PrintSmith Vision Reviews
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180 Reviews
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
An honest review
Reviewed on 2020/11/12
We depend on PrintSmith Vision to do what we do every day, consistently and seamlessly. Our...
We depend on PrintSmith Vision to do what we do every day, consistently and seamlessly. Our experiences with the product has overall been excellent.
Pros
PrintSmith Vision is so complete and robust. It handles all of the tasks we need from estimating/quoting client projects, order entry, tracking, invoicing, account history, etc. From our CSR, to pre-press and production teams, to accounting, this software keeps us on track, consistent and timely.
Cons
Since it's so complete and robust it can be a bit intimidating at first. However, once a user is accostomed to using the software and it's numerous features, it becomes apparent that EFI has done a good job of thoughtful development.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10
Your title is misleading "How has your experience with EFI PrintStream Vision been?" ...
Reviewed on 2020/11/12
I'm not looking Back to the Legacy version of PrintSMITH Vision. Use it very rarely. I'm Enjoying...
I'm not looking Back to the Legacy version of PrintSMITH Vision. Use it very rarely. I'm Enjoying the New Fast Track
Pros
It is improving as it goes along. It is getting to be very USER FRIENDLY . The legacy was not much user friendly. Getting around is pleasant and quick. Cutting down on wasted time.
Cons
Other than Mousing around, I'd rather have a little more Keyboard use. Nothing to complain about EFI is improving PrintSMITH VISION fast Track. Taking time, but it's improving.
Reasons for Choosing PrintSmith Vision
Had to follow along with the rest of the Printleader Family. Ending up with an expanded Family :)Reasons for Switching to PrintSmith Vision
Didn't want to crossover to PC. Wanted to stick with Mac.- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 5.0 /10
Good for entry level users
Reviewed on 2020/11/05
PrintSmith does estimating and job management quite well. Inventory has been recently implemented...
PrintSmith does estimating and job management quite well. Inventory has been recently implemented but we're finding as have others that it doesn't work properly yet. For what it is, it works better than lesser systems but it doesn't do everything needed.
Pros
It does what a small printshop needs to do - tracks information way better than doing so manually. Set up is fairly simple but takes some time to understand and become familiar with. In my years of working with many different EFI products (Hagen, Monarch, Epace, Printsmith) it's difficult to get someone on the phone who really understands printing and what is being asked. As an example - a field might be called something. If you need clarification about what's meant to go there, good luck. Representatives can parrot back the help screens or what's in a manual but if you want more actual help with how the system is used, an incident has to be escalated to get a programmer to contact you. After that, it takes a bit to get that person to really understand what you are trying to do because they often aren't USERS and/or are not users in a Print Production Operation.
Cons
Many of the features don't work as they are supposed to (inventory is one) - there is not an easy way to interface with EFI regarding the status of the software or bugs - one can log into a list serve and see the issues but who knows when something might work right. Before working at Ferris another company where I managed used PrintSmith as well. Similar issues. It does some things well, other things not. Some things that seem logical, it does not do - like a mechanism that offers discounts or credits on the cash register. There's no way to allow a receipt of a coupon or enter a discount without entering a job and going away from the cash register.
Set up is fairly simple but takes some time to understand and become familiar with. In my years of working with many different EFI products (Hagen, Monarch, Epace, Printsmith) it's difficult to get someone on the phone who really understands printing and what is being asked. As an example - a field might be called something. If you need clarification about what's meant to go there, good luck. Representatives can parrot back the help screens or what's in a manual but if you want more actual help with how the system is used, an incident has to be escalated to get a programmer to contact you. After that, it takes a bit to get that person to really understand what you are trying to do because they often aren't USERS and/or are not users in a Print Production Operation.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 1+ year
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10
Printsmith
Reviewed on 2020/11/05
Printsmith is a big improvement over the MIS software that we were using prior (WebCRD by Rochester)...
