Star*Key Software Releases Version 4.0 of Estimating Software, Presstimator

Star*Key Software Releases Version 4.0 of Print Estimating Software, Presstimator

Brea, California - March 30, 2007 - Star*Key Software, creator of the estimating software program for web offset printers, the Presstimator, has expanded the capabilities of its standalone estimating application.

Version 4.0 of the Presstimator includes Job Tracking and a comprehensive Estimate vs. Production Actuals analysis. Users can export to Microsoft Excel a complete analysis of a Quote's estimated values compared with the job's actual production results. This detailed analysis will provide you with data and charts to see exactly how accurate your estimate was. This information is displayed in both graphical and numerical formats, utilizing separate Worksheets within Excel. This spreadsheet report is based on a completely customizable Excel template. If you use Harland Simon's PRIMA management system to capture the job's production data, the Presstimator can import those values directly into the entry fields for you.

Version 4.0 also offers:

• Job History. The Job History stores your Jobs in the same way the Quote History stores Estimates. Once you indicate that the job has been accepted within a Quote, the job will now appear on the new Job History screen.
  
  
• Customizable Job Ticket. This new report within the Presstimator is a fully-customizable Job Ticket that is exported to Microsoft Excel. This single-page report can be used as a cover sheet for a more detailed Job Ticket report.
  
  
• Website - "Request A Quote" capabilities. An optional, customizable Web form allows your customers to request a printing quote through your company's website. The contents of the request are e-mailed to you, and they can be imported directly into the Presstimator as a New Quote. Once this data has been imported, click on the 'Load All Defaults' button to have a Quote calculated in seconds.
  
  
• Link to MapQuest.com from the Delivery Instructions screen. Just fill in the customer address and click on the View Map button to launch your browser. Once MapQuest displays the map of the location, you can then print directions to the location to include with your shipping manifest reports.

In this new version, the Presstimator's functionality has been expanded to include many features requested by both newspapers and commercial web offset printers. For more information, please visit http://www.presstimator.com. In addition to containing FAQ's, product features, sample reports, comparisons to spreadsheet estimating, and ROI discussions, the website offers a downloadable Presstimator Tour. Visitors to the website can also request a free demo disk of the Presstimator.

About the Presstimator

The Presstimator is a web offset printing estimating software application for newspapers and commercial web printers. This print estimating software prompts the user for detailed job specs in a user-friendly interface. Completely customizable costs and settings can be adjusted in Shop Settings to create sophisticated and reliable estimates. The optional Presstimator Budgeted Hourly Rates module calculates rates to be entered in the Presstimator to ensure overhead expenses are being covered in generated estimates. The Auditor feature helps the estimator avoid mistakes by checking for any missing information, which can help eliminate costly oversights. The Presstimator also incorporates a wide variety of reports that can be generated directly from the estimate, such as Customer Reports, Job Tickets, Estimates vs. Actuals analysis and Materials reports. These reports can not only save time, but they can also help the user track costs and initiate standardized cost studies. Quotes are stored in a searchable database for fast retrieval and easy modification.

Contact:

Mike Starkey, President
Star*Key Software
714.255.1685
mike@presstimator.com