Supplier Trust Signals

In the live pilot, trust signals support the buying decision; they are not a standalone production guarantee or automatic quality certificate. NowToPrint evaluates approved producer access, order performance, buyer feedback, and operational evidence together.

What appears in first live?

• A print shop can quote only when its producer role and marketplace access are active.
• Quote comparison shows price, estimated delivery days, shipping inclusion, and supplier notes together.
• Verified or special trust badges are shown only when the underlying quote or supplier data carries that signal.
• Admin or operations can still pause visibility, quote intake, or order progression when risk signals require it.

Trust engine weights

The supplier trust profile in code uses these weights:

Category	Weight
Delivery	30%
Quality	25%
Communication	15%
Price	15%
Compliance	15%

Operational score evidence

The operational supplier score is calculated by the marketplace package, not by the web route. It uses bounded delivery, quality, refund, and responsiveness evidence and produces a manual-first eligibility signal. A low score can block public recommendation, and a supplier with no history stays in manual review even when default metric values are high.

This score does not auto-award an RFQ, auto-route production, or certify supplier quality. Operations can use it as evidence together with standing, verification, quote notes, delivery expectations, and support history.

RFQ matching consumes the package-owned recommendation signal: blocked scores are removed from public recommendation, manual-review scores are capped for routing influence and optimistic persisted eligibility cannot loosen the metrics-derived gate, and completedJobs remains the supplier order count rather than a score surrogate.

Verification and privacy controls

The governed marketplace foundation treats supplier verification as a current evidence set, not as a self-declared badge. The canonical review covers business identity, tax registration, bank ownership, manufacturing capability, and sanctions screening. Critical tamper, sanctions, account-takeover, or payout-diversion evidence blocks verification; incomplete evidence stays in manual review.

Producer approval and restoration require an independent second operator. Restoration also requires a reviewed and accepted appeal. Trust records retain hashes and decision evidence instead of raw identity or provider payloads, and retention/legal-hold rules remain explicit.

Badge language

The technical trust levels are platinum, gold, silver, bronze, and unrated. These levels should appear on buyer surfaces only when supporting data exists.

Use this language for first live:

• "Approved producer" means the print shop's producer role is active on the platform.
• "Verified supplier" means the relevant quote or supplier record carries a verification signal.
• "Trust score" means a supporting score calculated after enough performance data exists.

What to check when choosing a supplier

• Is shipping included in the quoted price?
• Do the estimated delivery days fit your need?
• Are scope, file expectations, and production conditions clear in the supplier notes?
• If a verification or trust signal appears, is its supporting evidence visible in the system?
• If unsure, create a support request and include the RFQ or order code.