What it is
The Guillotine dialog is where you set up your company guillotine: its physical cutting dimensions, the cost per cut, the user responsible for it and the margin applied to the customer. The quoting engine uses this configuration to work out automatically how many cuts each job needs and how much they cost.
There is one single guillotine per organisation — you do not manage several different machines from here.
The dialog is laid out in two sections: The throat (physical dimensions) and The cut (cost, manager and margin).
What it is for
- Defining the Cost per cut that will be charged on every quote.
- Telling the system what maximum dimensions the guillotine has (The throat), so the quoting engine knows whether a substrate fits or not.
- Setting the Margin applied to the cost before the price is shown to the customer.
- Assigning a Guillotine manager (the user responsible for the machine).
How to use it
- Open the Guillotine dialog (from the Print shop menu or from Products).
- In The throat section (subtitle "Physical cutting dimensions"), fill in the blade measurements, all in cm:
- Throat depth — the length of the guillotine throat (minimum 2 cm).
- Throat width — the usable width (minimum 2 cm).
- Throat height — the vertical opening (minimum 2 cm).
- In The cut section (subtitle "Cost, manager and margin applied"):
- Enter the Cost per cut (an amount in the currency of the organisation).
- Enter the Make ready cost (optional): what it costs to set the machine up, charged once per make ready.
- Enter the Minimum cost (optional): the minimum amount for the cutting when the calculation comes out lower.
- Choose the Guillotine manager (the user responsible).
- Choose the Margin mode with the toggle: According to product or Independent.
- If you chose Independent, enter the margin percentage.
- Click Save. To leave without changes, click Cancel.
From that moment on, every quote that uses guillotine cutting will multiply the configured cost by the number of cuts worked out automatically.
How it is applied when quoting
The quoting engine detects whether the job needs guillotine cutting from the product's "Guillotine cuts" field:
0→ product with no cuts (nothing is applied).1+→ single or double cut mode. The system works out automatically how many cuts are needed from the sheet size, the size of the finished piece and the guillotine dimensions configured here.
Total guillotine cost = Cost per cut × number of cuts calculated. The chosen margin is applied on top of that cost.
The person quoting does not type the number of cuts by hand; the system works it out.
Make ready cost and Minimum cost — how many times they are charged
Both are charged once per machine make ready, and that depends on whether the artwork in the job is cut together or separately:
- Everything is cut together (same sheet size / same substrate): the guillotine is set up only once, so a single Make ready cost and a single Minimum cost apply to the whole job. In the breakdown they appear under General guillotine.
- Each piece of artwork is cut separately: the guillotine is set up for each one, so every piece of artwork carries its own Make ready cost and its own Minimum cost.
The Minimum cost is not an extra charge: it is a floor for the guillotine total, counting the cuts and the make ready. If the whole lot does not reach the minimum, the difference is added to the make ready line — the cuts are never touched, so the cost per cut and the number of cuts you see remain the real ones. If the minimum is already exceeded, nothing is added.
Example: cuts €30 + make ready €20 = €50.
- With a Minimum cost of €40 → already exceeded, nothing is added (it stays at €50).
- With a Minimum cost of €70 → €20 short, which is added to the make ready: it becomes €40 and the total comes to €70. In the breakdown, next to Guillotine make ready, an information icon shows how much has been added to reach the minimum.
The Make ready cost appears in the breakdown as Guillotine make ready. If you only set the Minimum cost (with no make ready), that line still appears to absorb the difference; if there is no difference to add, it is not shown.
Buttons and actions — what each one does
The literal text you see in the Guillotine dialog.
| Button / Control (on-screen text) | What it does |
|---|---|
| The throat | Heading of the physical cutting dimensions section. Groups Throat depth, Throat width and Throat height. |
| blade | A visual label (icon) identifying the cutting throat section. It is not an editable field. |
| Throat depth | The length of the guillotine throat, in cm. Defines how far the material goes in. Minimum 2 cm. |
| Throat width | The usable width of the guillotine, in cm. Minimum 2 cm. |
| Throat height | The vertical opening of the guillotine, in cm. If a substrate exceeds this measurement, it cannot be cut. Minimum 2 cm. |
| The cut | Heading of the cost, manager and margin applied section. |
| Cost per cut | The amount (in currency format) that each cutting operation costs. This is the main financial figure. |
| Make ready cost | The amount charged for setting the guillotine up, on top of the cost of the cuts. It is charged once if all the artwork is cut together, and once per piece of artwork if they are cut separately. In the breakdown it appears as Guillotine make ready. |
| Minimum cost | The minimum amount for the guillotine total, counting the cuts and the make ready. If it is not reached, the difference is added to the make ready line (the cuts are not modified). It applies once if everything is cut together, and once per piece of artwork if they are cut separately. |
| Guillotine manager | A select to choose the user responsible for the guillotine. Tooltip: "Set the default user for guillotine management." |
| Margin toggle (According to product / Independent) | Decides how the margin on the cutting is calculated. According to product (toggle off) = the margin is imposed by the product being quoted. Independent (toggle on) = a fixed percentage set here, in the margin value field, is applied. |
| Margin (value field, with Independent on) | The fixed margin percentage for the cutting. SuffixInfo: "Independent margin only works when the product's margin type is not by price!" |
| Cancel | Closes the dialog without saving the changes (close icon). |
| Save | Saves the guillotine configuration (save icon). |
Key concepts
Terms exactly as they appear on screen.
