PrintStream Fulfillment

IT makes it easier to track our shipping and fulfillment orders... we are more organized than ever now!

It has a learning curve to it, and it takes some getting used to how it works with the other EFI software suites.

This software was a tremendous upgrade to our former fulfillment module. It offers features and capabilities that we could never have dreamed of.

The pros/features can also be cons if you are not ready to take a hard look at your processes and make sure to use this powerful program to its fullest.

We are using Printstream solely for Fulfillment. What I like about the software is that it integrates well with EFI Pace and Process Shipper. As an early adopter of the software, I appreciate how EFI shared with us its development plans for Printstream and sought and listened to our input and suggestions as we worked with the product after it had been acquired by EFI. We also liked the fact that there were SQL tables we could access and use them to create custom reports if necessary.

There was definitely a learning curve getting started with Printstream. Our trainer didn't have the knowledge of Pace that was needed to help us with the integration. Some of Printstream was still in Visual Basic and the naming conventions (e.g., project, nomination) were quite different than other fulfillment products we were using. It took some getting used to. Now, our biggest frustration is that there are files and tables that need to be changed when we have a problem that only a support rep can access, and we often have to wait days to get the problem addressed. Also, the software has no sensible way to create billing for storage, or to use a customer-owned inventory item as a raw materials for imprinting to create an on-demand finished goods item.

We are able to automate the Fulfillment order processing but integrating it to our MIS and Shipping solutions. Web2PS allows us to integrate Third Party Storefronts for ease of customer ordering and notifications. Having PrintStream Inventory connected to Fulfillment allows us to keep the Available Balances current on our external Storefronts at all times.

The Customer Sales Order ID doesn't print on the Invoice. This has been a request for the customers for many years.

It's very helpful that we can tie everything from estimating through to production and on to billing.

I don't like that this software is not very intuitive. It takes a lot of training to get someone up to speed. We also experience a lot of bugs when updates take place - with little to no resolutions.