Predictika · Commercial print order quotes

An AI sales agent's commercial print quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a commercial print job: a magazine, catalog, direct mail piece, retail insert, directory or book, with binding, trim size, paper, page count, run, delivery time, mailing and discount. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of print production rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the totals it computed.

Scope: Commercial print orders in six product types (magazine, catalog, direct mail, retail insert, directory, book) with binding, trim, paper, fiber certification, page count, run, lead time, mail class and discount. See everything this validator covers

This validator models commercial print order quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Product, binding and trim — which bindings and trim sizes each product type can use, page counts that fit the binding, and the minimum and maximum pages per binding.
  • Run, lead time and paper — minimum run and minimum delivery time per product type, newsprint only for retail inserts and directories, and no fiber certification on newsprint.
  • Mailing, discount and totals — Periodicals mail for magazines only, discounts above 10 percent sent for approval and above 20 percent blocked, runs above 1,000,000 copies sent for approval, and the stated total against the total computed from the modeled prices.

Any commercial print quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: packaging, in-store and marketing services, digital platforms, postage amounts and taxes. The product types and the FSC, PEFC and SFI certifications follow Quad's public print solutions page; all production rules, thresholds and prices in this validator are modeled from comparable commercial printers and are not published by Quad.

The AI sales agentBuilds the print quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Binding, trim and page count that must fit togetherOnly with care
Each product needs its own list of allowed bindings and trims, plus a signature-multiple and page-range rule per binding, so the rule list grows with every product and binding.		The product, binding, trim and page count are in one request and are checked together on every call.
Limits that depend on the product, such as minimum run and lead timeOnly with care
Each product type carries its own minimum run and delivery time, so a separate rule is needed for every product.		The product type selects its limits, and the run and delivery time are compared with them on every call.
Newsprint, certification and mail class that depend on the productOnly with workarounds
These are cross-field restrictions between paper, certification, mail class and product, which pile up as separate validation rules.		All of these fields are in one request and the restrictions between them are checked on every call.
A discount with two thresholdsOnly with care
One threshold sends the quote for approval and a second blocks it, so two rules are needed and they have to be kept in order.		Both thresholds are checked on every call and the verdict follows from the discount that was quoted.
A stated total that must match the computed totalOnly with workarounds
The total is built from page, binding, discount and certification lines, so a separate rule recomputes it and compares it with the stated figure.		The stated total is a field of the request and is compared with the computed total on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The selected binding is not offered for the selected product type.
2The selected trim size is not offered for the selected product type.
3The page count of 50 does not fit the binding; pages must come in multiples of 4.
4The job has 100 pages; the selected binding allows at most 96.
5The job has 40 pages; the selected binding needs at least 48.
6The page count of 260 does not fit the binding; pages must come in multiples of 8.
7The run is 2,000 copies; the minimum run for this product type is 2,500.
8The customer wants delivery in 20 business days; this product type needs at least 25.
9Newsprint is offered only for retail inserts and directories.
10A fiber certification cannot be quoted on newsprint stock.
11Periodicals mail class applies only to magazines.
12The quote gives a 25 percent discount; the maximum that can be quoted is 20 percent.
13The quote gives a 15 percent discount; discounts above 10 percent need a sales director.
14The run is 1,200,000 copies; runs above 1,000,000 need a person to confirm press and paper capacity.
15The quote states a total of 1,000 dollars; the quoted items add up to 32,094.
16The job has 20 pages; the selected binding allows at most 16.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Product, binding, run and discount: A 2,000-copy magazine quote with a case-bound, tabloid-trim job, a short delivery time and a large discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote 2,000 copies of a 66-page case bound magazine on gloss coated stock, tabloid trim, FSC certified, delivered in 8 business days, no mailing, with a 25 percent discount, for a total of $1,538. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Binding not offered for the product. The selected binding is not offered for the selected product type.
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  • Trim size not offered for the product. The selected trim size is not offered for the selected product type.
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  • Page count not a multiple of the signature size. The page count of 66 does not fit the binding; pages must come in multiples of 8.
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  • Run below the minimum. The run is 2,000 copies; the minimum run for this product type is 2,500.
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  • Lead time too short. The customer wants delivery in 8 business days; this product type needs at least 10.
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  • Discount above the maximum. The quote gives a 25 percent discount; the maximum that can be quoted is 20 percent.
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2. Product, binding, run and discount: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 100,000 copies of a 64-page perfect bound magazine on gloss coated stock, letter trim, FSC certified, delivered in 12 business days, Periodicals mail, with a 5 percent discount, for a total of $46,380. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. 100,000 copies of 64 pages; print cost 47,400 dollars before discount; net 45,030 dollars; certification fee 1,350 dollars; quote total 46,380 dollars (illustrative prices).
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3. Paper, certification and mail class: A 5,000-copy catalog quote on newsprint with a fiber certification and Periodicals mail

    
The agent's request. Please quote 5,000 copies of a 96-page perfect bound catalog on newsprint stock, letter trim, FSC certified, delivered in 20 business days, Periodicals mail, with a 5 percent discount, for a total of $1,848. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Newsprint for the wrong product. Newsprint is offered only for retail inserts and directories.
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  • Certified fiber on newsprint. A fiber certification cannot be quoted on newsprint stock.
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  • Periodicals mail for a non-magazine. Periodicals mail class applies only to magazines.
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4. Paper, certification and mail class: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 20,000 copies of a 96-page perfect bound catalog on gloss coated stock, letter trim, FSC certified, delivered in 20 business days, Marketing Mail, with a 5 percent discount, for a total of $13,033. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. 20,000 copies of 96 pages; print cost 13,320 dollars before discount; net 12,654 dollars; certification fee 379 dollars; quote total 13,033 dollars (illustrative prices).
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5. Pages, stated total and approvals: A 200,000-copy folded mailer quote with a stated total for the job

    
The agent's request. Please quote 200,000 copies of a 20-page folded direct mail piece on gloss coated stock, letter trim, delivered in 10 business days, Marketing Mail, with a 5 percent discount, for a total of $1,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Too many pages for the binding. The job has 20 pages; the selected binding allows at most 16.
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  • Stated total differs from the quote. The quote states a total of 1,000 dollars; the quoted items add up to 26,600.
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6. Pages, stated total and approvals: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 1,200,000 copies of an 8-page folded direct mail piece on gloss coated stock, letter trim, delivered in 10 business days, Marketing Mail, with a 15 percent discount, for a total of $69,360. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Discount needs approval. The quote gives a 15 percent discount; discounts above 10 percent need a sales director.
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  • Very large run needs approval. The run is 1,200,000 copies; runs above 1,000,000 need a person to confirm press and paper capacity.
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  • Quote summary. 1,200,000 copies of 8 pages; print cost 81,600 dollars before discount; net 69,360 dollars; certification fee 0 dollars; quote total 69,360 dollars (illustrative prices).
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a commercial print job: a magazine, catalog, direct mail piece, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of print production rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the totals it computed.
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  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote 2,000 copies of a 66-page case bound magazine on gloss coated stock, tabloid trim, FSC certified, delivered in 8 business days. It is ready to send. The rest of the request is on screen.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with six findings, all in one answer. The selected binding is not offered for the selected product type. The selected trim size is not offered for the selected product type. The page count of 66 does not fit the binding; pages must come in multiples of 8. The other three are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned six blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for limits that depend on the product, such as minimum run and lead time, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the binding to perfect bound, the trim size to letter, the pages to 64, the copies to 100000 and the total stated on the quote to $46,380. Three more changes are on screen.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. All six earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Six problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean $46,380 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.