Best Print Broker Software

Guide to Print Broker Software

Print broker software is designed to help print brokers manage the full lifecycle of print jobs by centralizing project details, vendor relationships, pricing, and communication. It streamlines quoting by allowing brokers to compare costs across multiple print vendors, factoring in specifications like materials, quantities, and turnaround times. By automating much of the manual back-and-forth typically involved in print sourcing, the software helps brokers respond to client requests faster and more accurately.

Beyond quoting, print broker software supports project tracking from order placement through production and delivery. Brokers can monitor job status, maintain proofing workflows, handle revisions, and keep all documentation in one place. This reduces the risk of errors and missed deadlines, especially when managing several projects simultaneously. Many solutions also offer customer portals so clients can approve proofs, view updates, or submit new requests without relying on email threads.

Financial management is another core advantage. The software often includes tools for invoicing, vendor payments, markup management, and profitability analysis. This helps brokers maintain clear financial visibility and ensures that margins are protected across varied job types. With integrated reporting features, brokers can analyze vendor performance, track repeat orders, and forecast demand. Overall, print broker software contributes to smoother operations, stronger client relationships, and more informed business decisions.

Features Provided by Print Broker Software

• Job Quoting and Estimating: Enables brokers to build accurate, consistent estimates by calculating costs for materials, labor, equipment use, and vendor pricing, helping reduce errors and speed up the quoting process.
• Vendor and Supplier Management: Stores detailed vendor profiles and capabilities so brokers can compare options easily, match jobs with the right supplier, and streamline communication for quotes and production updates.
• Order Management and Job Tracking: Tracks each print project from inquiry through delivery, providing real-time status updates and organized job details to prevent delays and keep multiple projects running smoothly.
• Workflow Automation: Automates repetitive tasks like sending RFQs, generating purchase orders, updating job milestones, and issuing invoices, reducing administrative workload and creating a more consistent production workflow.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Centralizes client profiles, order histories, communication logs, and preferences, helping brokers manage relationships, personalize service, and stay organized across the sales cycle.
• Proofing and Approval Tools: Allows clients to review digital proofs, add comments, approve revisions, and compare versions in a structured space that helps prevent miscommunication and speeds up approval timelines.
• Artwork and File Management: Stores artwork and print-ready files with version control and validation tools that check for bleed, resolution, and color accuracy, minimizing file errors before production.
• Purchase Order Creation and Management: Automatically generates and tracks purchase orders based on approved quotes, making it easier to keep vendors informed and maintain accurate documentation for every job.
• Inventory and Materials Management: Helps track materials like paper stock or pre-printed items, monitor usage, and forecast replenishment needs, reducing waste and improving overall planning.
• Billing, Invoicing, and Financial Tracking: Produces invoices, records payments, and integrates with accounting systems to provide clear financial reporting and help brokers analyze profitability.
• Reporting and Analytics: Offers dashboards and reports that highlight performance metrics such as sales trends, vendor efficiency, client activity, and job profitability, supporting data-driven decisions.
• Customer Portals: Gives clients secure access to quotes, proofs, order statuses, invoices, and reorder options, improving communication and offering convenient self-service tools.
• Reorder Management: Saves job templates and previous orders so clients can reorder quickly and maintain consistent print quality, helping build long-term relationships and recurring revenue.
• Integration Capabilities: Connects with accounting platforms, CRM systems, ERP tools, shipping carriers, and web-to-print portals to eliminate duplicate data entry and streamline the full production process.
• Web-to-Print Functionality: Enables online design, customization, and ordering of print products with brand-controlled templates and variable-data options, expanding service offerings and boosting automation.
• Scheduling and Production Planning: Helps plan production timelines, allocate vendor capacity, and avoid bottlenecks by organizing deadlines and required tasks for every stage of a job.
• Shipping and Fulfillment Management: Manages shipping methods, delivery schedules, packing requirements, and carrier communication to ensure accurate, on-time delivery for single or multi-location shipments.

What Are the Different Types of Print Broker Software?

