Getting Started: 3-Step Turnkey Setup & Mission Command

Print Life Software includes an interactive, turnkey onboarding system designed to take print shops from initial account creation to their first live quote in under two minutes. Through a 3-Step Setup Wizard followed by the Mission Command readiness tracker on the Dashboard, new shop owners calibrate their true shop hourly rate, generate tailored decoration pricing matrices, and launch straight into building their first quote in Safe Sandbox Mode.

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1. Feature Scope & UI Navigation

Onboarding spans the initial setup modal gateway and the Mission Command readiness banner on the primary Dashboard (/dashboard):

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                PRIMARY ONBOARDING PATHS                                │
├──────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┤
│ 3-Step Setup Wizard      │ Initial Login Modal Gateway │ Profile, Financials, Matrices │
│ Mission Command Widget   │ /dashboard                  │ Top of Production Dashboard   │
│ Mission 1: Gateways      │ /settings?tab=connections   │ Email & Payment Connections   │
│ Mission 2: Suppliers     │ /suppliers                  │ Wholesale Catalog Connections │
│ Mission 3: First Quote   │ /quotes-invoices/new        │ Quote & Invoice Builder       │
└──────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────┘

Header & Dashboard Controls

• 3-Step Turnkey Setup Wizard: Opens automatically upon first login after creating a 14-day trial account, guiding owners through Step 1: Shop Profile & Quick Interview, Step 2: Financial Baseline & Shop Rate, and Step 3: Decoration Capabilities.
• Mission Command Readiness Banner: Displayed at the top of the Dashboard (/dashboard) starting at 50% Shop Readiness (reflecting your completed Shop Rate, Matrices, and Production Boards) until all three remaining launch tasks reach 100% completion.
• Welcome from Cam (1m): An on-demand video briefing inside Mission Command with essential getting-started tips, Safe Sandbox reassurance, and live Q&A schedule details.
• Ask Shop Co-Pilot: Opens the AI support assistant directly from Mission Command for 24/7 help with matrices, overhead math, or workflow rules.

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2. Capabilities & Operational Boundaries

The onboarding flow provisions a tailored shop environment based on your real operating overhead and decoration equipment before routing you directly into action:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               STEP 1: SHOP PROFILE & QUICK INTERVIEW                   │
│   Pre-Filled Shop/Owner/Phone  •  Current Platform & Switch Reasons    │
└───────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               STEP 2: FINANCIAL BASELINE & SHOP RATE                   │
│   Facility/Rent + Utilities + Wages ÷ Monthly Hours = True $/hr Rate   │
└───────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  STEP 3: DECORATION CAPABILITIES                       │
│  Screen Printing • DTF • DTG • Embroidery • Laser Engraving • Vinyl    │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┬──────────────────┘
                  │                                   │
                  ▼                                   ▼
   ┌──────────────────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────────────────┐
   │      Build First Quote       │    │       Go to Dashboard        │
   │    (/quotes-invoices/new)    │    │         (/dashboard)         │
   └──────────────────────────────┘    └──────────────────────────────┘

Supported Capabilities

• Automatic Matrix Calibration: Generates tailored pricing matrices for each selected decoration capability (In-House vs. Contract Screen Printing, Outsourced Gang Sheets vs. In-House DTF, DTG Light/Dark packages, In-House vs. Contract Embroidery, and Laser Engraving & Drinkware) calibrated to your calculated shop hourly rate, plus a Default Blank Garment Markup (55% - 100%) matrix.
• Out-of-the-Box Wholesale Catalogs: Enables SanMar and S&S Activewear platform-default catalogs automatically so you can search blanks and build quotes immediately without waiting on API keys.
• Safe Sandbox Mode (14-Day Cardless Trial): New accounts start on a 14-day free trial with no credit card required at signup. You can build quotes, calibrate matrices, and test the entire platform in Safe Sandbox Mode; live external connections (Gmail, Outlook, Custom SMTP, Stripe, Square, QuickBooks, EasyPost, ShipStation, Supacolor) remain locked until you add a payment card on file ($0.00 due today while keeping all remaining trial days).

