Common mistakes in print shop business

Many print shop owners work hard but still struggle with profit, delays, and cash flow. The issue is not effort. The issue is system.

If you are managing orders in WhatsApp, diary, or Excel, you are likely making these mistakes.

1. No Proper Payment Tracking

Problem

You do not know:

Who has paid

Who has not paid

How much money is pending

Impact

Cash gets stuck

You face shortage for expenses

Fix

Maintain customer wise ledger

Track invoice status

Review pending payments daily

2. No Reminder System

Problem

You depend on memory to follow up payments

Impact

Customers delay payments

You lose control of cash flow

Fix

Set reminder schedule

Use WhatsApp reminders

Track follow up history

3. Managing Jobs on WhatsApp and Paper

Problem

Orders are scattered:

WhatsApp chats

Notes

Verbal instructions

Impact

Missed orders

Delays

Customer complaints

Fix

Use a job tracking board

Track status:

Pending

In progress

Completed

4. No Standard Pricing System

Problem

Pricing depends on guess or experience

Impact

Undercharging

Inconsistent pricing

Profit loss

Fix

Use cost calculation method

Include:

Material

Labour

Machine cost

5. No Record of Repeat Orders

Problem

You recreate every job from zero

Impact

Time waste

Delay in delivery

Fix

Save past jobs

Store customer history

Reuse designs and pricing

6. Poor Employee Management

Problem

No attendance tracking

No proper salary records

Impact

Disputes with staff

Wrong payments

No control on labour cost

Fix

Track attendance

Define salary structure

Maintain monthly reports

7. No Business Dashboard

Problem

You cannot see:

Daily sales

Pending payments

Work status

Impact

No decision making clarity

Fix

Use a simple dashboard

Review daily performance

8. No Proper Invoice System

Problem

Manual billing or Excel billing

Impact

Errors

No proper records

GST issues

Fix

Use structured invoice system

Maintain invoice history

Track payment status

9. File Management Issues

Problem

Files are saved randomly in folders

Impact

Time wasted searching files

Risk of losing data

Fix

Link file with job

Maintain proper naming system

10. Owner Doing Everything

Problem

Owner handles:

Orders

Payments

Staff

Customers

Impact

No scalability

High stress

Fix

Assign roles

Use system-based workflow

Real Outcome

Print shops that move from manual system to structured workflow see:

Faster job completion

Better payment recovery

Reduced errors

Higher profit

Simple Action Plan

Start with these steps:

Track all pending payments

Set reminder system

Use job tracking board

Standardise pricing

Monitor daily business

Final Thought

Running a print shop without a system leads to confusion and loss.

If you fix these mistakes, you gain control over your business.