A web-based software system designed by EFI for commercial & service companies.

About PrintSmith Vision

PrintSmith Vision is flexible, feature-rich business management software that offers powerful estimating, point-of-sale, account management, production management, receivables and sales analysis tools within a single, easy-to-use application. Plus, the new, browser-based platform can be accessed from any server, at any time, giving you even greater control over billing accuracy, cash flow, and customer service. This affordable solution can automate all the detail-laden aspects of your business, while offering optional modules, like PrintSmith Site, an eCommerce platform, to extend the power of your system to help grow your business over time.

Companies Running PrintSmith Vision Find They Are Able To:

  • Attain greater visibility into business performance;
  • Improve customer service;
  • Increase billing accuracy and cash flow; and
  • Make informed decisions that improve their organization’s profitability.

PrintSmith Vision (Full) System

The PrintSmith Vision (Full) System can automate your entire print shop, saving your company time and money on your day-to-day management of business operations. The flexible, pricing & estimating tool gives you the power to create fast and accurate quotes for all printing and copying services, products and merchandise. It´s fully integrated functionality also ensures that invoicing can be done accurately and quickly.

PrintSmith Vision comes equipped with accounts receivable, customer lists, work-in-progress reports, automatic stock order functions, account history and aging, point of sale management (including support for the optional cash drawer and receipt printer), valuable up-to-the-minute sales analysis, sales summaries, statements, management reports, mailing labels and mail merge - everything you need to successfully manage your print business.

PrintSmith Vision Digital System

PrintSmith Vision Digital is an ideal solution for a busy copy shop environment requiring a business management system, just on a slightly smaller scale. PrintSmith Vision Digital´s estimator supports all types of copiers, large format printers, pre-press, bindery, merchandise, rubber stamps and miscellaneous charges. The intuitive application includes capabilities to automate estimating, invoicing, job tickets, customer lists, work-in-progress reports, stock ordering and a complete cash register (including support for the optional cash drawer and receipt printer).

PrintSmith Vision Digital´s accounts receivable process also includes daily, weekly and monthly sales summaries, account aging, statements and several management report formats. PrintSmith Vision Digital also possesses an upgrade path to the PrintSmith Vision (Full) System.

To accommodate your growing business, both platforms allow you to add either three user licenses with the optional multiple user module or to expand your platform one user at a time by using the additional user module.

Estimating and Quoting

With PrintSmith Vision, you can quickly and accurately provide estimates for all of your jobs, from business cards and letterheads to complex projects. It includes automatic multi-bidding capabilities for up to forty different quantities, invoice templates for repeat jobs and the capability to track every estimate created. You can even see win/loss ratios by client to discover which clients have the greatest profit potential.

The robust estimating and quoting capabilities in PrintSmith Vision enable your organization to maximize revenue potential from clients and prospects, while making sure won work is profitable to produce.

Financial Management

PrintSmith Vision includes financial management capabilities to enable your organization to automate the management of your job costing, invoicing, accounts payable and accounts receivable operations.

Handling invoicing and payments becomes an easy and automated process since invoicing is driven by information already collected in the system throughout the estimating and production processes. Plus, tracking and collection of invoices also becomes fast and easy with detailed aging reports and displays of all unpaid items for each account. You can even post partial and full payments, spread payments over invoices, process refunds or post to several accounts being paid through one master billing account.

PrintSmith Vision also links with many leading accounting packages to give you complete financial reporting while maximizing your investment.

Integrated Credit Card Processing

PrintSmith Vision offers an optional integrated credit card processing module to make credit card transactions as simple as swiping or typing a credit card number, allowing your organization more ways to make payments fast and convenient for your customers.

You can quickly collect credit card information, send it to the credit card processing software, and receive results with either an approval code or reason for objection. And, when you add a magnetic stripe reader, you can automate input. Additionally, a plug-and-play cash drawer and receipt printer can be added to your professional point-of-sale system so your company can offer improved service to your customers while facilitating payments to your organization.

Management Reporting

PrintSmith Vision offers an optional report manager module so you can make decisions in support of your business objectives, based on timely and accurate information, reducing the need for spreadsheets, and eliminating the question of “Which version of the numbers is the correct one?”

By fully integrating and automating your business, you gain complete and immediate visibility into every aspect of your company’s performance. From production statistics, work-in-progress and materials costs by vendor, to on-time deliveries by client and payment status by account, you can understand how and where your company can improve its business performance.

Order Management

PrintSmith Vision makes it fast and easy to turn estimates into profitable orders for your organization, while providing complete visibility into the sales order, scheduling and production processes, to allow your organization to gain efficiencies, reduce errors and improve capacity, without increasing overhead.

