Pilot Program Guide

[!WARNING] This guide is only valid for Controlled Pilot users and printing offices participating by invitation. General public services (Public Self-Service) are not yet active.

Welcome to the NowToPrint Printing Pilot Program! This program is an exclusive controlled phase conducted with a select group of buyers and print shops. All print product categories — books, magazines, catalogs, brochures, packaging, labels, large format and more — are open for quote requests from day one. The system is designed to process your printing orders in the most secure way possible.

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1. Submitting Quote Requests with Missing Info (Fail-Open)

Even if you have not finalized all technical details of your print project (quantity, size, paper, finishing, etc.), our system will successfully save your request as long as you provide a Name + Email and a Printing Intent.

• Requests that trigger technical rules or are incomplete are not directly rejected.
• Your request is saved and may be routed to Manual Review without becoming private by default.
• Marketplace and dashboard visibility stays on unless an admin pauses visibility or quote intake.
• Once saved, you will receive a Tracking Code and a Tracking Token.

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2. What Does "Your Request is Under Review" Mean?

When you submit your request, if there are missing or incorrect technical parameters, the system forwards it to our steward queue.

• Who is a Steward? A NowToPrint technical operator who checks and corrects request parameters so print shops can provide accurate quotes.
• Communication Step: Our steward team may contact you via email or phone to complete missing or incorrect details. Review can block production release, ERP handoff readiness, future Auto-Bid policy readiness, or final quote certainty, but it does not mean the RFQ waits for admin approval before first publication. Automatic external production and Auto-Bid dispatch remain disabled during the controlled pilot.

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3. Receiving and Accepting Bids

If admin visibility is not paused and scope review allows it, the request is visible to eligible pilot print shops.

• Print shops submit their best pricing quotes for your project.
• You will be notified of quotes via email, and they will be listed on your tracking portal.
• You can choose the quote that suits you best by clicking "Select This Quote".
• If you opened the request as a guest, the private tracking link is preserved when you sign in or create an account with the same email. A different email cannot claim the request in self-service. If the account is still pending onboarding, order creation waits until onboarding is complete and then returns you to the same private tracking link.

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4. Payment Readiness and Wire Transfer Process

Once your order is created, the system directs you to the payment readiness screen.

[!IMPORTANT] During the pilot phase, automatic credit card charging and escrow automation are disabled. The default public pilot payment options are limited to Wire Transfer / EFT and approved open account terms. document_payment, check, deferred_terms and direct_deal are not public checkout options; they are used only in operator-approved corporate contract or import scenarios. The production gate does not open until payment or supplier terms approval is complete.

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5. Why Doesn't Production Start Immediately? (Production Hold)

Once your payment is verified, a production_ready_after_payment signal is written to your order. However, printing presses do not start automatically.

• Why is there a Hold? During the Controlled Pilot, file quality, plate compatibility, and material stock availability are verified one last time manually by our steward team.
• Manual Permission: Following these checks, the steward approves the order, and the production instruction is manually sent to the print shop. This safeguard reduces error and delay risk. Automatic external production integrations will remain locked (on hold) throughout the pilot.