Cotizaprint DocPublic documentation centre
☰ Index
Daily operations

Getting started — your first steps in CotizaPrint

Getting started with CotizaPrint: from day one to your first invoice, in the order that takes the least time to set up your print shop.

You have just logged in and the whole system is in front of you. This guide takes you from day one to your first invoice, in the order that takes the least time. Every section also has its own detailed document, linked throughout the text.

Read it end to end in ten minutes. You do not need to set anything up to get going: your account comes with a sample catalogue that is ready to quote with.

What the system does, in one picture

YOUR SHOPMaterials and costsMachinesFinishingQUOTING ENGINEYou pick the productand the quantityIt works out the priceYOUR CUSTOMERQuote as a PDFWork orderInvoicefeedsproducesSet it up once · quote every day

The idea: you describe once how your shop works (which materials you use, which machines you have, what they cost). From then on, each quote is a matter of picking a product and a quantity — the system works out the price.

Start by quoting, not by configuring

The most common day-one mistake is diving into Settings and trying to get everything perfect before quoting anything.

Do it the other way round. Your account comes with products, substrates, machines and operations already set up. Run a test quote with the catalogue exactly as it is and you will see how it works in two minutes. Then adjust the costs to match your reality.

1Testquote2Adjustyour costs3Your companydetails4Your firstcustomer5Quote andinvoicesame dayworking for real now

Which screen do I use for what

If you want to…Go toDocument
Work out the price of a jobQuote (/cotizar)Dashboard / Quote
Add a customerCustomers (/clientes)Customers and Suppliers
Create a quoteQuotes (/ggpOferta)Sales
See what is in productionOrders / Work orders (/ggpPedido)Sales
Raise an invoiceInvoices (/ggpFactura)Sales
Change the price of a materialSubstrate (/soporte)Print substrates
Change the cost of a finishing processOperations (/operaciones)Operations
Change what printing costsMachines (/maquinas)Printing machines
Create a new type of jobProducts (/productos)Products
Add your logo and tax detailsSettings → CompanyCompany detailsCompany details
See how much you have soldAnalysis (/analisis) — PRO+Analysis

Step 1 · Your first quote

With nothing set up, using the sample catalogue.

  1. Go to Quote (/cotizar). You will see your categories with products inside them.
  2. Click any product. The Quoting engine opens.
  3. Fill in "Quantity" and "Size". Leave everything else as it comes.
  4. Look at the "Costs and breakdown" card: that is where the price is, and where every penny of it comes from.
  5. Click "Save".

That is it: that is a quote. If the price does not look like yours, that is normal — the sample catalogue costs are not your shop's costs. Step 2 fixes that.

Shortcut: in the Quoting engine, the "Size/Substrate" and "Machine" fields have an "Optimise" value. With it, the system picks the cheapest combination instead of you having to.

Step 2 · Enter your real costs

Every price the system calculates comes from here. There are three places, and costs are global: change them once and they affect every product that uses them.

SUBSTRATEThe material: paper, vinyl,banner, textile…MACHINEWhat it costs to printon each deviceOPERATIONSFinishing: laminating,die-cutting, folding…Job price
WhereWhat you enter there
Substrate (/soporte)The purchase price of each material, by size, colour or dimension. See Substrates
Machines (/maquinas)What a print run costs you on each machine. See Machines
Operations (/operaciones)The cost of each finishing process and its options. See Operations
Do not delete anything from the sample catalogue: rename it. If your paper has a different name, change the name and the cost of the substrate that already exists. Deleting it and creating another one forces you to rebuild the products that used it. The same goes for machines and operations.

Repeat step 1 after touching the costs: the price should now look like yours.

Step 3 · Your company details

This is what gets printed on every PDF you send to a customer. Ten minutes, once and for all.

  1. Settings → Company → Company details: "Trading name", "Legal name" and "Email" are required. Upload your logo here. Click "Save".
  2. Settings → Parameters → Taxes: click "Add", fill in "Name", "Abbreviation" and "Percentage", and tick "Default on product" on the one you always use. See Taxes.
  3. Settings → Settings → Currency and unit: symbol, decimal places and whether you separate with "Dots" or "Commas". See Currency and unit.

