Robust Tool for Designing and Ordering Customized Graphic Products
Customer
The Customer, P.I.C.S. EDV GmbH, is an Austrian company that provides custom software development services and SMS marketing solutions for over 25 years.
Challenge
The Customer was looking for a partner to assist in a project delivery for a printing company. The end customer needed a convenient desktop app, allowing users to create personalized designs for graphic products (calendars, greeting and business cards, etc.) and handle all the activity before printing without any assistance. The previous version of the app, written in Delphi, had a limited range of features and didn’t support functionality changes. Therefore, in order to help the printing company stay competitive, P.I.C.S. EDV GmbH turned to ScienceSoft to develop a new desktop app with extensive design capabilities.
Solution
ScienceSoft’s expert in software development implemented the Customer’s idea using C++ (Qt framework). The delivered printing e-factory encompasses 6 components, enabling users to carry out all prepress by themselves.
Welcome Screen (WS)
An easy-to-navigate and visually appealing catalog of the end customer’s printing products (posters, photo books, calendars, etc.), providing item descriptions and quick access to the Order Assistant module via links. Service and price-related information can be updated by any employee, no IT skills required.
Order Assistant (OA)
Once the product type (e.g. a photobook) is chosen, OA helps to pinpoint a product subtype (e.g. a photobook with a standard linen cover or an individual photo cover), and upload images. It also simplifies the initial stage of the design process by offering templates and themes.
Layout Editor (LE)
Using the Editor, clients tune more advanced parameters of the design project to add visual effects, such as shadows and frames, change colors or image settings.
Basket
Upon completing the design work, a user is redirected to the Basket, the service that calculates the project’s total cost based on the order characteristics. To proceed with the graphic product printing, the software suggests either to select one of the end Customer’s print centers, or to upload the order to the server and let the end Customer handle and deliver it via the postal services.
In addition to the design service, the app provides extra features for the client’s convenience:
- Photo Manager (PM) plugin to create photo albums
- Image Editor to easily edit photos applying filters in the Photo Manager or Layout Editor
- plugin to store and review order-related information
Results
The end Customer received a robust tool for designing and ordering customized graphic products. Unlike the previous Delphi-based version, the new solution supports updates and can perform advanced design tasks. The desktop app, distributed for free via the end Customer’s website, facilitates the design process and fuels the company’s sales.
Technologies and Tools
Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X.
