage users, roles, and access to Estimator.
- Assign the MIS Admin roleUse this article when a colleague needs to own shop configuration — paper library, machines, products, pricing rules, quote letter — and analytics on top of…
- Assign the MIS User roleUse this article when a colleague needs to produce quotes in Estimator but must not change shop configuration — substrates, machines, prices, pricing rules, or…
- How Estimator access worksUse this article when you are setting up a new tenant and need to decide which users get which role.
- Estimator permissions referenceThis reference describes which GelatoConnect role can open which Estimator surface, and which UI signal indicates a permission boundary.
- Set up a test customer for onboardingUse this article when your tenant is new and you want estimators to run practice quotes without touching real customer pricing.
- Troubleshoot Estimator accessUse this article when a user cannot see Manage estimates, cannot open Estimate Setup, or hits permission errors when they try to save changes or run an export.
Troubleshoot
Fix common problems: quotes that won't calculate, missing substrates or routes, unexpected prices, and export issues.
- How to troubleshoot Estimator quotesUse this article when a quote in GelatoConnect Estimator does not produce the result you expect — it fails to calculate, returns the wrong route, omits a step,…
- Troubleshoot export or handoff problemsUse this article when an estimate has calculated correctly inside Estimator but something goes wrong at the boundary — Export fails, the quote letter PDF…
- Quote troubleshooting checklistThis reference is the ordered checklist to walk through before escalating an Estimator quote to support.
- Troubleshoot missing or wrong machine routeUse this article when Estimator picks an unexpected press, omits a finishing step, shows duplicate make-readies, or refuses to find any valid combination for a…
- Troubleshoot missing substrate or productUse this article when a paper, substrate, product, or option you expect to see is not available on a new quote, or when a calculated quote behaves as if the…
- Troubleshoot unexpected price or missing stepUse this article when a quote total looks too high or too low, when a finishing or add-on step is missing from the price breakdown, when a markup or rebate…
Get started
Set up your account, understand the product, and create your first quote.
- How GelatoConnect Estimator worksUnderstand how GelatoConnect Estimator turns a customer request into a priced quote — what the AI interprets, what your Estimate Setup configuration controls, and which surface you use at each…
- Create your first estimateUse this article when your tenant is freshly provisioned and you want to run a quote on the template configuration before you start customising machine rates…
- How quote creation worksUse this article when you have run a first estimate but want to understand what happens between paste and price.
- [GC AI-Estimator] Orient yourself in GelatoConnect Estimator
- Minimum setup for quotes referenceThis reference describes which Estimate Setup objects must exist before Calculate can return a price for a given product category.
- Troubleshoot first quote failsUse this article when your first onboarding quote shows Unable to calculate estimate or returns no price breakdown after you select Calculate.
- Troubleshoot cannot calculate estimateUse this article when Calculate ends with Unable to calculate estimate or returns no route after the AI assistant has populated every field.