VariFlow

Every print job from quote to shipped, and proofs clients can approve from a link instead of an email chain.

For: Print shops and marketing agencies
Status: In development
Delivered: Staff web app, client proofing portal

The VariFlow job board: columns for each stage from Quote Requested through Shipped, each holding job cards with the client, the assigned staff member and the due date, with jobs due soon highlighted. — The job board, shown with sample data. Staff drag jobs between stages, and jobs due soon are flagged.

The challenge

Most print shops run the business side of a job on spreadsheets and email: a quote goes out in one thread, the proof in another, the client's changes come back as a reply or a marked-up PDF, and the job's status lives in someone's head. Nobody can see at a glance what is waiting on the client, what is late, or which version of a proof was approved.

We had already built VariPose to produce the print files. VariFlow covers everything around them.

What we are building

A job board from quote to shipped. Every job moves through quote, approval, production, proofing, printing and shipping. Jobs due soon or overdue are flagged on the board, the job list and the dashboard.
Quotes clients approve online. Build a quote from line items and send it. The client approves it from a link, and the job moves forward on its own.
Proofs with version history. Upload a proof and VariFlow numbers each version and keeps the old ones, so everyone knows exactly what was approved.
Comments pinned to the page. Clients and staff click anywhere on a proof to leave a comment at that spot, so feedback is never vague about where a change goes.
Assignments, notes and an audit log. Assign jobs to staff, keep internal notes clients never see, and see every status change, edit and approval with who made it and when.
Roles and permissions. Admin, sales and production staff each see and do what their role calls for.

The client proof review page in VariFlow, showing a label proof with Approve and Request Changes buttons and a note that clients can click anywhere on the page to pin a comment.

What the client sees

Clients don't need an account. They get a secure link to their job, where they can follow its progress, approve the quote, view the proof, pin comments and approve it or request changes.

Links can be revoked at any time and stop working when a job is removed. When a client acts, the job's status updates on the shop's board.

Where it stands

VariFlow is in active development. The job board, quotes, proofing portal, comments, roles and audit log are working today. Next on the list is a direct connection to VariPose, so a shop can generate a proof from the job without leaving VariFlow.

Run a print shop and want to try it early? Get in touch.

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