Plato Woodwork PDQ Order Writing Program Users’ Guide ...Guide+Version+9.1.pdf · Plato Woodwork PDQ Order Writing Program Page 1 of 45 Users’ Guide - Version 9.1 August 2018

Plato Woodwork PDQ Order Writing Program

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Users’ Guide - Version 9.1 August 2018

The Plato Woodwork PDQ Order Writing Program is an easy to use order writing and pricing program. It is based on the program used at the factory for entering orders into the system and offers many features: The Plato Woodwork PDQ Ordering Writing Program is a Windows© based stand-alone program and does not

require any application other than Windows XP or later to run. However, if you wish to use the Forms & Browse Catalogs feature, you will need to have Acrobat Reader© installed on your computer.

PDQ includes the Plato FRAMED, INOVAE and PRELUDE cabinetry lines. Items found in the Plato Product Catalogs are included in the database with pricing. PDQ order files may be e-mailed directly to Plato. To do so, address an e-mail to [email protected] and

attach the PDQ order to that e-mail. NOTE: Plato Woodwork, Inc. will not guarantee pricing generated from the Plato Woodwork PDQ Ordering Writing Program. As the user has the ability to modify pricing, your Plato Order Request may vary from the final invoice. By submitting orders generated by this program, whether as an order printed from the program or a hand written order taken from one generated by the program, you acknowledge your acceptance of this as a condition of its use. NOTE: Files from an earlier version may be opened in the latest version, but remember that they will retain old cabinet SKU codes and pricing. To bring the old file up to date, you will need to tab through the Door/Wood/Finish screen and update specifications. You will also have to go through line items to update them.

mailto:[email protected]


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Table of Contents The Main Menu Screen ........................................................................................................................................... 3

Setup ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Running PDQ Ordering And Pricing Program For The First Time ........................................................................ 4

New Order ............................................................................................................................................................... 6

Entering Information on the Order Screen ............................................................................................................. 7

Add Ship To ......................................................................................................................................................... 8

Dealer Information: ............................................................................................................................................. 9

Order Information: .............................................................................................................................................. 9

Door / Wood Finish ............................................................................................................................................... 10

Top Panel: .......................................................................................................................................................... 13

Special Finish Samp: .......................................................................................................................................... 14

Line Items .............................................................................................................................................................. 17

General Comments ........................................................................................................................................... 18

Basic Cabinet Information: ................................................................................................................................ 18

Hardware, Hinge, Door and Drawer Count Fields ............................................................................................. 20

How do you know when to enter or modify counts? ....................................................................................... 21

Entering Modifications ...................................................................................................................................... 22

Entering a Modification Using the Search Feature ........................................................................................... 22

Saving a completed line item entry screen ....................................................................................................... 24

Model ‐ Copying an existing Line Item into a new screen ................................................................................ 24

Closing out after the last item is entered .......................................................................................................... 25

How do I delete a Line Item? ............................................................................................................................ 26

Changing a Line Item to a Different Unit ........................................................................................................... 26

Printing or Viewing an Order on the Screen ..................................................................................................... 27

Saving an Order Under a Different File Name ................................................................................................... 29

Saving an Order Without Closing Out of the Order .......................................................................................... 30

Saving and Closing Out of an Order .................................................................................................................. 30

Closing Out of an Order Without Saving Changes............................................................................................. 31

Subtotal – Price Summary ................................................................................................................................. 31

Total ‐ Price Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 33

Door and Drawer Front Counts ......................................................................................................................... 34

Specifying Special Hardware (Special Hinges, Knobs and/or Pulls) .................................................................. 35

Catalogs ................................................................................................................................................................. 37

Forms ..................................................................................................................................................................... 37

Managing Files ...................................................................................................................................................... 37

E‐mailing an Order to Plato ................................................................................................................................... 39

Closing PDQ Order Writing Program ..................................................................................................................... 39

Convert Button ...................................................................................................................................................... 39

Exception Report ............................................................................................................................................... 40

Copy Specs ............................................................................................................................................................ 45

Future Updates ..................................................................................................................................................... 45

What do I do if an error occurs? ........................................................................................................................... 45


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The Main Menu Screen Upon startup, the Main Menu screen will appear. There are two menus at the top of the screen and eight buttons along the top of the screen as shown below.

