# Alternatives to T-Quoter and Fastmanager



## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

I've been hunting for a shop management program and while T-Quoter and FastManager each have pluses, they also still don't really match what I need.

Has anyone else seen or know of similar programs?


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## IDINDUSTRIES (Sep 28, 2007)

check out Pricelist from SMR software (Embroidery and Screen Printing Products from SMR Software)


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

IDINDUSTRIES said:


> check out Pricelist from SMR software (Embroidery and Screen Printing Products from SMR Software)



Neat piece of software. I'm looking for something more flexible though as I run DTG printing. It looks like there are a number of fixed items in the costing segment.

If this application were more configurable and supported product imports, it would be pretty close to what I am looking for.

Anyone else found similar applications?

A dream application would:

1. allow import of product catalogs from vendors,
2. support image associations with each product per variation, 
3. generate mockups based design files and product images (like custom shirt designers do except be able to save the mockup for reference),
4. generate work orders,
5. support multiple users on a network.
6. be priced from $500 or less.


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## VectorKing (Mar 1, 2007)

I was really impressed by FastManager. You can set up your pricing tables any way that you would like and it is compatible with Quickbooks meaning no repetitive data entry. What is it lacking for you? Not having product images or is it priced too high? I'm interested to hear others opinions on the software as I have been researching management systems. I have also looked into ASI Computer system's Profitmaker but it is mored honed into ASI distributing and manufacturing rather than a printing and embroidery production shop.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

I am not sure if estimate would be what you are looking for but when I talked to them at sgia last week they said they were going to be adding dtg to it. At least that is what the woman told me


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

martinwoods said:


> I am not sure if estimate would be what you are looking for but when I talked to them at sgia last week they said they were going to be adding dtg to it. At least that is what the woman told me


 
Which product is this? Do you have a link to look at?


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

VectorKing said:


> I was really impressed by FastManager. You can set up your pricing tables any way that you would like and it is compatible with Quickbooks meaning no repetitive data entry. What is it lacking for you? Not having product images or is it priced too high? I'm interested to hear others opinions on the software as I have been researching management systems. I have also looked into ASI Computer system's Profitmaker but it is mored honed into ASI distributing and manufacturing rather than a printing and embroidery production shop.


I dislike the price for T-Quoter and Fast Manager. While I agree specialized software costs a hefty coin, I still think the software is over priced. Believe me, I'm not cheap or trying to get the milk for free, I just think the software should be more affordable. I think $500.00 is a far more reasonable target for software.

I liked the simple approach of the Pricelist product and my first looks at their costing/estimating system. FastManager's invoice generation interface was very cool and my favorite to work with. T-Quoter's work order form with its simple placement graphics made a huge difference in conveying the order between parties when we tested it in house. There are more pros and cons but that is just a quick one liner highlight for each application so far.

If I were scoring the applications based on each module that affected my business, none of them really worked for me. Each application has had something really solid about it but none of the applications managed to hit a 9 in one area and at least 7s in the rest. It was more like 9 in one category and possibly an 8 then a mix of 6s and 5s.

If I'm spending $250 or less that might be appropriate but when I get to $500+ and $1000+ markers, I want the software to fire at all levels.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

I will try to find my business card I got from them. It is sign software but they said they were going to be adding dtg.
Not sure if this is what you are looking for but it did look pretty nice when she went through it.
Here is a link but I am not positive that this is correct
EstiMate Sign Estimating Software:


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## jamesvb (Jan 14, 2006)

raise said:


> Neat piece of software. I'm looking for something more flexible though as I run DTG printing. It looks like there are a number of fixed items in the costing segment.
> 
> If this application were more configurable and supported product imports, it would be pretty close to what I am looking for.
> 
> ...



I'm having custom software made to do everything you need. The cost is only $40,000.00... so far.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

jamesvb said:


> I'm having custom software made to do everything you need. The cost is only $40,000.00... so far.


What???? are you for real?


