Postcards with Bill of Materials (BOM) Pricing

Aaron Aldrich Updated by Aaron Aldrich

Introduction

The Postcards with BOM (Bill of Materials) product uses a component-based pricing model that calculates costs based on paper, click charges, labor, machine costs, packaging, and other production variables. This approach provides greater pricing accuracy by building the final price from actual production inputs rather than a static pricing grid. This article is designed to supplement the video below, with terminology and steps aligned directly to the walkthrough demonstrated.

Related video: Postcard - with BOM

Steps

Step 1 – Open the Postcards with BOM Product
  1. Navigate to Settings → Products.
  2. Locate and select Postcards with BOM.
  3. Open the product and review the Configure Pricing page.

Unlike Grid UI products, this product uses Bill of Materials calculations to determine pricing.

Step 2 – Configure Click Charges
  1. Locate Section 1 – Click Charges.
  2. Review the pre-configured click charge rates.
  3. Click the Pencil (Edit) icon to modify an existing rate.
  4. Click the Duplicate icon to create additional click charge options.
  5. Enter your actual meter or click rates based on your equipment.

Click charges represent printing costs associated with producing the postcards.

Step 3 – Configure Paper Stock Options
  1. Locate Section 2 – Paper Stock.
  2. Review the available paper sizes.
  3. Verify that the listed dimensions match the paper sizes used in your shop.
  4. Use the Edit option to rename stock descriptions if necessary.
  5. Use the Duplicate option to create new paper stock options when needed.

Important: The paper dimensions are used in production calculations to determine how many postcards fit on a sheet. Accurate dimensions are critical for proper material calculations.

Step 4 – Configure Default Items
  1. Locate Section 3 – Default Items.
  2. Review any preconfigured production charges.
  3. Add or modify additional costs such as:
    • Packaging
    • Cutting
    • Machine Charges
    • Rush Charges
    • Special Handling Fees
  4. Save your changes.

These options can later be selected during quoting to automatically include associated costs.

Step 5 – Test Pricing Using Check Pricing
  1. Click Check Pricing.
  2. Select the desired postcard Size.
  3. Enter an Overage Percentage if applicable.
  4. Add any Additional Costs.
  5. Select any applicable packaging or production options.
  6. Review the estimated pricing.

This screen allows you to verify the logic and calculations before using the product in live quotes.

Step 6 – Select Production Components
  1. Choose the appropriate Click Charge option.
  2. Select the correct Paper Stock.
  3. Enter the required Quantity.

Example:

  • Click Charge: Color Click Rate
  • Paper Stock: 12" × 18"
  • Quantity: 100

The system uses these selections to calculate production costs automatically.

Step 8 – Review the Pricing Breakdown
  1. Expand or review the Pricing Breakdown section.
  2. Examine the individual BOM components.

Typical line items include:

  • Paper Cost
  • Labor Charges
  • Machine Charges
  • Additional Selected Charges

This breakdown provides visibility into how the final selling price was calculated.

Step 9 – Optimize Sheet Usage
  1. Review the calculated sheet count.
  2. Observe how many parent sheets are required to produce the order.
  3. Test the Rotate 90° option.
  4. Compare the resulting sheet counts.

Example:

  • Standard Orientation: 25 Sheets
  • Rotate 90°: 34 Sheets

In this example, the standard orientation is more efficient because it requires fewer sheets.

If rotation increases material usage:

  1. Disable Rotate 90°.
  2. Consider selecting a different parent sheet size.
  3. Recalculate pricing.

Qty 100 = 25 sheets with Rotate 90 degrees unchecked vs. Qty 100 = 34 sheets with Rotate 90 checked

Notes & Tips

🔹 Tip: Always verify paper dimensions when creating new paper stock records. The system uses these dimensions when calculating sheet quantity and material consumption.

🔹 Tip: Use the Pricing Breakdown section to identify opportunities to improve profitability or reduce production costs.

🔹 Tip: Duplicate existing paper stock records when creating similar stocks to preserve sizing logic and speed up setup.

⚠️ Warning: Changing paper dimensions incorrectly can significantly impact sheet yield calculations and result in inaccurate pricing.

⚠️ Warning: If click charges, paper stock, or default cost items are not selected, related cost calculations may appear as $0 because the system has no values available to calculate against.

⚠️ Warning: Always test new BOM configurations using Check Pricing before making them available for production quoting.

Outcome / Summary

After following these steps, you should be able to:

  • Configure click charge rates for digital production.
  • Maintain paper stock records used in BOM calculations.
  • Configure default production costs and add-on charges.
  • Generate pricing based on actual production inputs.
  • Review detailed cost breakdowns including material, labor, and machine charges.
  • Analyze sheet utilization and optimize production efficiency.
  • Create accurate postcard quotes using a Bill of Materials pricing model.

How did we do?

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