• General print broker platforms: These systems give brokers a centralized hub to manage quotes, job details, client communication, and vendor coordination. They streamline the entire workflow so brokers can monitor progress, reduce manual back-and-forth, and maintain visibility across all active and completed print jobs.
• Web-to-print systems: These tools let brokers offer online storefronts where customers can customize and order printed materials on their own. They support templates, automated pricing, built-in proofing, and simplified order intake, helping brokers scale without manually processing every order.
• Estimating and quoting software: Designed to calculate print costs quickly and accurately, these systems use production variables such as materials, sizing, and finishing methods. They help brokers generate consistent quotes, compare scenarios, and apply custom markups or margin controls when pricing complex work.
• Procurement and vendor-management platforms: These platforms organize vendor data, capabilities, and pricing so brokers can source jobs efficiently. They make it easy to send RFQs, compare bids, evaluate vendor performance, and centralize information about turnaround times and specialty services.
• Job management and production tracking systems: These tools follow every job from intake through delivery, using digital job tickets and status updates to document changes and approvals. They help keep teams aligned, maintain deadlines, and ensure each stage is completed correctly before moving to the next.
• Prepress and proof management tools: These systems support online proofing, version control, and markup features that reduce errors during artwork approval. They validate files for color accuracy, bleed, trim, and formatting before production, cutting down on misprints and costly revisions.
• Color-management and specification tools: These tools unify color standards across different print vendors and production devices. They handle conversions, profile checks, and soft-proofing tasks, ensuring predictable, consistent color output even when jobs use multiple printing processes.
• Inventory and fulfillment management systems: Ideal for brokers offering warehousing or distribution services, these platforms track stock-level data, reorder thresholds, and usage trends. They integrate with pick-pack-ship workflows so brokers can manage stored collateral for clients efficiently.
• CRM systems tailored for print brokers: These systems track customer interactions, sales leads, communication history, and reorder cycles. They integrate with quoting and job-tracking tools, giving brokers a complete view of each customer relationship and helping teams manage follow-ups and opportunities.
• Workflow automation systems: These tools connect various steps of the print brokerage process and automate repetitive tasks. They trigger notifications, hand off files between systems, and enforce standardized workflows that reduce errors and speed up job turnaround.
• Analytics and business-intelligence platforms: Focused on data insights, these systems highlight trends such as job profitability, vendor performance, and production bottlenecks. They help brokers optimize operations, improve margins, and make informed decisions about service offerings and resource allocation.
• Financial and invoicing tools: These systems generate invoices, track payments, manage accounts receivable, and allocate costs for multi-vendor jobs. They integrate with external accounting tools so brokers can maintain accurate, audit-ready financial records tied directly to job activity.
• API-integrated broker platforms: These systems allow brokers to connect custom software, storefronts, and production tools. They support real-time pricing, automated order submission, and flexible workflows for brokers with specialized requirements or large-volume enterprise clients.

Benefits of Using Print Broker Software

• Streamlined Job Management: Consolidates quotes, specs, revisions, and production details into one system, making it easier for brokers to oversee many projects at once and reducing confusion that comes from juggling emails or spreadsheets.
• Automated Quoting and Pricing: Quickly generates accurate estimates using vendor price data and job specs, allowing brokers to respond to customers faster while maintaining consistent, profitable pricing.
• Efficient Vendor Comparison: Helps brokers evaluate multiple print vendors side by side, comparing capabilities, turnaround times, and costs to ensure each project is matched with the best supplier.
• Improved Customer Communication: Offers tools for sending updates, tracking orders, and organizing conversations, which reduces miscommunication and helps clients stay informed throughout the production process.
• Real-Time Production Tracking: Provides visibility into every stage of the print job, allowing brokers to catch delays early, adjust plans, and keep projects on schedule more consistently.
• Centralized Document and Asset Storage: Keeps artwork, proofs, templates, and job histories organized in one place, eliminating lost files and making it easy to reuse assets for repeat customers.
• Enhanced Quality Control: Allows brokers to define clear specs and approval steps, track vendor reliability, and ensure that artwork and proofs meet expectations before full production begins.
• Increased Productivity and Time Savings: Automates tasks such as quoting, invoicing, and scheduling so brokers can manage more jobs without adding extra staff or sacrificing accuracy.
• Accurate Financial Tracking: Connects project data with purchase orders, invoices, and profitability insights, helping brokers understand margins and maintain clean, error-free billing.
• Scalability for Growing Teams: Supports multiple users, permissions, and role-based workflows, enabling brokerages to expand their service capacity without their processes breaking down.
• Actionable Reporting and Insights: Generates data on vendor performance, job costs, customer behavior, and turnaround times, giving brokers valuable information to improve operations and make strategic decisions.
• Competitive Differentiation: Allows brokers to offer faster service, clearer communication, and more reliable job management than competitors still using manual systems, improving client retention and overall reputation.
• Reduced Human Error: Minimizes mistakes in specs, pricing, and production details by replacing manual entry and disorganized workflows with structured, automated processes.

What Types of Users Use Print Broker Software?

