Getting started with QuoteCloud

A QuoteCloud rollout planned around your estimating sheet

Import the sheet, load the materials, convert the templates, connect the website and accounts, and train the estimators, phase by phase.

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A typical QuoteCloud rollout for a sign or print business imports the estimating spreadsheet as a Spreadsheet block and connects its cells to the price lines, loads materials and stocks into the product library by CSV, converts the job templates, sets up payments, approvals, integrations and, if wanted, an AI assistant through MCP, then trains the estimators. Timings are a sample plan.

Last reviewed by the QuoteCloud team

A fictional sign maker's quote template after its rollout, as the estimator sees it. On top, the Spreadsheet block imported from the shop's own workbook, Sign estimate · Morrowgate.xlsx, on its Job tab: the fascia width of 4,800 mm and height of 900 mm typed in, the area of 4.32 m² worked out by =B2*B3/1000000, a 15% waste allowance, a billed area of 5 m², the material and finish rates looked up from the Rates tab, and the fascia panel line in row 10 at $995.00, with the install and vinyl lines below it. Below, the price table with link chips showing which cells set each line's description and unit price: the fascia panel from Job!B10 and Job!D10, the installation from Job!B13 and Job!D13, the window vinyl from Job!B14 and Job!D14, and the total brought back into Check!B2.

Six workstreams, from the estimating sheet to the first signed job

A sample plan for a fictional sign and print shop with three estimators. Timings are planning, not a promise: yours depend on your sheet, your price list and your team.

  1. Phase 1, Week 1

    Rebuild the estimating sheet

    You bring
    The workbook your estimators trust, and three recent jobs to test it against.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    The .xlsx imported into a Spreadsheet block: tabs, formulas such as ROUNDUP, IF and VLOOKUP, and number formats. Cells connected to price lines' descriptions and unit prices; the price table total brought back into a cell.
    Done when
    The block prices those three jobs exactly as the workbook did.

    Spreadsheet block: Essentials and up

    Estimating sheets

  2. Phase 2, Week 1

    Load materials and stocks

    You bring
    Your substrates, stocks, finishes, standard products and labour as a CSV, with costs.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    CSV import with column mapping and validation; categories, SKUs, images and Active / Draft / Inactive status; costs and margins kept from clients.
    Done when
    Every line an estimator adds is in the library at this month's price.

    Product library: Essentials and up

    Materials library

  3. Phase 3, Week 2

    Convert the job templates

    You bring
    A current quote for each kind of job: sign package, print run, packaging, display, reorder.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    One template conversion free during the trial; the sheet, library lines, proof block and terms added to each template.
    Done when
    Each kind of job has a template, and no one starts from an old quote.
    Templates

  4. Phase 4, Week 2

    Set payments and approvals

    You bring
    A Stripe or PayPal account, your deposit rule per job type and your discount or value limits.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    A deposit as a percentage or fixed amount, or full payment, on signing; approval rules on total value or discount (Business).
    Done when
    A test quote over the limit waits for approval, then takes its deposit.
    Deposits & sign-off

  5. Phase 5, Week 3

    Connect the website, accounts and AI

    You bring
    Your website quote form, your accounts, your job system and, if you want one, the AI assistant you use.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    Forms creating quotes through the API, Zapier or Make; accounts native on Business or through Zapier; an assistant connected through QuoteCloud's MCP service, set up to prepare drafts.
    Done when
    A test enquiry arrives as a draft quote for an estimator to check.
    Integrations

  6. Phase 6, Week 4

    Train the estimators and go live

    You bring
    Your estimators, your artwork coordinator and a practice job.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    A 45-minute training session on paid plans, with onboarding or professional services if you want more help.
    Done when
    Each estimator has priced, proofed and sent a practice quote from the new templates.

Your formulas, rates and waste allowances stay yours: QuoteCloud runs the sheet you set up and does no prepress, production scheduling or colour proofing.

Help with the rollout, as much as you need

From a free template conversion to a team that sets it up with you.

  • Template conversion

    One template converted free during the trial on Essentials, Business and Enterprise.

  • Training session

    A 45-minute session for your team on paid plans.

  • Onboarding services

    Hands-on help to set up templates, libraries and payments. Onboarding services.

  • Professional services

    Bigger set-ups: sheets, integrations and automation. Professional services.

  • Premium support

    Priority help once you're live. Premium support.

  • Questions first?

    Book a call and bring your estimating sheet. Book a demo.

Materials loaded from the supplier's list

In week 1 Morrowgate's estimating lead exports the materials list as a CSV and imports it, mapping Code, Material, Group, Unit, Sell and Buy to SKU, name, category, unit, price and cost. All 18 rows pass validation. The brushed composite still on trial goes in as a Draft, so no one quotes it yet.

