VENDOR SELECTION METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR WIDE FORMAT PRINTING
First Claim
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1. A system for selecting a press for wide format digital printing, comprising:
- a price engine comprising a processor and a processor-readable storage medium in operable communication with the processor, wherein the processor-readable storage medium contains one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;
receive, from a buyer, a request for a wide format digital print job;
determine a set of job specifications for the print job;
access a vendor database to identify one or more vendor presses that have vendor press specifications that correspond to the job specifications;
for each identified vendor press, access vendor rate card data and use the vendor rate card data and at least a portion of the job specifications to determine a price for performing the print job; and
present the price to the buyer.
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Abstract
A wide format digital printing system communicates with vendor specification and price databases to determine which vendors are capable of performing a wide format digital printing project. When the system determines which vendors have presses that are capable of performing the job, the system automatically determines a price for the job based on vendor rate card data for individual aspects of the job, such as number of impressions, substrate types, and finishing activities. The price is presented to the buyer for one or more vendors, and the buyer may select a vendor based on the presented price and vendor information.
49 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for selecting a press for wide format digital printing, comprising:
a price engine comprising a processor and a processor-readable storage medium in operable communication with the processor, wherein the processor-readable storage medium contains one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to; receive, from a buyer, a request for a wide format digital print job; determine a set of job specifications for the print job; access a vendor database to identify one or more vendor presses that have vendor press specifications that correspond to the job specifications; for each identified vendor press, access vendor rate card data and use the vendor rate card data and at least a portion of the job specifications to determine a price for performing the print job; and present the price to the buyer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method, comprising:
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receiving, from a buyer, a request for a wide format digital print job; determining a set of job specifications for the print job; accessing a vendor database to identify one or more vendor presses that have vendor press specifications that correspond to the job specifications; for each identified vendor press, accessing vendor rate card data and using the vendor rate card data and at least a portion of the job specifications to determine a price for performing the print job; and presenting the price for at least one of the identified vendor presses to the buyer. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for wide format digital printing, comprising:
a processor and a processor-readable storage medium in operable communication with the processor, wherein the processor-readable storage medium contains one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to; receive, from a buyer, a request for a wide format digital print job; determine a set of job specifications for the print job; access a vendor database and compare the job specifications to vendor press specifications for a plurality of presses in the vendor database to identify at least one press having press profile data and substrate profile data that matches at least a portion of the job specifications, wherein the press profile data comprises at least one of supported media size, number of ink colors used for full color printing, and pixel density, and wherein the substrate profile data comprises at least one of supported wide format substrate type, supported ink type for the substrate, and supported image quality for the substrate for the identified vendor press, determine a price for performing the print job; present the price to the buyer; and in response to a buyer command, cause the print job to be printed the identified vendor press. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
Specification