Quoting is one of those tasks in screen printing that nobody really looks forward to, but it can make or break your business. If you are slow to respond or inconsistent with your pricing, customers notice and many times they move on. On the flip side, when you deliver a fast, professional quote, you stand out from the shop down the street. That is where a quoting console comes in.
The Problem With Traditional Quoting
Most shops still handle quotes the old-fashioned way by pulling garment prices, running numbers through spreadsheets, adding screens, and hoping nothing gets missed. It works, but it is slow and messy. A busy shop can easily lose hours every week just preparing estimates. Even worse, quotes often vary depending on who is putting them together. One person remembers to add screen fees, another forgets. That inconsistency costs money and trust.
What a Quoting Console Actually Is
Think of a quoting console as your shop’s pricing hub. Instead of juggling spreadsheets and emails, you have one tool that does it all: garment costs, markups, extras like names and numbers, and screen charges. Everything is built in. When a customer asks for a price, you enter the details and within seconds you have an accurate quote that is ready to send. Better yet, the console creates a clean, branded email proposal so you look professional every time.
The Benefits for Your Shop
- Speed: Get quotes out in seconds, not hours. Customers appreciate quick answers.
- Accuracy: No more forgetting to charge for extras or screens. Pricing is consistent every time.
- Professionalism: Your quotes look polished, which makes your shop look more reliable.
- Time Savings: Free up yourself and your team to focus on production instead of paperwork.
Why Customers Love It
From the customer’s perspective, speed matters. When someone is planning an event, ordering team jerseys, or running a business, waiting days for a quote is not an option. They want answers right away. A quoting console makes you the shop that delivers quickly and consistently, and that builds confidence. On top of that, quotes are easy to read and mobile-friendly, so clients can review and approve them wherever they are.
Gaining a Competitive Edge
Here is the truth: many screen printing shops are still quoting manually. That gives you an advantage if you step up first. Being the shop that responds fastest and most professionally does more than win jobs. It builds long-term relationships. Customers remember the shop that made their life easier.
Final Thoughts
In today’s screen printing world, speed and accuracy are not optional, they are expected. A quoting console is no longer just a nice addition. It is the new baseline for running a shop that grows instead of just gets by. If you are ready to stop wasting hours on quotes and start closing more orders, tools like the QuickQuote Console from Screen Print Bot are designed to get you there.