Printsmith is a big improvement over the MIS software that we were using prior (WebCRD by Rochester). The algorithms used for generating pricing were close to what we were using prior, so setting up the software in a manner that kept pricing consistency was easier than we thought it would be.
Pros
Stability is good, as is the overall functionality.
Cons
Updates should be automatic, or at least more intuitive to implement. We've found some glitches in the algorithms that price out wide format products, but that may have been fixed in a newer update.
Alternatives Considered
DocketManagerReasons for Switching to PrintSmith Vision
We wanted a software that we could run locally (not on the cloud) and on a Windows based machine. Price was also a big factor.- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 6-12 months
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
First Impressions of PrintSmith
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
Overall, I find keeping track of orders and estimates much easier than our previous setup. Pricing...
Overall, I find keeping track of orders and estimates much easier than our previous setup. Pricing has become more consistent and easier to create.
Pros
I find the software pretty easy to use and learn. It requires the same information to be input as our previous system, but it takes out a lot of the manual calculations and streamlines the estimating/order writing process.
Cons
There are minor things that I've run across, such as not being able to easily switch an invoice to an estimate (and vice versa) if you've accidentally pressed the wrong option. It's pretty technical, in that writing definitions is a chore.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10
A reasonable solid choice for print shop estimating and invoicing
Reviewed on 2020/11/05
Pros
Good estimating support. Reliable. Decent reporting.
Cons
Communication around the migration away from flash was weak. Really had to guess and hunt and peck my way through it.
Alternatives Considered
Printers PlanReasons for Switching to PrintSmith Vision
Much better network support. More robust estimating engine. Better reporting.- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 5.0 /10
Good platform, but needs improvement in areas
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
While the new user interface makes PrintSmith much more appealing than a lot of other basic MIS...
While the new user interface makes PrintSmith much more appealing than a lot of other basic MIS options out there, there are enough issues with PrintSmith poorly handling different aspects of production that leave me with mixed feelings about the platform. It might be fine for small shops with limited production capabilities, but probably not the best/most efficient solution for handling production processes other than digital and offset printing.
Pros
The html5 update was long needed and helped put PrintSmith ahead of the competition when it comes to user interface. We use the EFI-hosted option which makes it a breeze to access from not only anywhere in the shop, but also makes it so much easier to access remotely. There are also integration options for Fiery RIP's if you take the time to set it up.
Cons
PrintSmith does a terrible job with handling production processes other than digital and offset printing. The way it processes wide format and merchandise production is clunky at best and leaves you wondering if the engineers ever even bothered to take into consideration the way that shops actually handle pricing and production.
There are many strange (and often very cumbersome) quirks throughout the platform that make it seem like EFI doesn't care too much about refining PrintSmith to operate intuitively or smoothly and that they're more focused on making the platform simply appear versatile and easy.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 5.0 /10
User of PrintSmith Classic since 1997
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
PrintSmith Vision Works very much like the Classic version, only slower because it is browser...
PrintSmith Vision Works very much like the Classic version, only slower because it is browser based. Overall I am very disappointed with the decisions made by EFI to take a beautiful and functional product and turn it into what it is now, and more disappointed that I am now being forced to learn an entirely different product.
Pros
I went with Vision because I had to upgrade our computers and that was the only Option. PrintSmith Classic fit my company like a glove, ease of use, it was a downloaded stand alone product not tied to the internet.
I switched to PrintSmith Vision because I had no choice.
Cons
The sluggish running PrintSmith Vision is, although slower, still very close to the PrintSmith Classic I have run for 22 years. Now they tell me it may not work after only 2 years of use and I will have to switch to Fast Track because Flash is going away. Fast Track is NOTHING like Classic OR Vision, and I am very upset they did not tell me this in advance, as I would have certainly shopped for another vendor with a product closer to what I am used to running.
- Industry: Government Administration
- Company size: 1,001–5,000 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 6.0 /10
Worth the investment if you have the time
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
Overall it has helped our business processes but it takes a lot of time to setup and manage. I wish...
