How to make an app for a printing press

A press runs many jobs at once, each at a different stage: waiting for the proof, approved, on the machine, at cutting, ready. Advances are taken, paper is used, and shops reorder the same bill book every few months. An app keeps each job card, payment and paper stock together, so the counter can answer 'is my order ready?' at once.

Updated 2026-11-09

Who uses the app

The owner and the counter. If the machine room should mark jobs done from their own phone, connect your own Supabase database so the counter sees each job's stage as it changes.

The screens a printing press app needs

Jobs: All open jobs with stage: matter received, proof sent, approved, printing, cutting and binding, ready, delivered
New job: Customer, job type, size, paper, quantity, colours, finish, rate, advance and promised date
Customers: Shops, schools and families with past jobs, so a repeat bill book or letterhead is one tap
Payments: Advance and balance on each job, with a PDF bill to share
Paper stock: Reams and card sheets by GSM and size, used per job and left
Due today: Jobs promised for today and tomorrow, so nothing is missed in the wedding season

Features worth asking for

A job's stage changed with one tap, with a WhatsApp button to tell the customer the proof is sent or the job is ready
Repeat order copies an old job, with the bill book numbering continued from the last series
Paper used is subtracted from stock when a job is marked printed
Balance due shown on every job and a list of ready jobs not yet paid for
A photo of the approved proof attached to the job, so there is a record of what was approved
Rate worked out from your own rate table by quantity and paper

Where the data lives

If only the counter phone uses the app, data can stay on it. If the machine room or a second counter updates job stages, connect your own Supabase database; to take advances online, connect your Razorpay account too.

How to make it with AppCub, step by step

Decide what the app does. List the screens you need, for example: Jobs, New job, Customers, Payments, Paper stock.
Describe it to AppCub. Paste the request below, changed to your own business and details.
Check the plan. AppCub shows the screens and features it will build. Change them in the chat until they are right; seeing the plan is free.
Try it on your phone. The app runs live next to the chat. Scan the QR code to install it, and ask for changes.
Share it. Share it as a web link, an APK file, or publish it on Google Play from your own developer account.

Copy this request, change the details to match your printing press, and paste it into AppCub:

Make an app for my printing press, Ganesh Printers in Lucknow. Screens: jobs, new job, customers, payments, paper stock and due today. A job has customer, job type, size, paper GSM, quantity, colours, finish, rate, advance and promised date. Stages: matter received, proof sent, approved, printing, cutting, ready, delivered, with a WhatsApp button at each stage. Attach a photo of the approved proof. Repeat orders copy an old job and continue bill book numbers. Paper stock goes down when a job is printed. PDF bill with advance and balance. Maroon colours.

Tips for a printing press app

Write down your real stages first; some presses send work outside for lamination or foiling and need a stage for that.
Keep the last bill book serial number on the customer, so a reorder starts from the right number.
Attach a photo or the PDF of every approved proof to the job; it settles spelling disputes later.
Count paper in the unit you buy it in, reams or packets, so stock matches your supplier's bills.
Ask for Hindi labels for the machine room if they prefer them.

What it costs

Describing your app and seeing AppCub’s plan for it is free.
A new app usually takes 60 to 110 credits. Start with the 2-day trial for ₹99 (150 credits, enough for one app and a few changes) or the one-time App Pack for ₹499. Starter is ₹1,599 a month for 700 credits.
Google Play needs a paid plan (it includes the Play Store bundle and your app’s signing key) and your own Google Play developer account, a one-time US$25 fee to Google.
Work that fails or is rolled back costs no credits.

See all plans

Good to know

AppCub doesn't connect to printing machines, design software or cutting machines; the app keeps track of jobs, payments and paper only. Customers get updates when staff tap the WhatsApp button, not automatically.
AppCub builds Android apps. You can also share the app as a web link that opens on any phone; for the iPhone App Store, AppCub’s team can do it for you.

Questions

Can the app tell a customer their job is ready?

Yes. When a job is marked ready, a WhatsApp button opens with a ready message to the customer, and staff send it.

Can the app continue bill book numbers on a reorder?

Yes. Ask for the last serial number to be saved with the customer, so the next order starts from the following number.

Can the app keep track of paper stock?

Yes. Enter paper by size and GSM, and each printed job subtracts what it used, so you see what to reorder.

Can the machine operator update jobs from his phone?

Yes, with your own Supabase database. He marks a job printed or cut, and the counter sees the new stage.

Can I see which jobs are ready but not paid for?

Yes. Ask for a list of ready or delivered jobs with a balance due, with a WhatsApp reminder button.

Can the app work out a rate for a job?

Yes, from your own rate table by job type, quantity and paper. Staff can still change it before saving.

Make your printing press app

Seeing the plan is free. Building starts with a 2-day trial for ₹99.

Start building