Carchidi Solutions
Workflow Software for Commercial Printers
Modern estimating, RFQs, workflow, and production intelligence for small and mid-sized print shops.
One Platform
Everything from a request for quote to a job on the floor.
RFQ Workflow
Requests for quote come in, get routed, and turn into estimates without falling through a spreadsheet.
Estimating Engine
Press, stock, ink, bindery, outside services, and handwork costed together into one quote — configurable, not hardcoded.
Press & Production
Run-to-yield calculations, press setup, and shop floor checklists from prep through finishing.
Stock & Inventory
An active stock library that estimates draw from, with purchasing and usage tracked against real jobs.
Customer Pricing
Markup and pricing grids per customer, so the same job doesn't get re-priced from scratch every time.
Business Rules Engine
The judgment calls a good estimator makes by feel — captured as editable rules instead of institutional knowledge.
Quote Management
Every quote versioned, searchable, and convertible into a production job in one step.
Documentation
A living reference for how the system works, written for the people who use it, not just the developer.
Why It Exists
Most print shops still run estimating out of one person's head, a stack of spreadsheets, and handwritten notes on a job jacket. It works — until that person is out sick, or retires, or a rush quote needs to go out in twenty minutes instead of two hours.
We build software that captures that knowledge — the pricing logic, the rules of thumb, the "we always do it this way for this customer" exceptions — and turns it into a repeatable workflow anyone on the team can run and anyone who owns the shop can change.
Proof, not a pitch
Built inside a real commercial print shop.
This platform is in active development with our first commercial print shop customer — a mid-sized shop in western Pennsylvania. Every capability above was built against their actual quotes, their actual press specs, and their actual pricing exceptions, not a generic spec sheet. RFQs come in, estimators build quotes against real components and real markups, and quotes convert into jobs the way this specific shop already works.
A full named case study is coming once the system is live in daily use and our customer is ready to be shown publicly — we'd rather wait and be accurate than rush a screenshot. Screenshots below are from the live system with customer and job details replaced by placeholders.
Behind the platform
I'm Greg Carchidi. I've been building FileMaker systems since 1995 — including The Answer, a print shop operating system that's run a real production floor for a decade, and recent work wiring Claude and live weather data into a 30-year-old family business system. This platform is where that experience goes next: software built for print shops to actually run on, not just a consulting engagement that ends when the invoice does.
Get started
Still running estimating out of one person's head?
Tell me how your shop quotes and schedules work today. I'll tell you honestly whether this platform fits, and what it would take.
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