Overall it has helped our business processes but it takes a lot of time to setup and manage. I wish more training was offered - I know we are only using some of the most basic features and at times we still feel like we are stumbling.
Pros
It's nice that we can price complex jobs fairly quickly once the system was set up.
Cons
The conversion to HTML (instead of Flash) has been very long, and we are still concerned about missing functions on the HTML side. It also takes a bit of time to go in and update pricing - could be much more user friendly especially for basic functions. Wish there were more standard reports available.
We also purchased Digital StoreFront under the impression that the two systems would sync seamlessly, and this hasn't been the case. We have to manage complex pricing in both systems, which is a nightmare since the two use completely different pricing methodologies. One would assume that if you update a paper price in one system that you sync it with the other system automatically.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 6.0 /10
Vision a BIG step forward
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
We have been using PrintSmith for over 15 years. Vision is definitely the best upgrade/update.
We have been using PrintSmith for over 15 years. Vision is definitely the best upgrade/update.
Pros
Coming from PrintSmith classic, Vision has made a big difference. It runs fast and is smoother. The Pending Documents menu is such an upgrade with the flexibility to filter out data and find things fast. The quick access menu gives you a great snapshot of everything going on in the company. love it.
Cons
Connecting it to online ordering is not great. Does not give you a lot of customization.
- Industry: Hospital & Health Care
- Company size: 10,000+ Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 6.0 /10
Its getting Better
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
we've had some bumpy rides starting up. The longer you work with the product and the upgrades are...
we've had some bumpy rides starting up. The longer you work with the product and the upgrades are made the more comfortable you become. For a system at its price point the value is there. I think that most would pay just a bit more to have a bit more ease of use.
Pros
I appreciate that this product while it can stand alone and support a print shop. The most important thing about this software is that it integrates with MDSF which is our virtual print shop "front door".
Cons
My teams least favorite thing about the software is the limitations we have as it relates to making modifications for ease of use for an in Plant Operation.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 0.0 /10
Terrible Customer Service and upgrades are still a work in progress
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
Overall, we would appreciate a better response on the customer service side and be able to talk to...
Overall, we would appreciate a better response on the customer service side and be able to talk to someone that can help us migrate as well as figure out these issues with the new system.
Pros
The new Fast Track puts things in front of you for easy access.
Cons
Inconvenient to go from Legacy to Fast Track to access items not available in the new system yet. Customer service is lacking - requests to have someone call is answered with instructions on how to do it yourself and our request is immediately closed out. We finally had someone call us from overseas (India) and he was unable to get us operational on a new computer. At square one again as far as moving Printsmith to another computer. Reports are not as user friendly in the new Fast Track side. Can't easily retrieve Daily Sales and Monthly Sales as we were able to in the Legacy side. Would like a feature to turn off seeing every part in Work in Progress, to name a few.
- Industry: Utilities
- Company size: 5,001–10,000 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
My 2 Cents
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
I enjoy estimating with PrintSmith and how they work with you on challenges.
I enjoy estimating with PrintSmith and how they work with you on challenges.
Pros
I like the layouts, ease of use to duplicate orders and report functions.
Cons
I would like to be able to print a delivery ticket after the month end has closed, able to pull up past estimate or jobs without the client's name.
- Industry: Graphic Design
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 1.0 /10
GOING BACKWARDS
Reviewed on 2021/05/19
Seems to me very unfair, to have to pay monthly fees for a product much worse that you had before...
Seems to me very unfair, to have to pay monthly fees for a product much worse that you had before free.
Pros
PrintSmith Legacy used to be the king of Graphic art software. I used it all day since 2007 we bought it, and I connected all our work with it. With no support at all in Greece, it was so easy to learn that I learned it by my shelf and teached my employees on it.