The File menu performs the same functions as the eight buttons, so you will not need to access it. The Help menu only contains an About menu item. Click on About to bring up the version information if you need to contact Plato in reference to problems with the program. You will be asked for the Version Number.


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Setup

Running PDQ Ordering And Pricing Program For The First Time When you install a new version of the PDQ program, you must enter the Setup information before you begin entering orders. Plato accepts PDQ orders as attachments to an e-mail. It is important that your dealer number be on the order. If you do not complete the Setup screen, you will not be able to begin an order. When you click on Enter without completing the Setup screen, the following message will appear. If this happens, click on Ok and enter the Setup screen.

This screen allows you to set up your program with defaults that pertain to your company and its unique situation. Click on Setup and this screen appears.

Plato Account # Enter your Plato account number. If you are not sure what it is, look on an acknowledgement under Sold to or contact Plato customer service. This is used for orders submitted as an attachment to an e-mail. Dealer Address 1 - 4 Enter your dealership name and address in these four fields. You do not need to fill in all four fields. The entries into these four fields will determine what appears in the Sold to section of the Order Request form. (Note: If you want your business phone number to appear on the order, and if you don't need all four address lines for your business address, you can enter your business phone number in the Address 4 field.) Dealer Phone Enter your dealership's phone number here. Do not use Parentheses, but use the 999-999-9999 format. Ship to Address 1 - 4 If you have a warehouse where Plato is to ship your orders, enter that address in these four fields as required. You do not need to fill in all four fields. The entries into these four fields will determine what appears in the Ship to section of the Order Request form. If you want a different Ship to Address (such as a jobsite address on jobsite delivered orders) on a specific order, these fields may be overwritten on the Order screen of an individual order.


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Ship to Phone If you have a warehouse or a specific number the driver is to call regarding shipments, enter that phone number here. Do not use Parentheses, but use the 999-999-9999 format. This number may be overwritten when you enter an order. Job Site $ Current jobsite delivery charge is $250.00 net. This amount will appear on the Pricing Summary Sheet. If the order will be shipped to the jobsite or a central warehouse, you must check the ‘Job Site Delivery $’ on the Order Info tab. This will only need to be checked once for multiple orders shipping at the same time. Freight % Enter the freight rate for your place of business. (If your freight rate is 12%, enter 12.00.) If you don’t know your freight rate, contact Lynnel Brinkman at Plato. Multiplier % Enter the current multiplier for determining net cost expressed as a percent. The current multipliers are:

Plato/ICON: 41.20%, enter 41.20 or .412 Inovae: 41.20%, enter 41.20 or .412 Prelude: 34.50%, enter 34.50 or .345 Sales Tax % Enter your local sales tax rate expressed as a percentage. If your local sales tax is 6.5%, enter 6.50. If you have no local sales tax, enter 0. Gross Profit % Enter the gross profit margin you wish to calculate on the majority of your jobs. Gross Profit = (Selling price - net cost) / Selling Price. This amount will automatically be carried to the appropriate field on the Price Summary page. If you wish to calculate a different gross profit percentage, you may overwrite this percentage on the price summary screen. If you are used to calculating selling price as a mark up from cost, refer to the table below to determine what to enter as Gross Profit Margin.