• Independent Print Brokers: They rely on print broker software to compare vendor pricing, manage quotes, and streamline production coordination so they can handle many jobs at once without losing track of deadlines or supplier details.
• Print Management Companies: These firms oversee print procurement for multiple clients and use the software to organize vendor lists, monitor job progress, standardize workflows, and deliver consistent output at scale.
• Marketing Agencies: Agencies that outsource print work use broker platforms to estimate jobs, manage proofs, coordinate vendor communication, and ensure printed materials meet campaign timelines and brand expectations.
• Corporate Marketing Departments: Internal teams use the software to order branded materials, track spending, check vendor performance, and maintain consistency across brochures, signage, packaging, and promotional assets.
• Promotional Product Distributors: They manage catalogs of customizable products and need software that tracks vendor pricing, handles artwork variations, and coordinates complex product customization.
• Franchises and Multi-location Businesses: These organizations use print broker tools to centralize approved print materials, keep branding uniform across locations, and allow individual branches to order items from trusted vendors.
• Commercial Printers Offering Brokerage Services: Print shops that occasionally outsource jobs use broker software to compare outsourcing costs, manage subcontracted work, and keep clients informed while maintaining profit margins.
• Design Studios and Creative Freelancers: Designers who manage print production for their clients use the software to gather quotes, store vendor information, and coordinate production without needing a full internal print workflow.
• Procurement Teams in Large Enterprises: They rely on broker platforms to standardize vendor selection, streamline competitive quoting, track budgets, and maintain compliance and approval trails.
• Nonprofits and Associations: These groups often produce recurring collateral such as event materials, fundraising pieces, and membership communications, using the software to save time and manage long-term vendor relationships.
• Event Management Companies: Since events require fast-turnaround print pieces, these companies use broker software to track deadlines, coordinate multiple suppliers, and ensure all materials are delivered on time.
• eCommerce Print Resellers: Online sellers who do not own printing equipment use the software to route orders to trade printers, automate quoting, and manage high-volume fulfillment through connected workflows.
• Custom Packaging Resellers: They handle complex packaging jobs and use print broker software to manage dielines, compare material options, gather quotes from specialty suppliers, and track long production cycles.
• Brand Management Firms: Agencies overseeing ongoing brand production for clients use the software to manage recurring print orders, track vendor performance, and maintain approved templates and brand assets.
• Government or Educational Procurement Offices: These departments use print broker systems to manage competitive bidding, maintain documentation, ensure compliance, and organize many different print requests across teams.
• Fulfillment and Logistics Providers: Companies handling storage and distribution of printed materials use the software to track production timelines, incoming shipments, and multi-step delivery processes.
• Open source–focused Print Resellers and Tech-forward Teams: Users who prefer customizable systems integrate open source tools with print broker software to build automated workflows, extend quoting engines, or connect print operations with MIS, ERP, or CRM platforms.

How Much Does Print Broker Software Cost?

The cost of print broker software varies widely depending on the features you need, the size of your operation, and whether the software is licensed per user, per device, or through a subscription model. Basic solutions may charge a one-time fee or a modest monthly rate for core functions like quoting, order entry, and job tracking. Costs can range from under a hundred dollars per month for simple setups to a few hundred dollars per user or device for more capable systems. Some providers also offer tiered plans, with higher tiers adding automation, reporting, or integration features that increase the price.

For businesses that require comprehensive tools: such as vendor management, inventory oversight, production scheduling, or advanced estimating: pricing generally increases to reflect those expanded capabilities. In these cases, total annual costs can reach several thousand dollars, especially when ongoing support, updates, or cloud hosting are included. Larger teams or organizations with multiple departments may also see additional fees tied to the number of users or the workload supported by the system. Overall, print broker software costs scale with the complexity and size of the business, as well as the level of customization and support needed.

What Software Does Print Broker Software Integrate With?

​​Print broker software can integrate with several categories of systems that support the full lifecycle of estimating, ordering, producing, and delivering printed materials. The most common integrations involve customer relationship management platforms, which supply client data, sales histories, and communication logs so print brokers can generate accurate quotes and maintain smooth sales workflows. Management information systems for print shops are also frequently connected because they handle job tickets, scheduling, production tracking, and costing, allowing brokers to pass orders directly into a printer’s operational pipeline.

Accounting and finance applications often integrate as well, making it possible to sync invoices, purchase orders, vendor bills, and payment statuses without manual entry. Many brokers also connect ecommerce or web-to-print storefronts to automate order intake and provide customers with real-time pricing or artwork upload capabilities. Artwork and prepress systems can be tied in to streamline file management, proofing, and version control. Some solutions also support links to shipping and logistics platforms so brokers can automatically generate labels, compare rates, and track deliveries. Finally, analytics or business intelligence tools may integrate to consolidate performance metrics, cost data, and profitability insights across customers, vendors, and print jobs.