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

martinwoods said:


> I will try to find my business card I got from them. It is sign software but they said they were going to be adding dtg.
> Not sure if this is what you are looking for but it did look pretty nice when she went through it.
> Here is a link but I am not positive that this is correct
> EstiMate Sign Estimating Software:


 
I went to checkout this package. First turn off is that you have to pay to demo the software. $10.00 isn't a lot but just to try out the software left a bad taste in my mouth.

The DTG segment isn't ready yet but I did check out the embroidery segment. I didn't completely understand their slider concept for adjusting prices and the base prices seem high despite adjusting the costs to reflect my actual business numbers. Basically, the formulas in EstiMate have something I'm missing in the setup or is calculated without input from me that causes it to be quite far off from my spreadsheets.

The plug in system allows it to support a pretty impressive number of business types though.


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

jamesvb said:


> I'm having custom software made to do everything you need. The cost is only $40,000.00... so far.


 
Missed the last requirement of $500 or less...


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## VectorKing (Mar 1, 2007)

I'm not trying to sound rude, but I don't think $500 or less is ever going to happen for what you are looking for. $500 is cheap for this type of application. I have been involved in some software projects myself and I think alot of people don't understand what is involved when developing software. This is the reason why more than 90% of software development projects either fail or go way over budget. Software is taken for granted. Most of the time that people hire programmers there are changes in the original plan which cause unforseen delays and even sometimes killing the project. I'm not at all saying this is should be reflected in the customers pricing, but software development is not as easy as "this is what I want, now go write the code". Alot of people don't take into consideration the countless of hours of testing and bug fixing. The next thing you know, there is an additional feature that would be great for the software and it is expected for a very low cost or free. Not to mention it ruins the projects timeline. I'm not writing this to defend the cost of certain softwares but to inform people of what is exactly involved in these projects.


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

VectorKing said:


> I'm not trying to sound rude, but I don't think $500 or less is ever going to happen for what you are looking for. $500 is cheap for this type of application. I have been involved in some software projects myself and I think alot of people don't understand what is involved when developing software. This is the reason why more than 90% of software development projects either fail or go way over budget. Software is taken for granted. Most of the time that people hire programmers there are changes in the original plan which cause unforseen delays and even sometimes killing the project. I'm not at all saying this is should be reflected in the customers pricing, but software development is not as easy as "this is what I want, now go write the code". Alot of people don't take into consideration the countless of hours of testing and bug fixing. The next thing you know, there is an additional feature that would be great for the software and it is expected for a very low cost or free. Not to mention it ruins the projects timeline. I'm not writing this to defend the cost of certain softwares but to inform people of what is exactly involved in these projects.


Actually , I'm very aware of the costs of custom development, it was my bread and butter for many years before stepped away from that business.

I agree that custom programming is expensive and should be priced as such but I also think that custom development is not the same as creating a product for a vertical market. There is only 1 customer in a customized application and as such the cost will be high. The size and potential of the market will end up factoring into the final price of a software package but I do not think the solutions I have tried really justify their costs yet especially when the number of clients greatly exceed the 1 client you sell to in customized development.

A dream application would cost $500 or less. An application that costs $1000 or more needs to be much more suited to my business needs before I will commit to a purchase. While I understand that DTG is a new process to add into exisiting shop management software, even for things like embroidery I haven't been bowled over with what I have seen.

All of the software packages mentioned in this thread each do something really well but none of them average out enough to warrant a purchase in my mind and I'm still looking for a good package to invest in. Whether I'll pay $1, $500 or $2000 will completely depend on how well that package meets my needs and increases the productivity of the front side and back side of the house.


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## studog79 (Jul 13, 2006)

raise said:


> I think $500.00 is a far more reasonable target for software.


What qualifications do you have for making a statement like this? Do you have any idea how much time it takes to create a package like these? Marketing? Support? I was in IT for 20+ years, had own consulting firm, and know the expenses that go into a package. They are an industry spealized software thus they would cost more. Personally I do not own either. There is much more I would want to be able to handle our business. Look at Shopworks. 4500+ for it. Its like a lot on here you must decide if you want to have a hobbyor run a true business. Like I have said before most people know how to hammer saw, some electric work, plumbing...ect.... but if you build a house most would hire true professionals to do the job with the proper tools. Yes you can bang a nail in with a srewdriver handle but I wouldn't want that person on my job.


