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Post-press & finishing
Post-Press Time & Cost Planner
Transparent post-press planning with editable job assumptions.
What this calculator solves
Estimate cutting, folding, lamination, creasing, binding or a user-defined finishing step using transparent hourly inputs. It makes the job assumptions visible instead of treating a generic production rule as a guaranteed specification.
Post-Press Time & Cost Planner is a job-ticket planning value: the folding dummy, measured stock and selected equipment remain the controlling evidence.
When to use it and how to choose inputs
Use Post-Press Time & Cost Planner after trim size and production sequence are known, but before artwork is released or materials are ordered. Enter values in one unit system and choose the allowance, rate and costs from the actual job ticket; editable example values are not shop standards.
For Post-Press Time & Cost Planner, metric and imperial dimensions work when consistently entered. Zero, negative, missing and non-finite values are rejected because they cannot produce a useful production plan.
Calculation method
Run hours equal quantity × passes ÷ rate. Total time adds setup; labour cost multiplies total hours by operators and labour rate, then machine and material costs are added.
Post-Press Time & Cost Planner shows its arithmetic rather than claiming to certify machine setup. Round sheet, roll and lift counts up only where a whole physical unit is required.
Worked production example
A 5,000-piece two-pass operation at 1,500/hour with 45 minutes setup has 7.42 total hours before downstream waiting or cure time.
Record Post-Press Time & Cost Planner inputs with the job: a later change in stock, sequence, make-ready or process speed should trigger a fresh estimate.
Interpretation and common mistakes
Keep separate rows or rerun for each process; a single blended speed hides bottlenecks.
Compare the Post-Press Time & Cost Planner result with the approved job specification and test a dummy where a fold, coating or material behaviour can change the outcome.
Assumptions and limitations
Post-Press Time & Cost Planner is an estimating and preflight aid, not a production-certified value. Stock caliper, grain, coating, cure, static, curl, blade condition, fold direction and equipment setup can materially change results.
Post-Press Time & Cost Planner connects to Print Job Cost, Spoilage Allowance, and the Post-Press Preflight Guide.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-02