Estimating a Mailing Product

In iQuote, you can estimate several product types, including direct mail. In this topic, you will see an example and some details of how to estimate a Mail product in the system.

To start creating the Estimate, follow the steps below:

In the system’s main menu, click Sales > iQuote > Estimate or enter "Estimate" in the Quick Search field.
Click New estimate. The New Estimate screen opens.
In the Product Line field, select "Direct Mail".
In the Sub-Line Product field, select the one that applies to your case. For the purpose of this guide, we will select "Mailing - Basic".

You can fill in the remaining fields as explained in Creating An Estimate.

Click Confirm.

Defining the Product Specification

Once you complete the first stage to create the Estimate, the screen saves and opens on the Product tab. By selecting the Product Line and Sub-line, the system already knows what type of structure the product has, automatically loading the standard components and their respective characteristics that you need to define into the Specification.

Therefore, the next step is to enter the details of the product that you are estimating.

Note: The system takes into consideration the order of the components in the diagram. That is, the system will validate the format of all components based on the size of the first one, the Envelope, so that all the other components fit into it.

Envelope component

The first step is to define the Envelope component. It is important to define this component first so that the system can validate the other component's size against this one's.

The Component Format - Envelope characteristic is the one that holds the information for the envelope's size. See how to complete the required fields:

Size (HxW): in this field, you can either enter the envelope's size or select one of the available predefined options by clicking the down arrow. If you select one of the options, the system automatically inserts the size.

Model: select one of the available models from the drop-down list. See more information on the Envelope Models on Format Model For Mailing Products.

Flat (WxH): the system fills in the field automatically, based on the size and model selected. It is read-only.

Format Die Layout: the system fills in the field automatically, based on the size and model selected.

Quantity in the die layout: enter the quantity of envelopes that you want to print in the same die layout.

After defining the Envelope, you must define the Paper details.

All the fields of this characteristic are correlated; that is, once you select one of them, you create or limit the options on the other. You must define them in this order: Substrate Type > Line > Grammage/Thickness. For more information on this subject, see Substrate.

Select the Provided checkbox so the system knows that it should not add the substrate's cost to the Engineering calculation.

To finalize, enter the details of the the Colors and Varnish.

The Colors are defined by adding the quantity in the front x back format.

Note: the system understands "1" as black.

If you want to apply varnish in your envelope, click the New button on the Varnishes table to enter its details.

(optional) The envelope that you want to use might have a window patch on it. In this case, click the Add Characteristic button and select the Window Patch characteristic. In the table that appears, create a new line and enter the required information. For more details, see Window patch.

Note: By using the Component Format - Envelope characteristic, you are telling the system that the engineering must fabricate the envelope, using the materials and machines available for that. However, it is possible to use a Pre-made Envelope, that is, an envelope that already exists in your inventory. In this case, the system will just check the quantity of envelopes that you have in your stock instead of making a new one.
To use a Pre-made Envelope, you must create the envelope and the characteristic related to this use. For more information, see Pre-made Envelope Format.

Letter component

Define the Letter component.

In the Folded Format, enter the letter's size.

Closed (WxH): enter the letter's size when closed in the width x height format. Remember that it must be smaller than the Envelope's size.

Flat (WxH): enter the letter's size when opened in the width x height format.

Next, you must define the Paper details.

Select the Provided checkbox so the system knows that it should not add the substrate's cost to the Engineering calculation.

To finalize, enter the details of the the Colors and Varnish.

The Colors are defined by adding the quantity in the front x back format.

Note: the system understands "1" as black.

If you want to apply varnish in your letter, click the New button on the Varnishes table to enter its details.

(optional) Sometimes, you need to enter a custom data in the letter, such as the name of the recipient. For that, click the Add Characteristic button and select the Variable Data characteristic, informing the colors that it will use.

Data Processing component

Note that, among all of the components, the Data Processing is the only one in a different color. It signifies that this is a virtual component, usually used as a placeholder to store information that the system should take into consideration later in the process (e.g., the freight costs to the calculation) or to represent a digital process (e.g., check if there are any repeated names).

Because of this customization factor, how you define it depends on the case.

Mail Package product

The Mail Package is the representation of the final product, the one that is comprised by all the components defined before. You can use it to add notes or to define whether or not the final product will use an Alternative Carrier. This option allows the system to calculate the engineering when the components have a bigger size than the envelope (e.g., when the components will all be inserted in a box, instead of an envelope). Otherwise, the Envelope component must be the component at the top.

Note: This "final product" dictates the use of the Envelope Inserter.

You can add more components, delete the default ones, and add versions to them. All that you do depends on the specific case that you are working on, and some components might required some different definitions, but once you finish defining the Product Specification, you can click to Calculate the engineering. The system updates the data in the Qty/Price, Engineering, and Negotiation tabs according to the calculation results.

Note: You can use the Layout Editor for the Mailing Format and change information such as the bleed, printing size, and margins. However, you cannot change the Mailing Format's folding scheme and the quantity of parallels.
For more information, see Edit Layout.

Using a Spreadsheet to do the Product Specification

If you have an Estimate that has several products, you can use the Import/Export Spreadsheet feature to complete the Product Specification, instead of having to do it on the screen one by one.

For more information on how to do that, see Estimating: Import and Export Spreadsheet and Updating a Product Using a Spreadsheet.

Composition Detail

The Composition Details window, that you can access by clicking on the final product component (i.e., the Mail Package), allows you to edit the more in-depth component details.

Note: For more information, see Composition Detail.