Recent Trends Related to Print Broker Software

• Market Growth and Rising Demand: The print broker and print management software market is expanding quickly as more businesses look for tools that streamline print workflows, reduce waste, and improve cost control. Industry reports consistently project strong CAGR growth into the next decade, showing that print brokers increasingly rely on software to stay competitive.
• Shift Toward Cloud-Based Solutions: Cloud deployment is becoming the dominant model because it eliminates the need for on-premises print servers, supports remote or hybrid workforces, and makes it easier for brokers to manage jobs from multiple vendors or locations. This trend also lowers costs for smaller brokers who need scalable, subscription-based tools.
• Automation, AI, and Data-Driven Capabilities: Modern print broker software is incorporating automation and machine learning to manage job scheduling, compare vendor pricing, analyze margins, and track performance. These AI-enhanced features reduce manual labor, speed up quoting, and help brokers make smarter vendor decisions using real data.
• Expansion of All-In-One Feature Sets: Print broker platforms are evolving into end-to-end business management systems, offering quoting modules, vendor comparison, RFQ tools, web-to-print storefronts, CRM functions, approval workflows, invoicing, delivery tracking, and analytics. This consolidation reflects the demand for a single platform that manages the entire lifecycle of every print job.
• Focus on Sustainability and Print Reduction: Companies across industries are prioritizing sustainable printing practices, and print management software supports this shift through usage monitoring, waste reduction tools, and cost-optimization features. Brokers use these capabilities to help clients minimize overprinting and to strengthen their own eco-friendly positioning.
• Broader Industry Adoption and Global Expansion: Adoption of print broker and print management software is growing not only among large enterprises but also among smaller and mid-sized brokers. Meanwhile, markets in Asia-Pacific and other regions are rapidly expanding due to rising digitization and increasing demand for managed print services across sectors like finance, healthcare, retail, and telecom.
• Competitive Pressure Driving Innovation: Overall print volumes have declined in some industries due to digitization, pushing brokers and software providers to innovate with faster online ordering, integrated approvals, data analytics, and improved customer experience. Integration with existing systems such as CRM, accounting, or ERP platforms is also becoming a central requirement.
• Strategic Implications for Print Brokers: The trends highlight that modern brokers need cloud-capable, automated, data-powered software to stay competitive. Tools that support online ordering, vendor comparison, sustainability, mobile access, and full workflow automation give brokers greater efficiency, better margins, and stronger client relationships.

How To Pick the Right Print Broker Software

Choosing the right print broker software starts with understanding what your business truly needs. Begin by considering the scale of your operation and the kinds of print jobs you manage. A small team handling straightforward orders will prioritize simplicity and ease of use, while a larger operation with multiple vendors, complex quotes, and diverse print formats will require more advanced automation and integrations.

It is also important to evaluate how well the software simplifies quoting and estimating. Effective print broker tools should make it easy to generate accurate quotes, compare vendor costs, and adjust specifications without forcing you through a maze of screens. The smoother this workflow is, the faster you can respond to clients and close deals.

Vendor management is another core factor. Good print broker software lets you maintain a clear, organized database of suppliers, track capabilities, and match each project with the right vendor. The system should support communication, order tracking, and proof approvals in a way that reduces the back-and-forth that often slows production timelines.

Integration with your existing systems matters more than many teams realize. Software that connects easily with CRM tools, accounting platforms, and online storefronts helps you avoid manual data entry and ensures consistent information across your business. Before selecting a platform, verify that it supports the tools you already depend on to avoid technical complications later.

You should also look closely at how the software handles workflow automation. Automated job tickets, status updates, reminders, and vendor notifications can significantly reduce administrative tasks. A platform that offers flexible, customizable automation will adapt to your processes rather than forcing you into rigid structures.

Customer experience is another key consideration. If the software includes client portals or approval workflows, ensure they are intuitive, visually appealing, and easy for customers to navigate. A smooth customer-facing experience strengthens relationships and sets your service apart from competitors.

Finally, assess the support and long-term reliability of the provider. Look for software with consistent updates, responsive customer service, and a reputation for stability. Request demos, test trial versions, and talk with other users when possible. Hands-on experience often reveals whether a system feels intuitive and trustworthy for daily use.

By focusing on practical needs, automation capabilities, vendor coordination, system compatibility, and overall usability, you can confidently choose print broker software that supports efficiency and growth in your print operations.

Compare print broker software according to cost, capabilities, integrations, user feedback, and more using the resources available on this page.