In print industry, speed is the ultimate competitive advantage. If your team is still manually calculating sheet impositions, material waste, or 3D volumes, you’re not just losing time—you’re leaking profit on every quote.
SmartCal (SC) is PriceCal’s specialized suite of logic engines—purpose-built to understand the “Production DNA” of each product category and turn complex manufacturing variables into instant, accurate pricing. Think of SmartCal like a LEGO system: instead of one giant, rigid formula, you build pricing by snapping together small logic blocks. Each block represents a real production variable—material, size, type of print, cutting, finishing, MOQ, margin rules, etc… so you can mix-and-match blocks to create accurate pricing for different products without rebuilding everything from scratch.
And when you’re ready to present those SmartCal-powered products to customers, Printalogue is the shopfront: a branded catalog where the products you’ve built can be browsed and quoted in real time. [ Walkthrough of Printalogue ]
If you’d like to see it on your own products, [ book a demo ].
The SC-Tools Suite: Specialized Logic for Every Product
1) SC-Area
The Engine for Wide-Format & Signage (see example)
- Usage: For any product priced by surface measurement (sq. ft / sq. meter).
- Best for: Vinyl banners, building wraps, custom signage, and wallpaper.
- The Logic: Handles custom Width x Height inputs instantly. It calculates costs based on roll-form material wastage and optimizes pricing for oversized items.
2) SC-Basic
The Engine for Fast-Entry Print (see example)
- Usage: For products with fixed variables and straightforward pricing.
- Best for: Standard posters, postcards, or accessory items like easel stands and sample kits.
- The Logic: The quickest way to get everyday products online without complex background math. Perfect for items with pre-determined price lists.
3) SC-Booklet
The Engine for Multi-Page Projects (see example)
- Usage: For complex, bound documents.
- Best for: Magazines, annual reports, catalogs, and programs.
- The Logic: It intelligently manages “Cover vs. Inner” paper stocks and automatically calculates spine width and binding costs (Saddle Stitch, Perfect Bind, etc.) based on total page count.
4) SC-Box
The Engine for Volume-Based Containers (see example)
- Usage: For 3D products defined by cubic dimensions.
- Best for: Custom corrugated mailers, shipping boxes, and standard storage bins.
- The Logic: Calculates pricing based on Length x Width x Height. It is designed for printers who produce their own box structures and need to account for board usage and volume.
5) SC-Item
The Engine for Promotional Merchandise (see example)
- Usage: For individual, unit-based goods.
- Best for: Mugs, t-shirts, pens, and corporate gifts.
- The Logic: Effortlessly handles “Unit Price + Setup/Molding Fee” logic and applies tiered quantity discounts automatically.
6) SC-Packaging
The Engine for Structural Retail Design (see example)
- Usage: For high-end, custom-engineered packaging.
- Best for: Cosmetic boxes, luxury folding cartons, and pharmaceutical packaging.
- The Logic: Built to handle complex dielines and specialized finishes (like Spot UV or Foil). It bridges the gap between structural engineering and instant, retail-ready pricing.
7) SC-Sheet
The Engine for Commercial Imposition (see example)
- Usage: For high-efficiency “gang-run” sheet printing.
- Best for: Business cards, flyers, and stickers.
- The Logic: The Master of Efficiency. It calculates exactly how many units fit onto a parent sheet (nesting), accounting for bleed, trim, and wastage so you never undercharge for material usage.
Why Automate Your Quoting?
The goal of the SmartCal suite is to move your business from a “Request for Quote” model to an “Instant Checkout” model.
- Eliminate Human Error: Manual math leads to underquoting. SmartCal uses production-level logic to ensure every cent is accounted for.
- 24/7 Salesroom: Your website becomes a tireless sales agent that can quote complex booklets or custom boxes at 3:00 AM.
- Focus on Growth: By automating the “hard work” of calculation, your team can focus on high-value tasks like strategy and customer relationships.