Operational Boundaries

1. Owner-Only Gateway: Only the primary shop owner completes the 3-Step Setup Wizard and sees Mission Command. Staff accounts bypass onboarding entirely.
2. Card Required to Unlock Live Connections: While no credit card is needed to start the 14-day trial or use core quoting, matrix, catalog, and production tools, connecting live external services under Settings $\rightarrow$ Connections requires adding a credit card via the Unlock Connections — $0 Today prompt. You keep all remaining days of your free trial and are not billed until your trial period ends.
3. Non-Destructive Re-Configuration: Every value entered during the setup wizard (company info, monthly expenses, weekly operating hours, and pricing matrices) can be edited at any time under Settings, Financials, and Matrices.

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3. Step-by-Step SOP Workflows

SOP 1: Completing the 3-Step Turnkey Setup Wizard

1. Step 1 — Shop Profile & Quick Interview:
   • Review your pre-filled Shop / Business Name, Owner / Manager Name, and Phone Number carried over automatically from /signup (or click Edit to adjust them or add a Shop Address).
   • Complete the 4 quick tap-to-select interview questions (What are you currently using to run your shop?, What is driving you to look for a new solution?, What is your #1 goal for your shop over the next 90 days?, and How many people work in your shop?), optionally add a short note on what you hope to solve, and click Next: Financials.
2. Step 2 — Financial Baseline & Shop Rate:
   • Enter your monthly estimates for Facility / Rent, Utilities & Ops, and Wages & Payroll.
   • Set your Weekly Operating Hours (defaults to 40 hours/week).
   • Review your live calculated Shop Hourly Rate ($/hr) and per-minute rate ($/min), then click Next: Capabilities.
3. Step 3 — Decoration Capabilities:
   • Select one or more decoration methods your shop offers (Screen Printing, DTF / Gang Sheets, DTG (Direct to Garment), Embroidery, Laser Engraving, or Vinyl / Signs / Promo).
   • Configure the fulfillment model (In-House vs. Contract / Outsourced), press capacity, setup fees, rotary/jig fees, and target margins for each selected capability.
   • Click Build First Quote to provision your shop and jump straight into the Quote Builder (/quotes-invoices/new), or click Go to Dashboard to view your production board (/dashboard).

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SOP 2: Finishing the 3 Mission Command Launch Tasks

On the Dashboard (/dashboard), the Mission Command banner tracks three final readiness milestones:

1. Connect Gateways:
   • Click the Connect Gateways card to open Settings $\rightarrow$ Connections (/settings?tab=connections).
   • If you are on the 14-day cardless trial, clicking any connect button (such as Connect Gmail, Connect Outlook, Connect SMTP Relay, Connect Stripe, or Connect Square) opens the plan selector where you can click Unlock Connections — $0 Today to add a credit card on file (keeping all remaining trial days with $0 billed today).
   • Once your card is on file, connect Gmail, Outlook, or Custom SMTP for outbound emails, and Stripe or Square for payment processing.
2. Supplier Connection:
   • Click the Supplier Connection card to open Suppliers (/suppliers).
   • Link your direct PromoStandards API credentials for SanMar, S&S Activewear, AlphaBroder, or Otto Cap, or import a product into your catalog.
3. Build First Quote:
   • Click the Build First Quote card to open the Quote Builder (/quotes-invoices/new).
   • Select a customer, add a garment from Live Search, apply your newly calibrated decoration matrix, and save your first quote.