Markup Gross Profit Margin

Markup Gross Profit Margin

10% 9.1% 55% 35.5% 15% 13.0% 60% 37.5% 20% 16.7% 65% 39.4% 25% 20.0% 67% 40.0% 30% 23.1% 70% 41.2% 35% 25.9% 75% 42.9% 40% 28.6% 80% 44.4% 45% 31.0% 90% 47.4% 50% 33.3% 100% 50.0%

NOTE: Within our industry, it is common to hear that a 40% Gross Profit Margin is the target profit margin that many try to achieve. You can see from the table that if this is your goal, and you determine your selling price by “marking up” from the cost, you would actually have to mark up your cost by 67%. The table shows what percent Gross Profit Margin you need to enter in the setup screen to achieve a given “mark up”. Suppress Graphics Check it if you don’t want to see the graphics (door styles, insert panels, edges, and cabinets). Default Order File Location To change the location your order files will save, click on browse. When you have completed entering your company's unique setup, click on Ok and the window will close out saving your changes. If you click on Cancel, the setup window will close without saving your entries.


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New Order To begin entering an order, click on the New Order button for the specific product line. If you are writing a Plato framed order (Series 1000, 2000 or 4000) select Personalized Custom (Framed). If you are writing a Prelude order, select Prelude. If you are writing an Inovae frameless order (Series 5000), select Inovae (Frameless). If you are writing an Inovae Closet Systems order (Series 5000), select ICS (Inovae Closet System).

The order entry screen appears. The top left tells you what order type you’re in.

Note: The eight buttons on the bottom of the screen (View/Print, Convert, Save As, Copy Specs1, Copy Specs2, Save, Save + Exit, Email, and Cancel) allow you to easily print the order (to the screen or to hard copy), convert the order to a different catalog (See Convert at the end of the document), save the order under a different file name, copy Door/Wood/Finish information from another order (See Copy Specs at the end of the document), save the order without closing the order, save the order and close out of it, email to Plato (Must have Microsoft© Outlook), or cancel out of the order without saving changes. Click on Save As, type the name you want to give this order in the File Name field.


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Click on Save. The job name will appear at the top right.

Entering Information on the Order Screen Sold To: The default Sold To address and phone number you entered in the Setup screen is automatically imported to this screen. If you entered nothing in these fields on the Setup screen, they will come up with the default information. If you wish to enter a different dealer name and address you can overwrite these fields with the new information. Sold To Phone: This field defaults to the Sold To Phone number you entered in the Setup screen. You may overwrite this field if needed. Plato Account #: This field defaults to the Plato Account # you entered in the Setup screen. Ship To: The default Ship To address is the same as the Sold To, it will be blank. If you wish to enter a jobsite delivery address, or any other address, you can overwrite these fields with the new address. See Add Ship To. There is a drop down list of Ship To addresses you have saved after Select Address. Click on one of the addresses on the list for the address to appear. Ship To Phone: The default Ship To Phone number is the same as Sold To Phone, it will be blank. If you wish to enter a different phone number, you can overwrite this field. Ship Via: Unless you are selecting one of the expedited shipping methods, you do not have to enter anything in this field. Click on the button at the end of this field and select from the drop down list. Click on the shipping method desired, and press the Tab key to move to the next field. Normally, kitchen orders will be Plato Truck. Note that the PDQ program includes all the databases found in the Plato order entry system, thus there are a number of shipping methods on the drop down list that you will never use. Further, in most cases, Plato staff knows how we ship your regular orders.

Job Site Delivery $: Check this box to include the job site delivery fee to the order.


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Add Ship To Perhaps you are working on a large project and have a number of orders shipped to that location over a period of time. In that case, you may want to add that shipping address to a drop down list of frequently used shipping addresses. Enter the name of the location and shipping address along with the shipping phone number into their respective fields.

Then click on the Add Ship To button. The following window appears confirming that the address has been added to the drop-down list.

The new address and phone number are added to the Ship To drop down list.

