Hexicom has moved its MIS and web to print solution into the cloud, so printers can access it from anywhere and eliminate the need for their own servers, maintenance, and upgrade management
Hexicom Software has in business for seven years, with offices in Sydney and Auckland, and its growing band of users are now operating in an entirely new way; saving time, money, effort, while realising the benefits of integration.
The company’s core product is the web based ePrint and the interlinked ePrint eStore web2print module. The ePrint MIS is provided as a hosted web based solution accessed through an internet browser.
Phil Rutherford, managing director at Hexicom says, “This means that users don’t need to invest in expensive servers and traditional network technology to enable them to have a multi-user MIS system because ePrint MIS can be accessed from any location where the user has internet access, including working remote on mobile internet on a laptop or iPad.”
The Hexicom solution is targeted at the small to medium sized printers, print management companies and graphic design agencies, typically businesses from 1 to 30 staff. According to Rutherford the pricing is deliberately kept affordable.
The solution is provided using the popular software as a service module (SaaS), where the solution provider hosts the solution, supports, backs up the data and also rolls out system upgrades in exchange for the user’s monthly license fee. Rutherford says, “This model means that the print business user doesn’t have to maintain a solution, back up data, or have responsibility for any technology beyond their normal PCs or laptops and also means they don’t have to pay a substantial initial set up and installation fee, which has traditionally been a barrier preventing the smaller print businesses from using a good MIS solution.”
ePrint MIS and ePrint eStore
The functionality of the Hexicom solution includes estimating for all forms of sheetfed printing (offset, digital and large format), print management outwork, and all associated pre and post press costs. There is also a product catalogue module that enables frequently costed products to be saved in the database for easy and fast quoting.
It has job management with a flexible work in progress review screen and what Rutherford says are easy to create job tickets, purchase orders, delivery notes and box labels all created without any double entry of data.
Invoicing is direct from the system and ePrint MIS can export invoicing and purchase order data to the users chosen accounting package to ensure that the whole workflow is seamless with no double entry of data required.
Rutherford says, “We also have add on modules for digital asset management and the ePrint eStore web2print module. The eStore enables printers’ customers to order online and the orders are received directly into the ePrint MIS solution ready to be managed as jobs. This seamless integration means that printers or print managers have a single solution from customer order right through to invoice. The eStore can be used as a B2C or B2B solution so both business models of web2print are well catered for.
He adds, “ePrint MIS can also be linked to printers existing web2print systems using our API so if a print company has already invested in web2print they don’t have to move from their existing system to enable them to reap the benefits of our web-based MIS solution.”
The future:
Rutherford says, “For Hexicom Software the whole offering is now web based and we have completely put our future on the delivery of internet based solutions to the print and graphics industry.
“This gives us a slightly different business model to our competitors, and enables us to provide cost-effective solutions to our customers, which they find attractive in these times of difficult trading conditions.