Cons
Turning from Legacy to Vision, everything changed. It's not only the interface that changed totally. It is that things you did before easily, now you do it (and not all of them) with a lot of steps, spending much time. Not to mention that does not understand any more foreign languages (special characters). And you have to answer all the time silly questions (Yes - No etc.) Generally, this cloud thing is now suitable for PrintSmith
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 5.0 /10
Printsmith has faults
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
Going from last version of Legacy to Fast-Track was way, way difficult. But finally figured it out....
Going from last version of Legacy to Fast-Track was way, way difficult. But finally figured it out. Just have some issues on things I would prefer to have to make things easier.
Pros
Easy log-in, creating a new estimate and converting is great.
Cons
Sessions expire in a short period of time. Common Adjustment seems to show up now and can't get rid of it (no one ever uses this feature).
Can't open 2 different jobs at the same time and copy charges from one job charge onto the other job ticket. Won't let me into Estimate History. Opening last invoice after closing, does not exist anymore. Printing a job invoice, should look more like a printer symbol (it's deceiving). Time Stamp in notes, should be at beginning of all notes (not at end only). In LOCATION section, should have Deliver, Outside Services & Hold.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10
PrintSmith Vision
Reviewed on 2021/10/15
Overall I would say my overall experience with PrintSmith Vision is a positive one. I feel once a...
Overall I would say my overall experience with PrintSmith Vision is a positive one. I feel once a person gets into it and starts using it. The software does what is expected of it.
Pros
I feel PrintSmith Vision is probably one of the best estimating software for the printing industry. The real beauty of it is that you can truly break down your costs and see if you are making money on any job. It breaks it down to a monthly summary in all departments so that you can see how much each department made that month. Helps you identify your weaknesses and strengths.
Cons
PrintSmith Vision does have a few things I would love to change to make it better for the users. For most of the stuff I would like to see fixed I can contact the support and request changes.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
Great Software, Great People!
Reviewed on 2020/11/05
Overall, from Printsmith Classic through migration to Vision, we have had an excellent experience....
Overall, from Printsmith Classic through migration to Vision, we have had an excellent experience. I especially appreciate the excellent and knowledgeable employees who never hesitation to assist me when I run into the odd technical issue. What a great team!
Pros
My company has been an EFI Printsmith customer for many years. I find Printsmith Vision to be set up perfectly for my commercial printing operations.
Cons
Due to my location in the US territories, we have extremely unreliable internet. Because of this, I've never liked the web based nature of the program. However, if I were anywhere but here with reliable internet, I wouldn't care about this.
- Industry: Higher Education
- Company size: 10,000+ Employees
- Used Daily for 1+ year
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 3.0 /10
Vision is harder to use than the original Printsmith
Reviewed on 2020/11/05
I feel that we were mislead about the price to switch to your hosting services and the new...
I feel that we were mislead about the price to switch to your hosting services and the new product.
Why are we charged a fee for maintenance you are hosting the product that should include maintenance and service.
Pros
This is not easy to use it now takes one more keystroke for almost everything you do compared to original PrintSmith.
Trying to find help in the user guide is ???
I do not like the new version. But did not want to lose the account history.
Cons
Having to click confirm then go into invoice summary and click save.
Waste of time. Also If you put the dollar amount in at the beginning and change it at invoicing time, it creates and "adjustment" that changes the amount going into your sales column. What is the purpose of that. The price changed for some reason it is not an adjustment with a separate line item.
- Industry: Education Management
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 6-12 months
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 5.0 /10
Difficult Product to Implement
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
I enjoy the program and my shop enjoys the program.
I enjoy the program and my shop enjoys the program.
Pros
It is extremely useful and proficient and covers all aspects of printing (estimating, invoicing, production)
Cons
The learning curve involved to become proficient in using it. The amount of time it takes to get support when you are not on a paid plan. The initial training took 4 full days. We were shown all the knobs and buttons but never allowed nor taught how to fly the plane.