Click on Ok to continue processing your order. NOTE: You must enter the complete address in the Ship To fields and the phone number in the Ship To Phone field. Also, once you enter a shipping address and a phone number to the list, it cannot be removed without reinstalling the program. Ship To: This is the top right hand field on the Order screen. Located on the right end of this field is a small box with the symbol, . Clicking on the displays the list of saved Ship To addresses. To change the Ship To address and phone number to one on the drop-down list, click on the desired address and press the Tab key or click in the next field. The new address and phone number will automatically overwrite the defaults.


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Dealer Information:

Date: The current computer date is automatically entered into this field. This date can be overwritten. It is entered in MM DD YY format. Do not use dashes or slashes. Ordered By: Enter the name of the person writing this order. Job Name: Enter the job name or some other name which will help assure that you and the factory are talking about the same job. Room Name: Enter the room where the cabinetry on this order will be installed (e.g., Kitchen, Master Bath, etc.). P.O. Number: Enter your purchase order number here if your company uses a purchase order system. Date Requested: Enter your desired date or this field may be left blank for the current ship week. Original W.O.#: Enter the original work order number here if this order is an add order to an original Plato order. Please Check One: Remodeled / New Construction This is information for the Marketing Department. Please click on the appropriate category. Note that you cannot tab into this field. You must select the correct button with the mouse.

Order Information: Order Type: Click on the button at the end of this field and select from the drop down list. Most cabinet orders will be STANDARD, thus it is the default. The drop down list includes some options used only by the factory. You will most frequently use STANDARD, NET, and DISPLAY. ASAP Orders: Date Requested = ASAP; Order Type = STANDARD

# of Cabinets: You can not change this field. The program will automatically count the number of cabinets as you enter them and import the total in this field. Ceiling Height: Enter the ceiling height of the room where cabinetry on this order will be installed. Customer service will use this to verify that tall cabinetry can be tipped up in the room. Countertop Thickness: Enter the thickness of the countertop to be installed on cabinetry on this order. Customer service will use this to verify that cabinetry setting on the countertop will align with the tops of tall cabinets. Order Notes: Enter general instructions pertaining to the entire order. Each line will hold up to 40 characters. When you have completed this screen, click on the Door/Wood/Finish tab to continue entering cabinet specifications. NOTE: You do not have to complete the Orders screen before you start entering cabinetry. You may complete it at a later time.


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Door / Wood Finish The look of the Door / Wood / Finish screen will depend on which New Order Type you select. If you select Personalized Custom (Framed) or Prelude, the screen will appear as below. Note that there are some fields shaded because they do not apply to the Standard (Framed) line.

If you selected INOVAE (Frameless), the screen would appear as below. You will see you have options for drawers, toe space type, and interior.

Wood Type: You can enter Wood Type one of two ways. 1. Type the first two or three letters of the wood species and then press the key until the desired wood species

is selected. 2. Click on the button at the end of the field and select the desired wood species from the drop down list.

Press the Tab key to move to the next field. Wood Detail: Inovae only. This is to specify the material color of Textured Melamine (TEXMELM) and Laminate (LAM). Click on the button at the end of this field and select from the drop down list.


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Wood Effect: Click on the button at the end of this field and select from the drop down list. Note that the drop down list will allow only those wood effect options that are available with the wood type selected. For example, if you select Character Cherry as the wood type, only Character Distress, and Spc Char Distress will be allowed. Wood Effect 2: Click on the button at the end of this field and select from the drop down list. Note that the drop down list will allow only those wood effect options that are available with the wood type selected. This field is used only if you are selecting a second wood effect, such as adding Character Distress. Wood Interior (optional): Click on the button at the end of this field and select from the drop down list. This field is used on paint only. This allow the interior on painted cabinetry to be natural specified wood species. Wood Notes: Enter any notes that pertain specifically to the wood species selected or to the wood effect selected. For example, “Please eliminate the joint cracks from the heavy distressing.” Each field will hold up to 40 characters. Door Overlay: Click on the button at the end of this field and select from the drop down list. Choose from Inset (4000), Full (2000), or Standard (1000). No Midrails: If Inset was selected as the door overlay, you will have the option for the entire order to have no midrails. Check the box to delete midrails on entire order. Face Frame: Choose from ¾” for ¾” door and ¾” face frame, 1” for 1” door and 1” face frame, or Icon for ¾” door and 1” face frame. 1” Notes: Most Inset door styles are available 1” thick for an upcharge. Exceptions are mitered door styles.

