Quote Request Guide

The live pilot follows one simple journey:

Buyer opens a quote request as a guest or signed-in user → print shop quotes → buyer chooses a quote → buyer signs up or signs in with the same email → order is created → payment is confirmed → file/preflight and production information gates are completed → print shop starts production → order is delivered → buyer closes the order.

AI-assisted quote request page: /en/quote

Manual quote request short path: /en/new-quote. It redirects to the technical manual pilot surface at /en/marketplace/new-quote.

If the buyer is signed in, AI-assisted and manual quote forms prefill known name and email details when available. The buyer can still edit phone, company, delivery, or stale contact details before submitting; the form does not overwrite name/email values the buyer has typed manually.

When the buyer registers with the same email, the signup flow carries the private tracking link into onboarding. After onboarding is complete, guest quote requests opened with that email are linked to the new account and the buyer returns to the private tracking link to continue. The private tracking link continues to work.

Requesting quotes by email

Buyers can also start a quote request by emailing quote@nowtoprint.com. NowToPrint extracts print specifications from the subject, message body, and supported attachments. If a pricing-critical field such as product type or quantity is missing, no marketplace RFQ is opened yet; the assistant asks for the missing details in the same email thread.

PDF, plain-text, and CSV attachments are supported. One message may contain up to 5 attachments, 25 MB per file, and 40 MB in total. Files whose declared type does not match their content, unsupported files, and files over these limits are reported by filename. Inline AI document analysis is limited to 10 MB per file and 12 MB in total. A larger valid file may still be stored privately with the RFQ; the confirmation explicitly says when its contents were not read automatically.

Attachments are not stored as durable download links on the RFQ. They use a private SHA-256-verified file reference. PDF preflight describes print readiness; it is not a malware scan. A file remains quarantined and cannot be distributed to suppliers or public surfaces until an independent scanner returns a clean result.

AI assists with extracting fields from unstructured text and documents. Canonical validation rules decide whether the RFQ can be created, which fields are missing, and which deterministic message template is sent. AI cannot invent a price or an uncertain technical specification.

Buyer flow

1. Open /en/quote.
2. Describe the print job and upload files when available.
3. Enter name and email, then add city, delivery expectation, and files when available.
4. Submit the request.
5. Track quotes from the private email link.
6. Choose one quote.
7. Sign up or sign in with the same email.
8. Complete onboarding if the account is still pending.
9. Continue from the created order.

Book and publication requests

Book-like requests, including novels, magazines, annual reports, yearbooks, photo books, and product catalogs, are checked against the Master Data publication model before they can move into supplier-facing RFQ handling. The platform records trusted catalog evidence and an immutable Master Data evidence record for these requests.

If a Book/publication request arrives without trusted Master Data evidence, it still stays published as a valid request; it does not wait for admin or steward approval before first publication. In that case, the system disables risky automation such as Auto-Bid, one-click quoting, and production handoff, then sends the request to operations review.

These requests remain published for the buyer and public request record. On the print-shop side, becoming an open quote opportunity depends on scope and production-fit review. The same review evidence is preserved when the buyer accepts the quote into an order. Admins only close visibility for spam/fraud, rejected/cancelled, or later-paused requests.

For other print requests such as flyers, labels, packaging, and large-format work, missing or untrusted technical information also does not remove the RFQ from publication. The system can disable automation and send the missing information to operations review instead.

The missing-information signal does not by itself remove the request from publication or the print shop opportunity flow; it is tracked as scope clarification before production.

Current RFQ snapshot policy kinds are intentionally family-scoped: book_publication_required, p0_non_publication_snapshot_advisory, and generic_soft_link. Book-like product-catalogs and catalogs requests require trusted publication evidence before supplier-facing automation; non-publication families stay advisory for RFQ intake and are reviewed before risky automation.

Guest continuation rule

The request is tied to the email used at submission. If the buyer later signs up with the same email, the request can continue after onboarding. A pending-onboarding account cannot create the order yet; it is sent back to onboarding with the private tracking link preserved. A different email cannot claim the request in self-service.

Supplier rule

Only approved producers can quote. A registered print shop cannot see active RFQs or quote until admin approval is complete.

A print shop can open an RFQ for its own buying need, but the same organization cannot quote its own RFQ as a producer.

Print shops cannot see competitor quote rows, prices, print shop names, or aggregate quote/view counts. That information is visible only to the buyer and the required admin/operations roles.

Quote revisions and validity

A quote is not valid forever. During first live, quote validity defaults to 7 days and must stay within the supported 1-30 day range. If the buyer needs a small change, request a revision from the same RFQ/quote context instead of losing the thread.

Once the buyer accepts a quote, the accepted price and delivery snapshot are locked for that job scope. A supplier cannot change the accepted price unilaterally. If the file, quantity, size, or production scope changes, the buyer and print shop must agree on a revision through the tracked quote/order context. RFQ and quote changes are append-only revisions. The current document is a read projection; every accepted change advances its revision and writes an immutable sourcing or commercial snapshot in the same transaction. A stale browser receives a revision conflict instead of overwriting newer work.

Risky or manual-review RFQs can remain published. Before they become an open quote opportunity for a print shop, scope, Master Data/preflight evidence, and production fit are reviewed. The same review evidence is required when that quote is accepted into an order.

When a quote is selected

When the buyer selects one quote:

• the selected quote becomes an order,
• the other quotes close,
• the order appears in the buyer dashboard,
• the print shop sees the order with production gates still enforced.

Before the quote becomes an order, the system verifies that the buyer-observed quote/RFQ summary and production handoff package have not changed. If that evidence is missing or stale, the buyer must refresh the comparison; the RFQ can stay published, but the order/production gate does not move forward.

Buyer order dashboard: /en/dashboard/my-orders

Print shop order dashboard: /en/dashboard/print-shop/orders

Payment scope

Card payment and escrow are not included in the live pilot. Payment confirmation is handled through manual operations, bank transfer, open account, or agreed corporate payment terms. Payment approval is one production gate; when customer artwork is required, the file must also pass the agreed review gate and be approved. If the production handoff package or file readiness gate is missing, the order and committed delivery clock wait until that evidence is ready.

When does an order close?

The print shop delivers the order. The customer checks the delivery and closes the order. If something is wrong, the support team joins the process.

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