Alternatives Considered
Printers PlanReasons for Choosing PrintSmith Vision
wanted a full solution to print production.Reasons for Switching to PrintSmith Vision
It was bundled with a machine purchase- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 0.0 /10
Terrible Flash termination planning
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
Very poor. The software transition to HTML has been terrible. The fact that FastTrack is not...
Very poor. The software transition to HTML has been terrible. The fact that FastTrack is not fully functional in 4.7 and that there will not be a 4.8 to address many of the existing issues before the rollout of 5.0 is inexcusable. Delviery slips, and many other functions, do not exist in 4.7 and so once 5.0 is loaded there is no going back. This was terrible planning and execution for a deadline that Adobe set years ago.
Pros
Low cost and Sir Speedy (former franchise) compliance.
Cons
Wide Format pricing, the need to straddle both the flash and the HTML versions, length of time for support, lack of additional features and functions. Evey update for the last few years has been fixes for the HTML version only.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 5.0 /10
PrintSmith
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
PrintSmith is the backbone of our estimating and we are tied to using to keep our business...
PrintSmith is the backbone of our estimating and we are tied to using to keep our business operating. Fortunately the latest updates have made parts of estimating easier and overall I am please with the direction it's heading.
Pros
It's gotten easier to use over the years, I like the browser based functionality and that we can access it from outside the office.
Cons
Don't like the reporting features or the secondary software needed to write reports. I think it should have better integration with other web products that is not expensive to implement. I don't like how much time there is between updates or the back up procedure.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10
Printsmith Review
Reviewed on 2020/11/05
When I contacted EFI customer service they got back to me immediately and helped us with installing...
When I contacted EFI customer service they got back to me immediately and helped us with installing all the updates that we were so far behind on. We are just really getting into it.
Pros
I mainly look to make sure customer service has gotten the right price in there before I order something or to make sure art charges are correct. I do a little pricing and so far it has been fairly easy to use since we transitioned to the newest Printsmith.
Cons
So far it feels like everything I need is there but I don't use it as often as customer service done. I have been able to find everything I needed.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Ease of Use
- Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10
Not Quite There
Reviewed on 2020/11/05
It isn't the fastest software you will use, and the legacy version is straight out of 1999....
It isn't the fastest software you will use, and the legacy version is straight out of 1999. Overall, though, it is good at organizing information once you learn it. It won't replace a good CRM. For that, we use PrintSpeak, which integrates with PrintSmith. Together, they help a great deal with productivity.
Pros
The UI is vastly more modern on the Fast Track version.
Cons
Some key features are either missing or difficult to find on Fast Track. For instance, there is no delivery menu. This is critical, because the legacy version is Flash based, which is due to be discontinued at the end of the year.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10
It works well but needs to develop
Reviewed on 2020/11/06
Its very good. Customer support / interatcion is typical of a large company - clunky, slow,...
Its very good. Customer support / interatcion is typical of a large company - clunky, slow, inflexible.
Pros
It is powerful and works well for print, dealing with all technical issues well. It is robust and provides lots of information.
Cons
It is weak in supporting marketing. Focuses on operational aspects of the business but would really help if it supported simple marketing, well. It does attempt some marketing but it is an add on and not central. In today's climate marketing and sales need to be at the forefront of the business.
- Industry: Printing
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 6-12 months
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10
PrintSmith Vision
Reviewed on 2020/10/29
Learning curve to switch to Vision has been minimal and fairly smooth. Just waiting for the newest...
Learning curve to switch to Vision has been minimal and fairly smooth. Just waiting for the newest update to keep it running after the end of the year when Flash Player is no longer available.
Pros
similar and an easy upgrade from my previous PrintSmith software
Cons
I do not use the accounting side, yet I constantly get pop ups to close out the AR. Also not having the ability to create an account at the time of an estimate. When estimating I do not have all of the information for new companies and would be nice to just create an estimate without having to first stop and create a new account first and then an estimate. As if we don't win the bid, then we have a partial account set up for no reason.