When you save a new logo the system asks "Do you want to apply the new logo to all print templates, for both documents and work orders?". Answer "Yes" the first time.

On the PRO plan you can set up your own Mail server so that quotes go out from your own domain. See Mail server.

Step 4 · Your first customer

  1. Go to Customers (/clientes), the "Customers and Suppliers" screen.
  2. Search before you create, so you do not end up with duplicates.
  3. Click "Customer and Supplier". A blank record opens.
  4. Tick "Customer" (and "Supplier" if you also buy from them).
  5. Fill in the "General" tab. "Contact name" is required.
  6. Click "Save".
Always enter the "VAT number". If you leave it empty, that customer's invoices come out as a "Simplified invoice", with that stamp on the PDF.
Shortcut: the "Add customer with AI" button lets you paste an email signature or a business card and creates the record for you. Check the summary and click "Run".

Step 5 · From quote to invoice

This is the full chain. All four documents share the same form; what changes is where you are in the process.

QUOTEWhat you offer/ggpOfertaORDER · WORK ORDERAccepted: into production/ggpPedidoDELIVERY NOTEYou deliver it/ggpAlbaranINVOICEYou charge for it/ggpFacturaAcceptAcceptAccept"Invoice" jumps straight there from any point

Creating the quote

  1. Go to Quotes (/ggpOferta) and click "New".
  2. Pick the "Customer" by typing their name.
  3. Add the job with "New quote" (this opens the Quoting engine) or "Add existing quote" if you already quoted it in step 1.
  4. Click "Save". The system assigns the number.

Sending it to the customer

Click "Share" (the share icon; this button used to be called "Print") and choose "Send by email": it generates the PDF, attaches it and opens the email with the recipients already filled in. You can also use "Print document" to download it, or "Direct" to send a link and a QR code so they can approve it online (Full plan).

When they accept it

Click "Accept". The quote moves on to the next document and you do not have to retype anything: customer, lines and prices all travel with it.

  • If they only accept part of it, tick the box on those lines and click "Accept".
  • To jump straight to the invoice, use "Invoice" from any point.
  • To close the invoice, use "INVOICE" on the form or "Close / Invoice" in the list. If there is an amount outstanding, it asks whether you want to record the payment.
  • Made a mistake? "Mark as pending" or "Revert" undo the step.
Not every step is compulsory. If you do not use delivery notes or work orders, switch them off in Settings and the system skips them. See Sales.

The routine, once you are up and running

  1. An enquiry comes in → Quote"Quote it".
  2. The quote goes out → "Share""Send by email".
  3. The customer says yes → "Accept" → it goes into production.
  4. It is delivered and invoiced → "INVOICE".
  5. End of the month → Analysis to see how it went (PRO+).

Everything else — substrates, machines, operations, products — is only touched when something changes in your shop: a paper goes up in price, you buy a machine, you add a finishing process.

Vocabulary you will see on screen

  • Quote: the price calculation for a job. It lives inside a quotation or on its own in the basket.
  • Product: a type of quotable job (business cards, banners, T-shirts) with the formula for how its price is calculated.
  • Substrate: the physical material. This is where the real purchase costs go.
  • Operation: a finishing or production process (laminating, die-cutting, folding) with its cost.
  • Artwork: each printable part of a product. A leaflet can have a cover and inside pages on different papers.
  • Work order: the accepted order, in production. It is what the shop floor sees.
  • Delivery note: the paperwork for the delivery, with no tax value.
  • Optimise: the value in the "Size/Substrate" and "Machine" fields that lets the system pick the cheapest combination.
  • Simplified invoice: the one produced when the customer has no VAT number.