By leveraging estimates to produce orders, your organization eliminates the need to rekey information, enabling your company to automate order management. Your company can convert more estimates to orders, in shorter times, with fewer people and fewer errors.

The order management module is integrated with the financial management module, allowing you to see and take into consideration the payment history of each account and invoice status, prior to placing an order for a customer. With PrintSmith Vision you can take advantage of a fully integrated system and access information from all areas of your company, easily and on-demand, so you can make informed decisions in support of your business objectives.

Production Scheduling

PrintSmith Vision offers an optional scheduling module that replaces whiteboard or tag-based solutions with a computer-based scheduling process that increases your ability to deliver more jobs on time while utilizing your resources more effectively, allowing your company to improve customer satisfaction, while increasing the margins on your jobs.

Use PrintSmith Vision to optimize your scheduling, produce your jobs more profitably and increase the productivity of your employees.

Shop Floor Data Collection

PrintSmith Vision offers an optional shop floor data collection module that provides real-time shop floor data and comprehensive job costing information. Add in the optional bar code reader hardware to provide instant visibility into the production process so your shop team can document the location of jobs as they move through the production cycle, allowing your staff to identify where jobs are in production and on the floor, saving time and improving their response to customers inquiring about job status.

The tracking capabilities allow produced quantities to be automatically counted and tracked against production schedules and jobs, then updates the schedule in real-time. Gone are the manual and paper-based processes. Your company can gain full automation and complete, real-time visibility into all aspects of your operations, by all key personnel needing access to the information.

Product Overview

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User Reviews of PrintSmith Vision

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on January 25th, 2022 by Kathy Morgan Sir Speedy Irvine, CA

I’ve been a client for 26 years and the service is absolutely horrific. There isn’t anyone answering the phones. The only way to get support is entering a case on their portal, and then they will call back when they feel like it. No matter who I complain to it falls on deaf ears. I used to love this software, but there are so many bugs in it, that we’re struggling just to make it work.

The Good…

Love that it’s browser based, love the integrations with Four51 and Credit Cards. Love the inventory feature.

The Bad…

The amount of bugs that aren’t getting fixed. The service/support is non existent. Can’t call anyone to get an answer. For software that’s used to run my business, this was the worst decision I made, but now that we have so many integrations, I can’t go anywhere else.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on June 22nd, 2021 by Jeramiah Townsend

Printsmith Vision has gone through a major transformation for the better. Previous to the full implementation of “Vision” (v. 5.0) it was slow and clunky, and the workflow was dated at best. I was seriously planning on getting rid of it entirely and we had been with the company 18 years. With Vision (v5.0+) they have made massive improvements to workflow and the user interface and the program is finally usable. Not only that, it works so much better! Its so much easier to use.

The Good…

I really like the user interface. Its intuitive (unlike previous versions). It makes creating invoices and providing estimates easy.

The Bad…

Primarily, the report generator in the latest version (5.0) is still not great. They made minor improvements. But the reporting features requires you to use a third party software instead of making reports integrated. This is a major issue Printsmith and EFI needs to resolve still.

Secondly, who has ever heard of a manufacturing management software that doesn’t have an integrated production schedule module? EFI has one, but it comes separate. This is a major issue if you plan on growing your business more than a small shop. Its very disappointing that its not included.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on November 18th, 2020 by Anonymous

I wish I saw these reviews before we upgraded to Vision. We used classic for over 25 years and upgraded to vision about a year ago and it has been a nightmare. The software is very slow, clunky, unstable, hard to learn, has no current written documentation, terrible customer service. Their upgrades made it so all of our previous data is useless. My whole shop hates it and renamed it a name I can’t repeat on a public board. I think EFI went out of their way to make it unnecessarily slow and complicated. Now Vision is coming to an end and it’s time to switch to Fast Track. Guess what it’s even worse. All I can say is if you are considering PrintSmith, do yourself a favor and do your homework. There are better options.

The Good…

I do not like anything

The Bad…

There is nothing good about it

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on August 5th, 2020 by Jeramiah

My shop has used Printsmith for several years. With the latest release of Vision 4.6.1, they have made vast improvements from previous installations. The software is much easier to use and much more intuitive to run. There are still improvements to be made, but I am much happier today than I was even a few months ago.

The Good…

The new interface is much more user friendly and easier to train staff compared to previous versions.

The Bad…

The reports features are horrible for creating and reviewing custom reports. I mean they have a list of reports that you have to DOWNLOAD without viewing, but you can’t sift through the data or arrange columns. And creating new reports is a giant pain.