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

studog79 said:


> What qualifications do you have for making a statement like this? Do you have any idea how much time it takes to create a package like these? Marketing? Support? I was in IT for 20+ years, had own consulting firm, and know the expenses that go into a package. They are an industry spealized software thus they would cost more. Personally I do not own either. There is much more I would want to be able to handle our business. Look at Shopworks. 4500+ for it. Its like a lot on here you must decide if you want to have a hobbyor run a true business. Like I have said before most people know how to hammer saw, some electric work, plumbing...ect.... but if you build a house most would hire true professionals to do the job with the proper tools. Yes you can bang a nail in with a srewdriver handle but I wouldn't want that person on my job.


The same qualifications you have, I'm shopping for software. I don't need to justify my desired price any more than developers need to meet it.

The idea that because I want affordable software means I'm not serious or knowledgeable about either business field is a strawman.

I know what I need to make my business successful. I know what I want to pay to make it more efficent. The final decision of what I will actually pay will be determined by the percieved/expected impact a purchase will have on my business.

My current opinon on looking at the products I've seen so far is that none of them justify the short term impact of their costs. Using our mix of Excel and Access is more cost efficent in the short term than trying to shoe horn our workflow and document needs into the packages I've been able to demo.

The whole point of this thread is that I know there are probably several solutions I've missed as I've searched and I wanted to see if other forum members knew of solutions I haven't seen.


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

On another note, has anyone heard if T-Quoter is going to make it to version 3? The T-Quoter boards were a bit lifeless and when I looked into that product, it seemed like the version 3.0 might completely change the application.


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## studog79 (Jul 13, 2006)

On ypur budget I'd stick with paper and pencil or a spreadsheet, which could work cause you can buy Excel for under 500.00, even though office professional is close to that. Or look into a software developer to create exactly what you need. Of course you might find sticker shock.


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

studog79 said:


> On ypur budget I'd stick with paper and pencil or a spreadsheet, which could work cause you can buy Excel for under 500.00, even though office professional is close to that. Or look into a software developer to create exactly what you need. Of course you might find sticker shock.



Thank you for your input sir. Have a nice day!


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## HelpRunMyShop (May 28, 2008)

Did you give up raise?


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

HelpRunMyShop said:


> Did you give up raise?


I gave up on the discussion here yes. I am still looking for a product and sharing my findings with others, just not on this message board.

In the end I may just repackage what I use daily and post it up as open source and let others improve on what I use.


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## IDINDUSTRIES (Sep 28, 2007)

In the past I have worked with Pricelist and T-quoter and found both very usefull. Through the link in this thread to Estimate (EstiMate Sign Estimating Software), I tried their trial version. Although I miss some features I had in Pricelist and/or T-quoter, still EstiMate has been an eye-opener to me. The hourly rate wizard was very confronting but I believe it has put us on the right track and finally I had a good reason to stop business with some resellers since I did not cover my costs with it. They took up valuable time I should spend on other customers and did not bring in any return.
EstiMate could use some extra feature but surely is a good way to start and take a good look at how you are doing. The cost for the software is reasonable and can be paid in 3 or 4 terms, so that might be an advantage too. The trial version costs 10 USD but you can use all modules for 60 days.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

raise said:


> Thank you for your input sir. Have a nice day!


Have you looked at some of the online design tools like rsk netshirt or shirtsoftware.com or artstudio24-7.com ?


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## raise (Apr 11, 2008)

Rodney said:


> Have you looked at some of the online design tools like rsk netshirt or shirtsoftware.com or artstudio24-7.com ?



I actually signed up with Pikiware for my front end. 

What I'm looking for now is software to help manage the workflow on the backend. We get orders in daily for banners, vinyl transfers, DTG and embroidery. Keeping all of those orders on track with art work status, production status, payment status and delivery/shipping status is done by hand in Access and Excel along with all of the paper that gets generated.

After looking at T-Quoter and FastManager, I really wanted to find a product that was flexible enough to customize to my business and cost structures. So far, I have not yet been successful.


