According to data from First Research, there are over 35,000 printing companies in the U.S. The vast majority have fewer than 20 employees.
Each of these businesses requires web to print software to keep their printing up to standard for our modern world, and that’s led to a huge market for printing software companies.
Deciding which of these software companies to go with can be a tough job for printers. That’s why we put together this article on the top five web to print software options on the market.
Table of contents
Comparing 5 popular web to print software
In the past, web to software was just a cool feature your printing business could offer. Of course, that’s no longer the case. These days web to print and Management Information Systems (MIS) software systems are a necessity for every printing business.
Now, every printing company needs to have an online portal where clients can go to check prices, design print jobs, track orders, and more. Your software and website’s interface also play important roles in affecting customer perception of your brand and quality.
This list includes five quality web to print software options to help you narrow down your options.
Docket Manager
Docket Manager is a Canada-based printing software company that offers everything a printing company might need. From MIS software and web to print capabilities to client training and CRM, Docket Manager does it all.
Founded in 2006, Docket Manager is a printing software company made by printers. In fact, some 70% of their employees are former printers. That means they know exactly what you need to make your printing operations more efficient.
Pros: Where Docket Manager stands out from the rest is their customer service. Multiple reviews mention the quality of the customer service and the company’s willingness to customize the software. Also, Docket Manager is meant for larger businesses, so you won’t have to worry about outgrowing its capabilities.
Cons: The biggest weakness of Docket Manager is its B2C storefront. Multiple reviews mention this. That being said, Docket Mangers has recently updated its software, so it’s unclear if the problem still exists.
PressWise
PressWise is one of the most interesting options on this list because unlike a lot of the competition, PressWise is a browser-based print management system. It offers end to end printing MIS services with a quality web to print B2C and B2B storefront.
PressWise includes everything you could need as a printing company, all from a single web browser. For companies that are using multiple systems to manage their online storefront and in-house operations, PressWise is a great option to consolidate and save some money.
Pros: PressWise has a number of advantages over other printing software services. First, it’s web browser-based, which some printers may love. Second, it is easily connectable with other SaaS products. And third, the system is one of the easiest to implement.
Cons: PressWise doesn’t get quite as outstanding of reviews in comparison with the competition, but still, most are positive. There are a few complaints about bugs in the system and some difficulty in combining invoices during the shipping process, however.
PrintJob
PrintJob’s web to print software is a UK-based software company that has produced top-quality printing software for years. The company proudly emphasizes the value of its “Administrative System,” which focuses on improving profit margins and productivity.
PrintJob also works with the security software and cloud hosting company, Linode, to provide backup and security services, so all your client data is safe.
Pros: One of the best features of PrintJob is the quality of its B2C online storefront.
With the B2C storefront, clients can upload their printing jobs, get quotes, and see pricing, then track their orders and even store their data on your site. This is a great tool to draw in small, local clientele, making PrintJob ideal for the smaller printing company.
Cons: PrintJob users love their software. It’s extremely highly rated. However, there are a few small issues that pop up on reviews online. First, the system only allows administrators to access customer portals, so you’ll have to log in and out of customer accounts at times for in-house printing. The second is just the inability to have multiple accounts attached to one email, in case you want to give admin access to multiple employees.
Ordant
Like most options on this list, Ordant is a cloud printing service that allows printers to make quote estimates, proof approvals, and more all online.
Founded by Usman Ali and Todd Sterling, who is regularly featured on CNBC, Ordant is a rapidly growing print software company. One of the software’s key features is their Order Manager system, which makes tracking orders for printers a breeze.
Pros: Ordant has a number of awesome features that have customers raving about the product. For example, there is a Quick Calculations tool that helps simplify the math behind printing jobs. However, the main feature customers seem to love about Ordant, based on reviews, is its ability to seamlessly connect with software from companies like QuickBooks, FedEx, Google, Slack, and UPS.
Cons: Finding cons about Ordant is difficult, they have some of the best reviews on the market, but one complaint that appears a couple of times in reviews is the inability to put accounts on hold for non-payment. Still, the company has said they are working on a fix for this.
PaperCut
PaperCut is one of the most technologically advanced printing software options on the market. They have reached over 195 countries with their product, including over 70,000 businesses.
They focus on increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and going green, but they don’t exclusively cater to printing companies like many on this list. PaperCut offers three software options for different types and sizes of businesses. They also boast the most robust data tracking software on this list.
Pros: PaperCut is one of the best web to print software options on the market for a reason. It has three service options, offers cloud services to eliminate server needs, and has state-of-the-art tracking software so you can stay informed of all relevant KPIs. The service also comes with security software to help give customers peace of mind that their data is secure.
Cons: Looking at PaperCut product reviews, the software is mostly loved by printing companies. However, they do consistently complain about having to input either a password or scan an ID before being able to start a printing job. Also, PaperCut can take almost a minute to start up at times according to some reviews, but these are minor cons.
Staying competitive in a tight printing market
The printing industry is slowly shrinking. In fact, according to data from IBIS, the industry has contracted some -1.4% over the past five years.
Competing in this shrinking market is extremely difficult for printers. That’s why software has become so important in the printing industry. Any way to stand out from the crowd can be a lifeline.
If your business is struggling to find customers and separate from the pack, maybe it’s time to turn to some unique software to help your business. Or you can focus on digital marketing efforts and invest in tactics like search engine optimization to increase your website’s visibility on search engines and attract more customers.
SEO for printing companies works to connect your website with more local customers looking for printing services. Contact Markitors for a free consultation to see how you can increase your monthly site traffic.
Markitors is a digital marketing agency specializing in SEO. We help small businesses rank higher on Google to get more traffic to their websites and increase revenue. Explore what’s in our SEO toolbox: audits and keyword research, digital PR, technical SEO, and local SEO.