A close second is the lack of a good CRM features. Sales are the lifeblood of any company, so a good software should have a more robust system. It has improved. It has. But Vision’s CRM features are still rudimentary.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on April 13th, 2020 by Jeramiah

Vision is suppose to make everything easier to run a print shop, but the learning curve is very steep, and any changes you want are difficult if not impossible to implement. Quick estimates are almost impossible. Accounting features must have been designed with torture in mind. And being able to create management reports and sort through the data is the worst I have ever seen.

The Good…

I don’t like anything about the program

The Bad…

Almost everything. Its not easy to update. Its not easy to train. Its not easy to make changes. Its horrible to create new reports. And although the support team is nice, they don’t have quick or easy answers. Its has allowed me to understand a new level of inescapable pain.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on March 12th, 2020 by Anonymous

I find it much slower than Classic with very few ‘new’ things that are any improvement

The Good…

The only thing I can think of is that when you check customer history for a specific item, all of the previous orders will display at once which is an improvement over Classic

The Bad…

It’s slow and clunky, even after using it for several months. It would be helpful if there was a manual available, or at least some basic instructions that could be downloaded. I heard from them weekly before we upgraded and spent the money. Now it takes over a week to get a response and fix from tech support.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on January 1st, 2020 by Debi Yerkes

We have been with PrintSmith for many years and used Classic - all along. At the very least it was an easier program then the new Vision which sucks. We have been in the printing business for 42 years and don’t need to do this much re educating for a Point of Sale Program. Our support that we pay for is lousy and expensive! Need I go on! Of course there is independent support out there! It’s the only way you get anywhere! We are considering going to a new program.

The Good…

NOTHING

The Bad…

everything

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on September 16th, 2019 by Anonymous

Went to a conference in Chicago this weekend to learn more about PrintSmith Vision and learned A LOT! Once everything is switched from the Legacy or Flash version to the HTML version I think overall it will be a better program then Classic BUT the developers need to quit thinking that everyone is a millennial that uses it! MOST millennials aren’t even working in the printing industry or not at least using this software! You need to keep your current customers happier than new ones because the new ones don’t know what they are missing and your current ones are going to find different software to use!

The Good…

faster once you learn where stuff has been moved too

The Bad…

the developers think we all think like millennials

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on July 8th, 2019 by David Ashkenaz

It’s all in the knowledge of the software and what it can do — it is one of the best on the market — Tech support is lacking and overall support is not that good, but hire an independent Consultant who knows the program AND the printing industry and you will be set and happy for life!

The Good…

Easy of operation —

The Bad…

Tech support

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on June 17th, 2019 by Anonymous

We’ve been using Classic for many years and it worked OK. Recently we migrated or are migrating to Vision and I have to say again, this program was pieced together like the first. You have to toggle back and forth between what’s called legacy and html because they claim to be moving to html. And I dislike it! Cumbersome to see the least, features are missing that classic had and there are very few improvements so far we found that is worth investing in a software program. If I were to do it again I would stay away from this one.

The Good…

Really don’t have a best about Vision. There are a few good short cuts if that counts.

The Bad…

Very slow system. Spinning wheel goes round and round! Copy and paste features no longer work.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on April 30th, 2019 by Anonymous

its TRASH, by far the worst investment we have made in our 60 years of printing. Overpriced, and under supported. “give me back my old pricing book”

The Good…

We bought out a local shop that was running Printsmith classic, because it was in place, we kept it. 5 years later and now into vision, we see , its money wasted.

The Bad…

I dont like how the tech support “team” dances around straight questions, with a couple of techs acting as though its a “perfect program” but cant fix your issues. lol

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on April 10th, 2019 by Anonymous

Why do you keep messing with the program? Used to be easy and work fine, now…?

The Good…

Not much

The Bad…

Most everything

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on February 14th, 2019 by Robert Stecker

It was supposed to be a better version of Classic, very similar look and same functions. We use it for all of our estimating, work flow management and billing.

The Good…

this is a tough one…the dashboard is kind of cool?

The Bad…

The thing I like least is when I actually have to use the product. Printsmith classic was great, this program, which we were forced to “upgrade” to is slow, it freezes and frankly drives everyone crazy. Support it terrible, you just have to sit and wait for them to call you and if you miss a call you have to call again…and wait for them to call you back. I have no idea why they even created “vision”. All I see is a frozen screen half the time. Spending 10 minutes putting all the details of a job in just to have it freeze, nothing saves automatically so you have to start from scratch every time. I have 3 employees that use this and they say it takes 4 times longer to just copy jobs over than it used to with Classic. Please bring back classic or fix this mess.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on January 30th, 2019 by Anonymous

The software is cutting-edge, well respected in the industry, and is a one-stop shop.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on January 5th, 2019 by Anonymous

Purchased the update late 2018. these are the remarks of my staff. Slow, clunky, stupid, if you keep this I will have to quit, lot of problems, are you kidding me. Oh and customer service has an attitude, What a waste of money.