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4. Business Logic, Formulas & Rules

True Shop Hourly Rate Formula

During Step 2 of the Setup Wizard, the platform computes your shop's true hourly operating cost ($R_{\text{hourly}}$) and per-minute cost ($R_{\text{minute}}$) using an average of $4.33$ weeks per month:

$$E_{\text{monthly}} = E_{\text{rent}} + E_{\text{utilities}} + E_{\text{wages}}$$

$$H_{\text{monthly}} = H_{\text{weekly}} \times 4.33$$

$$R_{\text{hourly}} = \frac{E_{\text{monthly}}}{H_{\text{monthly}}}, \quad R_{\text{minute}} = \frac{R_{\text{hourly}}}{60}$$

Mission Command Readiness Percentage (Endowed Progress)

Your Shop Readiness score combines the 3 foundational pillars provisioned during the Setup Wizard ($F_{\text{rate}}, F_{\text{matrices}}, F_{\text{boards}}$) with the 3 final launch tasks ($M_{\text{gateways}}, M_{\text{supplier}}, M_{\text{quote}}$), starting your dashboard at 50% Readiness immediately after onboarding:

$$\text{Readiness %} = \left( \frac{F_{\text{rate}} + F_{\text{matrices}} + F_{\text{boards}} + M_{\text{gateways}} + M_{\text{supplier}} + M_{\text{quote}}}{6} \right) \times 100%$$

Once all three launch missions are complete ($\text{Readiness %} = 100%$), the Mission Command card automatically dismisses and unlocks the Flight Ready achievement.

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5. Troubleshooting & Diagnostic Matrix

Symptom / Question	Root Cause	Exact Remediation Step
Build First Quote button is disabled in Step 3	No decoration method has been selected yet.	Click at least one capability card (e.g., Screen Printing or DTF / Gang Sheets) to enable the launch buttons.
Clicking Connect Gmail or another integration prompts to add a card	Account is in the 14-day cardless free trial (Safe Sandbox Mode).	Select your post-trial plan in the modal and click Unlock Connections — $0 Today to add a credit card. You are charged $0.00 today, keep all remaining trial days, and immediately unlock all live connections.
Want to watch the welcome video later	The welcome video does not auto-interrupt login so you can test immediately.	On the Dashboard (/dashboard), click Welcome from Cam (1m) inside the Mission Command card.
Need to adjust shop hourly rate after setup	Initial estimates were entered during Step 2 of the wizard.	Navigate to Finance & Settings $\rightarrow$ Financials (/financials) to update monthly overhead bills or weekly work hours at any time.
Mission Command banner disappeared from Dashboard	All 3 launch missions have reached 100% completion.	Your shop is fully onboarded! You can view unlocked milestones anytime under Bulletin & Career (/bulletin-board).

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6. Frequently Asked Questions & Action Prompts

Q: Can I connect Gmail, Outlook, Stripe, or other integrations during my 14-day free trial?

Answer: Yes, but you must first add a credit card on file. Because the 14-day trial starts without requiring a credit card (Safe Sandbox Mode), live external connections under Settings $\rightarrow$ Connections (Gmail, Outlook, Custom SMTP, Stripe, Square, QuickBooks Online, EasyPost, ShipStation, and Supacolor) are locked until a payment method is added. Clicking any connect button lets you click Unlock Connections — $0 Today — you are charged $0.00 today, keep all remaining days of your 14-day free trial, and unlock every integration immediately.

[How do I unlock Gmail and live connections during my trial?](chat:How do I unlock Gmail and live connections during my 14-day trial?)

Q: Can I test quotes without accidentally emailing a real customer or charging a card?

Answer: Yes. New accounts start in Safe Sandbox Mode with outbound emails and live payment charges off by default. You can create a test customer and build mock quotes freely before connecting your live gateways.

[How do I build my first quote?](chat:How do I build my first quote?)

Q: Do I need my own SanMar or S&S API keys before I can build my first quote?

Answer: No. Both SanMar and S&S Activewear are enabled out-of-the-box with platform-default catalog browsing and wholesale estimation pricing so you can build quotes immediately on day one.

[How do supplier connections work?](chat:What is the difference between Enabled and Connected suppliers?)

Q: How do I change the pricing matrices created during onboarding?

Answer: Navigate to Pricing & Materials $\rightarrow$ Matrices (/matrices) and click on any seeded matrix to adjust color counts, stitch tiers, ink costs, or profit margins.

[Where do I edit my pricing matrices?](chat:How do I edit my pricing matrices?)