With the exception of Kent, Manor & Windsor (which have a 1” thick R100 insert panel), the door frame will be 1” thick while the insert panel will remain ¾” thick and will be held to the front of the frame. A 10% upcharge is automatically added when selected.

Icon Notes: Several Inset door styles are available with Icon face frame for an upcharge. A 5% upcharge is automatically added when selected.

Frame Style: If you select Full or Standard overlay, the only option available will be Standard. If you select Inset and ¾” or 1”, there will be three options. Beaded for beaded inset, No Bead for non-beaded inset and Sq Bead for square bead inset. If you select Inset and Icon, there will be two options. Beveled for bevel inset, and Convex for convex inset. You must select one or the other or you will receive an error message when you try to save the order requiring you to go back to this field to make a selection. Wall / Door Style: Note that there are three fields, one for wall cabinets, one for base cabinets, and one for drawer fronts. Either type in the first two or three letters of the door name and use the key to bring up the name, or click on the button at the end of the field and select the desired door style from the drop down list. (Entering door style specifications is critical. If it is not entered exactly the way the program expects, door and drawer counts and pricing may not calculate properly.) When you have selected the desired door style, press the Tab key to move to the wall Configuration field. Note that the door style you selected for the wall cabinets is automatically copied in the base cabinet field. Wall / Configuration: Either type in the first letter of the configuration and use the key to bring up the name, or click on the button at the end of the field and select the desired configuration from the drop down list. Press the Tab key to move to the wall Insert Panel field. Note that the configuration you selected for the wall cabinets is automatically copied in the base insert panel field. If the base cabinets use a different configuration than the wall cabinets, you can overwrite the base cabinet code. Wall / Insert Panel: Note that there are three fields, one for wall cabinets, one for base cabinets, and one for drawers (needed if ordering LX drawer fronts). Select the desired Insert Panel and then press the Tab key to move to the wall Door Edge field. Note that the insert panel you selected for the wall cabinets is automatically copied in the base insert panel field. If the base cabinets use a different insert panel than the wall cabinets, you can overwrite the base cabinet code. Only the panel types available for the selected door style will appear on the drop down list.


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Wall / Door Edge: Note that there are three fields, one for wall cabinets, one for base cabinets, and one for drawers. Select the door edge style you want and then press the Tab key to move to the base Configuration field. Note that the door edge you selected for the wall cabinets is automatically copied in the base cabinet field. If the base cabinets use a different door edge than the wall cabinets, you can overwrite the base cabinet code. Only the door edges available for the selected door style will appear on the drop down list. Door Framing: The standard frame size is in the field. If options are available, they will be listed in the drop down. Arch Style: This field is used only when AR (Arched) configuration is selected in the Configuration field. Click on the button at the end of this field and select arch style from the drop down list. Base / Door Style: The door style selected for wall cabinets was automatically entered here when you selected the wall door style. Base / Configuration: The configuration selected for wall cabinets was automatically entered here when you selected the wall configuration. If the insert panel is to be different, select the desired insert panel and press the Tab key. If this is what you want, press the Tab key to move to the base Insert Panel field. Base / Insert Panel: The insert panel selected for wall cabinets was automatically entered here when you selected the wall insert panel. If the insert panel is to be different, select the desired insert panel and press the Tab key. If this is what you want, press the Tab key to move to the base Door Edge field. When you tab out, the insert panel selected here will automatically be entered in the drawer insert panel field. Base / Door Edge: The door edge selected for wall cabinets was automatically entered here when you selected the wall door edge. If the door edge is to be different, select the desired door edge and press the Tab key. If this is what you want, press the Tab key to move to the drawer Door Style field. When you tab out, the door edge selected here will automatically be entered in the drawer door edge field. Drawer / Door Style: Click on the button at the end of the field and select the desired drawer style from the drop down list. Refer to the door style page in the catalog. Enter the drawer front style you want and then Tab to the drawer Insert Panel field. Drawer / Insert Panel: The insert panel selected for base cabinets was automatically entered here when you tabbed through or selected the base insert panel. If the insert panel is to be different, select the desired insert panel and press the Tab key. If this is what you want, press the Tab key to move to the drawer Door Edge field. NOTE: Obviously solid lumber fronts will not have an insert panel. Even though this is the case, an insert panel type will need to be selected. Drawer / Door Edge: The door edge selected for base cabinets was automatically entered here when you selected the base door edge. If the drawer edge is to be different, select the desired edge and press the Tab key. If this is what you want, press the Tab key to move to Frame Type.