From then on the same import keeps the library current when a supplier list changes, and costs and margins stay with the team.

  • CSV import with column mapping and validation
  • Active, Draft and Inactive status
  • Costs and margins for the team only

Product library: Essentials plan and up

Materials, stocks & finishes library
Product libraryMorrowgate Print & Signs Sample data
sign-materials-november.csv18 rows · 6 columns Map columns
Column in your fileCatalogue fieldFirst row
CodeSKUSUB-ACM3
MaterialName3 mm ACM
GroupCategorySubstrates
UnitUnitper m²
SellPrice$78.00
BuyCost$41.00

18 materials and rates updatedAll 18 rows passed validation

When your supplier prices change, export the library, update the file and import it again.

Start with your estimating sheet

Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us your workbook and a current quote, and we'll convert one template for you during the trial.

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Setting up an AI assistant: the decisions are yours

If you want spec emails turned into drafts, QuoteCloud's MCP service lets an AI assistant you connect work with QuoteCloud. What it does is what your set-up allows, so the rollout decides it with you, item by item.

Here Fernhollow's carton email became a draft from the packaging template and the product library; Rafe reviewed and sent it, and Marcus chose 2,500 and signed. The prices came from Morrowgate's run sheet, not from the assistant.

  • Which templates and library items it may use
  • What it may read: clients, past jobs, the request
  • Drafts only, reviewed by a named estimator
  • Approval rules still apply; a person sends

MCP: Essentials plan and up

From emailed spec to priced draft, with MCP
Morrowgate Print & SignsPrinted carton quote MP-P-3108 Sample · fictional business

Your request

EmailMarcus Vale, Fernhollow Tea Co. · Mon 9 Nov, 7:42 am
Carton quote, please. Hi Rafe, can you quote 1,200 printed cartons, 2 colours, same size as the sample we dropped in (240 × 160 × 90 mm), kraft board? Delivered to our Northgate warehouse by mid-March. Thanks, Marcus
Quantity
1,200
Size
240 × 160 × 90 mm
Board
Kraft
Print
2 colours
Deliver to
Northgate warehouse
Needed by
Mid-March

Activity

  1. Draft prepared from the emailBy your AI assistant, through MCP
  2. Reviewed and sentRafe Okonjo
  3. 2,500 chosenUnit price $1.11
  4. Proof approved and signedCertificate of authenticity attached

What the rollout changes for the estimators

The same sheet and the same rates, now inside every quote.

The jobBefore the rolloutAfter
The estimating sheet A workbook on one desktop, totals retyped into a quote. The same formulas in a Spreadsheet block in every template, setting the lines.
Material prices Private copies of last year's supplier list. One library, updated by CSV, with costs kept from clients.
Starting a quote An old quote for a different client, edited. A template per kind of job, with the proof block and terms in place.
Spec emails Retyped the next morning. A website form or an AI assistant can prepare the draft; an estimator checks it.
Deposits Chased by phone before the job goes on the press. Paid through Stripe or PayPal as the client signs.

Rollout questions

Will we lose the logic in our estimating spreadsheet?

No. Import your .xlsx into a Spreadsheet block, on Essentials and up, and its tabs, formulas and number formats come with it. Then connect the cells that price each line to the line's description and unit price, and check the block against a few recent jobs before you go live.

How long does a QuoteCloud rollout take for a sign or print shop?

It depends on your sheet, your price list and how many templates you need. A sample plan runs over about four weeks: sheet and materials, templates, payments and approvals, integrations and AI, then training. Treat any timing as planning, not a promise.

What help is available during the rollout?

One template conversion is free during the trial on Essentials, Business and Enterprise, and paid plans include a 45-minute training session. For more, QuoteCloud offers onboarding services, professional services and premium support. Bring your estimating workbook and a current quote to the first session.

Do we need to set up AI or MCP to use QuoteCloud?

No. MCP is optional. If you want an AI assistant to prepare drafts from spec emails or enquiries, QuoteCloud's MCP service, on Essentials and up, lets it work with QuoteCloud within the limits you set. Drafts are reviewed by a person and nothing is sent without one.

Does QuoteCloud replace our print MIS?

No. QuoteCloud carries the quote, the proof approval, the signature and the deposit. Prepress, production scheduling, job tickets and stock control stay in your MIS or job system, which can connect through Zapier, Make or the QuoteCloud API. A common zap opens the job when the client signs.

More questions from sign makers and printers

Everything a sign and print business sends

Every page of the Signage & print microsite, from the estimating sheet to the signed-off proof.

Your own pricing logic, inside every quote

Free for 14 days. No credit card required.

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See pricingTemplates for sign and print quotesAll industries