- The throat: the section of the dialog that sets the physical cutting dimensions (Throat depth, Throat width, Throat height), all measured in centimetres. It defines the maximum size of material the guillotine accepts.
- The cut: the section of the dialog that sets the Cost per cut, the Guillotine manager and the Margin policy (Independent or According to product).
- Cost per cut: a numeric value in currency format representing the cost of each cutting operation carried out by the guillotine.
- Make ready cost: the amount for starting up and setting up the guillotine. It is a cost line of its own (Guillotine make ready in the breakdown), independent of the number of cuts. It is charged once per make ready: only once if all the artwork is cut together, and once per piece of artwork if they are cut separately.
- Minimum cost: a floor for the guillotine total (cuts + make ready). If the whole lot comes to less, the difference is added to the Guillotine make ready line; the cuts are left untouched. The same rule applies for how many times: once if everything is cut together, once per piece of artwork if they go separately.
- Guillotine make ready: the name under which the Make ready cost appears in the quoting engine cost breakdown and on the work order.
- General guillotine: the block of the breakdown where the guillotine costs are grouped when all the artwork is cut together (sheet, substrate and make ready, only once).
- Guillotine manager: the user designated as responsible for the operational management of the guillotine; chosen from the list of system users. This is the "default user" for guillotine management.
- Margin — According to product vs. Independent: with the toggle on According to product, the margin on the cutting is inherited from the product being quoted. With the toggle on Independent, a fixed percentage set in the Margin field is applied. Important: the independent margin only works when the product's margin type is not by price.
- blade: the visual label of The throat section; it represents the cutting blade of the guillotine. It is not a field you fill in.
Permissions
access_guillotina is required to reach this section. Without that permission the route does not open.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I add the cost to my guillotine?
A: Open the Guillotine dialog, in The cut section fill in the Cost per cut field with what one cut costs you, adjust the Margin (Independent or According to product) and click Save. That cost will be applied automatically on every quote that uses the guillotine.
Q: What is the "Guillotine manager" field for?
A: It is the user responsible for the guillotine. You choose them from the list of system users. On-screen tooltip: "Set the default user for guillotine management." That user appears as the person responsible when the paperwork is printed (work orders, tasks).
Q: What is "The throat"?
A: It is the section of the dialog that holds the physical cutting dimensions of the guillotine: Throat depth, Throat width and Throat height, all in cm. The quoting engine uses them to know whether a substrate fits and to work out the cuts.
Q: What is the difference between "According to product" and "Independent" in the Margin?
A: According to product lets the margin on the cutting be imposed by the product you are quoting. Independent applies a fixed percentage that you set here in the Margin field, the same for every product. Careful: the Independent margin only works when the product's margin type is not by price.
Q: I turned on the Independent margin but it is not applied. Why?
A: The independent margin only works when the product's margin type is not by price. If the product is quoted by price, the guillotine's independent margin is ignored. Change the product's margin type or use According to product.
Q: I want a different margin for each product. How do I do that?
A: Set the Margin toggle to According to product. That way the margin on each quote comes from the product being quoted, not from the guillotine.
Q: Why will one particular substrate not cut?
A: The substrate dimensions exceed The throat (Throat depth, Throat width or Throat height) that you configured. Check those three values in The throat section.
Q: I have two different physical guillotines. Can I set both of them up?
A: No. This version only supports one guillotine configuration per organisation. Set up the main one (the one you use most) or the one with the average cost.
Q: Who works out the cuts applied on each quote?
A: The quoting engine, automatically, from the sheet size, the finished size of the job and the dimensions of The throat. You only configure the unit Cost per cut.
Q: I changed the cost per cut. Does it affect old quotes?
A: No. Quotes that have already been saved keep the price calculated with the cost in force at the time. Only new quotes use the updated Cost per cut.
Q: How many times is the "Make ready cost" charged if the job has several pieces of artwork?
A: It depends on how it is cut. If all the artwork is cut together (same sheet / same substrate), the guillotine is set up only once and a single make ready is charged — it appears in the General guillotine block of the breakdown. If each piece of artwork is cut separately, one make ready per piece of artwork is charged.
Q: Is the "Minimum cost" added on top of the cost of the cuts?
A: No. It is a floor for the total guillotine cost, and the make ready counts towards that total too. If the cuts and the make ready together do not reach the minimum, the difference is added to the make ready line (the cuts are not touched: the cost per cut and the number of cuts remain the real ones). If the minimum is already exceeded, nothing is added. Example: cuts €30 + make ready €20 = €50 → with a minimum of €40 nothing changes; with a minimum of €70 the make ready becomes €40 and the total comes to €70.
Q: Why is my guillotine make ready higher than the "Make ready cost" I configured?
A: Because the job did not reach the Minimum cost and the difference is added to that line. In the breakdown, next to Guillotine make ready, there is an information icon showing exactly how much has been added to reach the minimum.
Q: I made changes but I do not want to save them. How do I get out?
A: Click Cancel (close icon). The dialog closes without saving anything. To keep the changes, click Save (save icon).