The Good…

I am sorry but I have to say none.

The Bad…

None

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on August 24th, 2018 by Anonymous

Flash is a horrendous method for Business Management Software

The Good…

It works on a Mac

The Bad…

I am coming for you PrintSmith. I will destroy you and render you wholly obsolete.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on March 11th, 2018 by Anonymous

Seems to work fine, we’ve been using it for years. It seems to do what we need it to do from quoting and invoicing. The solution won’t be supported after the middle of this year so we are now looking elsewhere.

Response from Developer: Please note that PrintSmith Vision is not “end of life”. PrintSmith Classic is approaching end of life and the end of this year. PrintSmith Vision has 4 releases scheduled to 2018, one of which happened in April. -Thomas Hahn, Sales Development Manager at EFI

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on December 31st, 2017 by Anonymous

The software has many issues, including navigation on laptops - which is almost impossible. When we upgraded the software, support told us the best way to navigate is to buy all of our staff new 19" + monitors. All csr’s use 2 monitors to help navigate the windows inside the software. We are currently looking for options to replace PrintSmith. Would never recommend this software.

The Good…

On-line ordering is functional and inexpensive.

The Bad…

Too many to list but here are some points of frustration: software freezes, windows lock constantly, pricing changes without notice, not laptop user friendly, arrogant support staff who are in denial, broken promises to make fixes to obvious deficiencies, very very very slow - making an estimate or invoice takes a very long time with long waiting periods when trying to input basic job detail data (technical staff at EFI told me ‘our staff were just working too fast’), many more issues when you are working inside the software. Worst software ever. Stay away!

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on November 4th, 2017 by Anonymous

PrintSmith Vision is a relatively comprehensive management information system software designed for the graphic arts/printing industry. It is designed to handle estimating, invoicing, accounts receivable, and production scheduling/production management activities.

The “Vision” version of the software was a re-write of and older product that has been re-named “PrintSmith Classic”.

PrintSmith Vision was designed as a browser based system operating within a Flash enabled functionality. Similar to PrintSmith Classic though, it still requires the use of a Master/Server, and individual workstations throughout a typical printing company environment.

The Good…

As a browser based system, PrintSmith Vision has eliminated the need to install and run PrintSmith Workstation software on each workstation computer that may need to use the system. EFI still does require the purchase of seat licenses however, which limits the number of workstation connections that can be operating at one time.

The Bad…

As a management information system that sometimes has to crunch numbers, do calculations, and create graphical output and reports - the use of Flash means that the system requires very significant computer horsepower to function, and is still clunky, slow, and prone to regular freeze ups and system crashes.

Routine estimating, invoicing, and job management activities are significantly slower in PrintSmith Vision compared to the predecessor software.

In our environment, we chose not be and early adopter of the PrintSmith Vision product. Rather had hoped to find that most of the system bugs had been identified and resolved, before we implemented. Unfortunately though we have still found the system to have a number of unresolved bugs, and basic functionality issues, certain of which apparently EFI does not intend to address until a future major re-write of the system.

The support model is also challenging. Support representatives do not answer telephone calls, but rather all support assistance telephone calls, E Mails, go into a queuing system. As a User, you do not know if or when you will receive a call back meaning that your personal schedule becomes dictated by PrintSmith if you have issues that need resolving.

Also support representatives are prohibited from providing direct E Mail addresses or phone numbers, and support cases are handled on a pooled basis. So, if you have an ongoing issue, it is not managed by one individual, and a lot of time is consumed in re-educating the next support rep that you will be in contact with.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on September 3rd, 2015 by Anonymous

We’ve used PrintSmith for 17 years. It used to be great. It went down hill when EFI bought it. We use it extensively. We’ve purchased all of the upgrades and support over the years. We’ve attended the annual EFI conference (Connect) several times. Year after year, promises were made about release dates for Vision and year after year the promises were broken. When Vision was finally released, it was full of problems. EFI continues to send fixes for the problems but they have a long way to go. The software is clunky, quirky, slow and crashes often. EFI claims that the PC version was more successful than the Mac version, so they are rebuilding the Mac version with a release date of…who knows. We’re a Mac-based business because we’re in the graphic arts industry. It’s time to stop complaining, spend the money and buy a new management information system.

The Good…

The fact that it can be accessed remotely.

The Bad…

The software is clunky, quirky, slow and crashes often.