Building a Print Job Intake Checklist With AI

Why do details get missed at the counter?

Because every job has a dozen small choices, and the customer rarely lists them. A form puts the same questions in front of you every time.

Wikipedia notes that quotes depend on specifications, and that the more detailed they are, the more accurate the quote can be.¹ An intake form is just your own list of specifications, written down once.

What should be on a print job intake form?

Start with what you've missed before. If you've printed the wrong size twice, that line goes near the top.

A solid starting set:

• Customer name and contact method
• Job name and what it's for
• Finished size and unit
• Quantity, and whether it's split into versions
• Material or paper, and any finish
• Sides printed
• Artwork supplied, or design needed
• Deadline, and whether it's firm
• Pickup or delivery
• Who approves the proof

Paper sizes vary by region, as the quote wording page explains. The ISO standard isn't used as the main system in the United States or Canada.² So give size its own line with a unit box, not a free-text field.

How do I get the AI to draft it?

Give it your list of missed details. Say: "Make a one-page job intake form for a small print and sign shop with these fields. Use tick boxes where there are fixed choices. Keep it to one page."

Then ask it to split the form into a counter version (short) and a back-office version (longer). A short form is more likely to get filled in at a busy counter.

What about artwork fields?

Add a few. Ask whether the file is print-ready, and whether it includes bleed. If you cut shapes, add a line for that too.

Wikipedia says printers often publish their bleed demands on a website or provide templates.³ Put your own file requirements on the form, or point to your template.

Can the tool fill in the form from an email?

It can pull details out of a pasted message, but check each one. A tool can mix up a width and a height or miss a date. Treat the result as a draft.

Remove personal details before pasting. The privacy page at the end of this set explains why, and what to use instead. Replace names with placeholders such as [CUSTOMER] and fill them in afterwards.

Add a field for a "must be done by" date and a field for who's picking up. Put both near the top. Keep the layout plain. Leave room to write, because staff will fill it in standing up at a busy counter, often with a customer waiting and a phone ringing.

How do I know the form works?

Try it on one real job, then watch where staff skip fields. Cut those. A shorter form that people finish beats a long one they don't.

Once it's filled in, the details feed writing quotes and customer updates directly.