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## HelpRunMyShop (May 28, 2008)

cuz i always get banned when i try to tell you what we offer lol


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## txscreener (Jan 19, 2008)

Check out TeeCal... TeeCal - Shop Management Software For The ScreenPrinting and Embroidery Industry


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## majen (Oct 7, 2008)

Have you considered developing your own solution with Filemaker?

I developed a Filemaker solution for our company that does everything you're asking. Cost of a Filemaker license is about $300. Just add your time. It is a relatively easy database environment to work in. The best part is you create it yourself (or hire a developer) so it is completely in sync with how you work and is networkable, scalable and cross platform.


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## BDave (Jan 27, 2008)

We have just recently revamped our whole site to integrate with inksoft software . Very easy to work with. JP even gave us his number direct in case we couldn't figure it out with Anya . And two days after site went live we got our first big fish for over $300 . I was impressed and then we called client to make sure where they wanted names placed?? I GOTTA SAY SO FAR .... AWESOME AWESOME$$$$ FuLL Time Shop


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## Dante2004 (Aug 23, 2010)

I was impressed with Inksoft, but our issue is we sell more than just shirts - and not just over our website.

The demo I saw didn't address those issues. Any input on that front?


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## Master's Press (Jun 20, 2008)

If you are just looking for a backend solution with GOOD work/production flow tools, robohead.com might work. I don't use it, but my son-in-law does and LOVES it.


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## jwcollect (Oct 24, 2007)

Inksoft is a great product but at $1000 plus $150 a month you have to print a lot of shirts to keep up with the cost. I also think its geared for someone who has and prints with a DTG because you'll get a lot of small quantity orders. I'm looking for bigger orders I can screen print.


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## Embroidthis2200 (May 30, 2008)

BDave, what's your site we have a had INkSOFT for a while and still can't get it to work. 

Embroid This


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## tshirtcreature (Jan 15, 2013)

Printavo is a pretty cool shop management software. It's compatible with Paypal so you can send an invoice directly to a customer and they can pay on-line.


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## dfc (Feb 9, 2009)

We use T-Boss, they just released an online version which is very helpful for our business and I think they have a free trial as well.


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## Hegemone (Oct 18, 2011)

Over the past few months I have found that t-works manager is excellent for me for everything from quoting to building my wholesale purchase orders. Its priced well. I know there are lots of bash posts around the forums but most have to do with support and not the product itself. Its my understanding that it was put together by a one man show and getting responses to questions can be problematic but if you can read and follow instruction the answers are there for you in the documentation. The funny thing is that if you are at all comfortable with most software packages you can get everything done that you need to get done. If there is something I need I have lots of options. It handles pricing based on colors and quantities, stitches (which I use to price vinyl based on the square inch rather then the stitch) flat per print cost for things like dtg or transfers. Its got solid workflow management with calendaring and the ability to import vendors if you have the time to format your vendors excel price list. This last can be a pain in the *** because vendors seem to like to throw tons of junk cells into their sheets (pretty for printing but stupid for data manipulation). With all of that said its solid and does what it is designed to well, it has its quirks at times but frankly what doesn't.


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## BDave (Jan 27, 2008)

I love tquoter -


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## BDave (Jan 27, 2008)

Pros-
1.price ( we have 5 pcs)
2.shedule was included -


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## Riph (Jan 11, 2011)

This thread was started a long time ago, so many things have changed. I recently signed up for FastManager Basic for $15/month. Some don't like the subscription model, but for this price you get a very effective quoting system with some shop management tools as well. It has worked well for me, as I am largely using it for quoting. For reference, I am a small one man operation, and don't need a multi-user, multifunction, do it all system.


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## AMC13 (Jan 29, 2015)

Riph said:


> This thread was started a long time ago, so many things have changed. I recently signed up for FastManager Basic for $15/month. Some don't like the subscription model, but for this price you get a very effective quoting system with some shop management tools as well. It has worked well for me, as I am largely using it for quoting. For reference, I am a small one man operation, and don't need a multi-user, multifunction, do it all system.


I am also a one WOman operation and looking for something that I can handle. No, I do not like the monthly charges, but if you use it and it works for your one man operation, I believe I may like it also.

Thank you


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