Predictika · Custom print orders

An AI sales agent's custom print order, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a custom print order: a product such as business cards, flyers, brochures, banners or posters, the size, the finish, one or two sides, the quantity per version, the number of versions, standard or same-day turnaround, pickup or delivery, and the artwork resolution. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of these orders and returns a verdict and every reason.

Scope: Custom print orders for eight product families (business cards, specialty cards, flyers, brochures, posters, banners, banner stands, yard signs): size, finish, sides, quantity, versions, same-day eligibility, artwork resolution and the stated total pieces. See everything this validator covers

This validator models custom print orders, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Product, size and finish — the sizes each product family is modeled for, and the finishes each is modeled for: foil on specialty cards only, and no coating choice on banners, banner stands or yard signs.
  • Sides, quantity and versions — banners and banner stands printed on one side, a minimum and a maximum quantity for each product, 1 to 10 versions, and the stated total pieces against versions times quantity.
  • Same-day turnaround — modeled for business cards, flyers, posters and banners, with store pickup and at most 500 pieces.
  • Artwork and large runs — artwork below 150 dpi blocked, artwork between 150 and 300 dpi sent to a person, and card, flyer and brochure runs over 2,500 pieces sent to a person.

Any custom print order that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: contract pricing, office supplies, furniture, technology and rubber stamps. Public versus modeled: the product families, same-day business cards, matte and gloss finishes and the foil option come from public Staples pages; the size lists, quantity limits, version limit, same-day limits, artwork thresholds and large-run threshold are modeled by Predictika from comparable print products and are not published by Staples. No prices are modeled.

The AI sales agentBuilds the print order 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
A finish and a size that exist for some products onlyOnly with care
Each product family has its own sizes and finishes, so the rules form tables that must be kept in step with the product list.		Product, size and finish are fields of one order and are checked together on every call.
A product printed on one side onlyOnly with care
A rule has to read the product and the number of sides together, for every one-sided product.		Product and sides are fields of one order and are compared on every call.
Same-day turnaround with its own conditionsOnly with workarounds
Eligible products, store pickup and a piece limit are three separate conditions that all depend on the turnaround choice.		Turnaround, product, fulfillment and the total pieces are fields of one order and are checked together on every call.
A total that is versions times quantityOnly with workarounds
The total pieces come from two fields, so a separate rule is needed to recompute them and compare them with the stated figure and with the product maximum.		Versions, quantity and the stated total are fields of the request and are compared on every call.
Artwork resolution and large runs that go to a personOnly with care
A separate approval path with its own thresholds that must not overlap the blocking rules.		Blocks and approvals come back together; an approval-only order is not blocked.

  

  

    
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 order; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The selected size is not offered for this product family in this model.
2The selected finish is not offered for this product family in this model (foil only on specialty cards; banners, banner stands and yard signs have no coating choice).
3Banners and banner stands are printed on one side only; the quote asks for two sides.
4The quote has 25 per version; the minimum for this product is 50.
5The quote totals 12,000 pieces; this model allows at most 10,000 for this product online.
6A run of 12,000 pieces is large for an online order; a person should confirm production time and delivery.
7A run of 3,000 pieces is large for an online order; a person should confirm production time and delivery.
8The quote states 900 pieces in total; versions times quantity give 1,000.
9An order can carry 1 to 10 versions (names or designs); the quote has 11.
10Same-day orders are picked up in the store; delivery is not available for same-day turnaround.
11Same-day turnaround is modeled for business cards, flyers, posters and banners only.
12Same-day orders in this model are limited to 500 pieces; the quote has 800.
13The artwork is 200 dpi, below the 300 dpi recommended; the customer should confirm the proof.
14The uploaded artwork is 100 dpi; below 150 dpi it will not print acceptably.
15Sides must be 1 or 2; the quote has 3.

  

  

    
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. Banner: A two-sided gloss banner printed from 100 dpi artwork

    
The agent's request. Please quote a 3 by 6 foot banner, 1 version of 2 each, printed on both sides with a gloss finish, from 100 dpi artwork, for standard turnaround with delivery, for a stated total of 2 pieces. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Finish not offered for this product. The selected finish is not offered for this product family in this model (foil only on specialty cards; banners, banner stands and yard signs have no coating choice).
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  • Two-sided print on a one-sided product. Banners and banner stands are printed on one side only; the quote asks for two sides.
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  • Artwork resolution too low. The uploaded artwork is 100 dpi; below 150 dpi it will not print acceptably.
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2. Banner: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a 3 by 6 foot banner, 1 version of 2 each, printed on one side with no coating, from 300 dpi artwork, for standard turnaround with delivery, for a stated total of 2 pieces. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 1 version(s) of 2 each, 2 pieces in total (minimum 1 per version).
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3. Same-day order: Same-day brochures with delivery

    
The agent's request. Please quote letter (8.5 by 11 inch) brochures, 2 versions of 400 each, printed on both sides with a matte finish, from 300 dpi artwork, for same-day turnaround with delivery, for a stated total of 800 pieces. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Same-day not offered for this product. Same-day turnaround is modeled for business cards, flyers, posters and banners only.
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  • Same-day needs store pickup. Same-day orders are picked up in the store; delivery is not available for same-day turnaround.
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  • Same-day quantity over the limit. Same-day orders in this model are limited to 500 pieces; the quote has 800.
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4. Same-day order: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 3.5 by 2 inch business cards, 2 versions of 250 each, printed on both sides with a matte finish, from 300 dpi artwork, for same-day turnaround with store pickup, for a stated total of 500 pieces. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 2 version(s) of 250 each, 500 pieces in total (minimum 50 per version).
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5. Flyer run: A flyer run of 6,000 in 12 versions

    
The agent's request. Please quote letter (8.5 by 11 inch) flyers, 12 versions of 6,000 each, printed on both sides with a matte finish, from 300 dpi artwork, for standard turnaround with delivery, for a stated total of 72,000 pieces. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Total quantity over the maximum. The quote totals 72,000 pieces; this model allows at most 10,000 for this product online.
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  • Too many versions. An order can carry 1 to 10 versions (names or designs); the quote has 12.
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  • Large run needs a person to confirm. A run of 72,000 pieces is large for an online order; a person should confirm production time and delivery.
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6. Flyer run: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote letter (8.5 by 11 inch) flyers, 3 versions of 800 each, printed on both sides with a matte finish, from 300 dpi artwork, for standard turnaround with delivery, for a stated total of 2,400 pieces. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 3 version(s) of 800 each, 2,400 pieces in total (minimum 25 per version).
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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 custom print order: a product such as business cards, flyers, brochures, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of these orders and returns a verdict and every reason.
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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 a 3 by 6 foot banner, 1 version of 2 each, printed on both sides with a gloss finish. 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 three findings, all in one answer. The selected finish is not offered for this product family in this model (foil only on specialty cards; banners, banner stands and yard signs have no coating choice). Banners and banner stands are printed on one side only; the quote asks for two sides. The uploaded artwork is 100 dpi; below 150 dpi it will not print acceptably.
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  6. The validator returned three 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 order are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for a finish and a size that exist for some products only, 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 finish to no coating, the sides to 1 and the artwork resolution to 300 dpi.
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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 three earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Three problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean order. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
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