If something does not add up

SymptomUsual causeFix
The price does not look like mineThe costs are still the sample catalogue onesAdjust Substrates, Machines and Operations
The PDF comes out without my logoThe company details are missingCompany details → upload the logo → "Save" → answer "Yes" to applying it to the templates
The invoice says "Simplified invoice"The customer has no "VAT number"Fill it in on their record in Customers
I cannot find an accepted quoteIt has already moved up a level: it is in OrdersLook for it in /ggpPedido, or filter by status in the list
I changed one cost and other prices changedCosts are global by designThat is correct: a material going up in price affects every product that uses it
I deleted a substrate and it broke a productThe product pointed at that substrateRename instead of deleting; restore the substrate or reassign the product
I can no longer see the "Getting started has never been easier" guideYour account has left the trial planThat is normal. This guide and the rest of the manual are always available

Which plan you need

ForPlan
Quoting, customers, quotes, orders, delivery notes and invoicesAll
Substrates, machines, operations, productsAll
Company details, taxes, currencyAll
Your own mail server, sharing the work order with the customerPRO+
Analysis and Sales StatisticsPRO+
Dashboard, Invoicing ReportsFull

On a lower plan the screen shows the module notice with the Upgrade plan button.

Frequently asked questions

Q: I have just logged in, where do I start?

A: With Quote (/cotizar). Pick a product from the sample catalogue, enter a quantity and look at the price. That alone will teach you how the system works in two minutes. Then adjust your costs in Substrates, Machines and Operations, and after that your company details. You do not need to set anything up to start trying it out.

Q: How long does it take to get it working?

A: The first quote, two minutes. Company details and taxes, ten. Adjusting the costs to your shop takes the longest, and it can be done gradually: start with the materials and machines you use most.

Q: Do I have to set everything up before creating my first quote?

A: No. Your account comes with products, substrates, machines and operations already set up. The only things worth having in place before you send a PDF to a customer are your company details and your taxes.

Q: Where do the prices it calculates come from?

A: From three things that add up: the substrate (the material), the machine (the printing) and the operations (the finishing). The product defines the formula that combines them. Changing a cost affects every product that uses it, because costs are global.

Q: What is the difference between a product and a substrate?

A: The product is what you sell (a business card, a banner) and it holds the pricing formula. The substrate is the material it is made from (the paper, the vinyl) and it is where its purchase cost lives. One substrate is used by many products.

Q: How do I create my first quote?

A: In /ggpOferta click "New", pick the "Customer", add the job with "New quote" and click "Save". To send it, use "Share""Send by email" (the "Share" button is the one that used to be called "Print").

Q: How do I turn a quote into an invoice?

A: "Accept" moves it on one step at a time (quote → order → delivery note → invoice), or "Invoice" jumps straight there from any point. Nothing has to be retyped: customer, lines and prices carry over on their own.

Q: There is no "Convert to order" button, where is it?

A: It is called "Accept". That is the button that moves the document to the next level in the chain.

Q: Can I create a customer while I am building the quote?

A: Yes. On the form, next to the "Customer" field, the "Change customer" icon opens a dialogue with a "Create new" option (Name, VAT number and Address) and also "Fill in with AI". Even so, for a complete record the normal route in Customers is better.

Q: Why do my invoices come out as "Simplified invoice"?

A: Because that customer has no "VAT number" filled in. Complete it on their record and subsequent invoices come out as normal ones.

Q: Can I delete the sample products and substrates and create my own?

A: Better to rename them. Change the name and the cost of the existing one instead of deleting it: if you delete a substrate, the products that used it stop calculating correctly. The same applies to machines and operations.

Q: Do I have to use delivery notes and work orders?

A: No. Each company decides which levels it uses. The ones you switch off are skipped automatically throughout the chain; you can go straight from quote to invoice.

Q: Where can I see how much I have sold?

A: In Analysis (/analisis), with "Sales Statistics" for the month-by-month comparison by sales rep and customer. It requires the PRO+ plan; the "Dashboard" and the "Invoicing Reports" require Full. See Analysis.

Q: The "Getting started has never been easier" guide has disappeared from the home screen.

A: That block of cards is only shown while the account is on the trial plan. The "Welcome to" greeting is still always visible, and all the documentation remains available in the manual and in the help search.

Q: How do I teach this to a new employee?

A: With this very guide: the five steps in order, starting with a test quote. For the detail of each screen, every section links to its own document. For stock control there is a separate guide: Inventory guide.

Related documentation

Getting started

Getting started — your first steps in CotizaPrint is part of CotizaPrint, the ERP for printing companies and graphic arts: cost calculation, quoting, estimates, work orders, delivery notes, electronic invoicing and production control. Ready for offset, digital, large format and screen printing.

See plans and pricing