Printing and labels
Inventory software for printing presses
Know how many reams of 130 gsm art paper are in the godown before you promise a calendar date, and what the stock on the shelf is worth today.
In short
SimpleERP is inventory software for printing presses in India. Paper, board, ink and plates are kept per godown at weighted average cost, supplier bills add stock, invoices and work orders take it out, and reorder levels show what is running low.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
An inventory day at Kaveri Offset Printers
From July to November the paper godown at Kaveri Offset Printers empties faster than anyone counts it. A truck of maplitho arrives on Monday, half of it goes to diary jobs by Thursday, and the store keeper still writes issues in a long notebook that the owner only reads when a job stops.
The questions are always the same. Is there enough 300 gsm duplex board for the next carton run, who took the last two kilos of magenta ink, and was the art paper bill from the Chennai dealer at the rate he quoted? Without one record, the answer depends on who is on shift.
SimpleERP keeps a stock ledger per product and godown. The supplier bill adds reams at its cost, a completed work order or an invoice takes them out, and the average cost per ream moves with every purchase so the value on the report is the real one.
Reams, kilos or sheets: how should paper be counted?
Each product keeps one unit, so choose the one your supplier bills in. Most presses count art paper and maplitho by the ream, board and ink by the kilo, and plates by the piece. If you issue part reams, use sheets for that grade and enter the bill in sheets too.
- Add ream or sheet under Units & terms beside the seeded kg and pcs.
- One product per grade and size, such as Art paper 130 gsm 23x36, so the godown count is exact.
- Opening stock per godown comes in with the product CSV import.
| Product family | Unit | Godown | Reorder pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art paper 100 to 170 gsm | ream | Paper godown | Level of 40 reams per grade, raised before the calendar season |
| Maplitho 58 to 70 gsm | ream | Paper godown | Level of 60 reams from July for diary jobs |
| Duplex board 250 to 350 gsm | kg | Board godown | 1,500 kg, steady through the year for cartons |
| Process inks, CMYK | kg | Pressroom store | 25 kg per colour, special Pantone inks bought per job |
| CTP plates | pcs | Pressroom store | A level of 100 plates |
| Printed labels for repeat buyers | pcs | Finished goods | No level: made against each order |
How do I see paper in the godown and on the press floor separately?
Make each place a warehouse, such as the paper godown, the pressroom store and finished goods. A stock transfer moves 20 reams from the godown to the press floor, and the stock report shows both places with their value at average cost.
- Transfers carry a date and a note, so the morning issue has a record.
- A one-location press never sees warehouses until it adds a second one.
- Stock value per godown is ready today for the bank or your CA.
Illustration of a profit and loss statement for April to September 2026 with net profit of ₹4,12,800, a GST summary and the lock date.
What about sheets lost in make-ready and trimming?
On repeat jobs the bill of materials carries a scrap percentage, so planned paper already covers make-ready. For a one-off spoilage, post a stock adjustment with a reason such as wrong registration, and the loss shows in your books instead of hiding in the count.
- Adjustments need a reason, kept in the audit history with the person who made them.
- Physical counts at month end are entered as adjustments to the counted quantity.
- Weighted average cost values the wasted sheets at what they really cost.
How do I know which paper to order this week?
Give each grade a reorder level. The low-stock list then shows every product below its level, grouped by supplier, and a purchase order to the paper dealer is raised from that list.
- Purchase orders carry the expected date and the receiving godown.
- Supplier bills received against the order add stock at the billed rate.
- Debit notes send a damp or torn bundle back and take it out of stock.
One system
Where stock connects
Supplier bills raise paper stock, invoices and work orders lower it, and every movement posts to the inventory account.
Printing and labels
Job quotations that become invoices, paper and ink stock, HSN or SAC billing and payroll.
See howGST billing for printing presses
Printed goods and printing services on one GST invoice, each line with its own HSN or SAC code.
See howAccounting for printing presses
Books that write themselves from press invoices, paper bills and payroll, with a lock date at month end.
See howPayroll for printing presses
Monthly payroll for press operators and binding staff, with season shifts, advances, PF and PT.
See howManufacturing for printing presses
Bills of materials for repeat cartons and labels, and work orders that cost each batch from real usage.
See howInventory
Stock on hand by warehouse at weighted average cost, with a movement ledger and a low-stock list.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do yet
- No batch, lot, serial or expiry tracking, and no barcode scanning
- Weighted average cost only; there is no FIFO
- No automatic reorder suggestions: the reorder level shows what is low, you decide what to buy
- No conversion between reams and sheets: each product keeps one unit.
- No reel or roll tracking for label stock: a reel is counted by product and godown only.
Getting started
Start with inventory
Sign up with your phone
Name, phone number and a password. No card for the seven-day trial, and email is optional.
Tell us about the business
Type your GSTIN and the state fills itself. Accounts, GST rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for you.
Add products and opening stock
Import your paper grades, board, inks and plates from a CSV file with the unit and opening stock in each godown.
Post a bill and an invoice
Stock rises on the purchase bill and falls on the invoice, at weighted average cost, with nothing to count by hand.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Can I buy paper in reams and issue it in sheets?
Not on the same product, because each product keeps one unit. Pick the unit you issue in. If the dealer bills in reams and the press issues in sheets, enter the bill in sheets at the rate per sheet, which is the ream rate divided by 500.
Can I see what one grade of art paper is worth right now?
Yes. The stock report shows quantity and value per product and godown at weighted average cost. The average moves with each supplier bill, so a price rise from the dealer shows up in the value as soon as the bill is posted.
Can I keep a customer's own paper in my godown?
Keep it out of your stock value. A common way is a separate warehouse named for that customer with products at zero cost, so the count is visible but your books do not include it. Ask your CA how they want it shown.
Does it warn me when the duplex board runs low?
It lists it. Every product below its reorder level appears on the low-stock list and on the dashboard's attention list. Nothing is ordered on its own: you decide what goes on the purchase order to the board supplier.
Related
Keep reading
Printing and labels
Job quotations that become invoices, paper and ink stock, HSN or SAC billing and payroll.
Read moreManufacturing for printing presses
Bills of materials for repeat cartons and labels, and work orders that cost each batch from real usage.
Read moreGST billing for printing presses
Printed goods and printing services on one GST invoice, each line with its own HSN or SAC code.
Read more
See how inventory works in SimpleERP for printing and labels
Seven days free. No card. Your first GST invoice in minutes.