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Top Panel: Full overlay framed door styles accepting R1, R5, or R6 insert panels are available with a raised panel insert in the top drawers if all drawers are specified as ‘LX’. In this case, top and bottom rails will be 1-3/4” wide and the raised panel in top drawers will be R1 if R1 is specified for the Door Style, and will be R6 if R5 or R6 is specified for the Door Style. You also have the option of selecting the F1 flat insert panel. The Top Panel field will only become active if you are ordering full overlay door styles, specify all drawer fronts to be LX, and you specify R1, R5, or R6 insert panels.

Top Panel field if R1, R5, or R6 Top Panel field if NOT R1, R5, or R6 Drawer Box: Standard orders, your options are Dovetail or Luxe (walnut trimmed). Prelude orders, your only option is Dovetail. INOVAE orders, your options are Dovetail, Luxe or Legrabox. Unavailable options for order type are shaded.

Drawer Box field in Standard (Framed)

Drawer Box field in Prelude Drawer Box field in INOVAE (Frameless)

Door Notes: Enter any special instructions pertaining specifically to the door style. Each field will hold up to 40 characters. Finish Impression: Copper Canyon is a unique finish/wood/special effects package with special pricing. When specified, wood, finish, and special effect choices are automatically entered by the program and are not changeable. In that case, note that all wood, finish, special effect, and varnish sheen specs are shaded.


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Special Finish Samp: Special Finish Samp: 1) If you are ordering a special color and received a color sample to be approved by you and your customer, it will have a special color number on the label on the back of the sample. Enter that number in this field. Example: 1234.1. 2) If you have received a sample door from Plato for one of the ‘Available’ wood/finish combinations with a Work Order number on it, enter that Work Order Number in this field. If you are entering a non-standard finish (Available Finish or Special Finish) and enter a special color number or work order number in this field, a message appears telling you to select either “...Special Stain or Special Paint for Finish Color.” A door sample must be ordered and approved.

When you select either Special Paint or Special Stain, the following message appears:

This message tells you to enter the Percent Upcharge quoted to you by the factory on the Subtotal – Price Summary screen. If you were quoted 10%, you would click on the Subtotal – Price Summary tab and enter 10.00 in the Finish Upcharge % field as shown below:

If you are entering standard colors, enter nothing in the Special Finish Samp field and proceed as below. Finish Color: If you are selecting a standard Plato finish, type in the first two or three letters of the finish and use the key to bring it up, or click on the button at the end of the field and select the desired finish from the drop down list. Note that only finishes that are Standard for the selected wood species will be shown on the drop down list. If the finish you want doesn't show up, you must then enter a work order number or special finish sample number in the Special Finish Samp field. Special Effect 1: (2, 3) These three fields allow you to enter up to three finish effects. Type in the first two or three letters of the effect, and use the key to bring it up, or click on the button at the end of the field and select the desired Finish Special Effect from the drop down list. Note that only the special effects that are standard for the selected wood and finish will be shown on the drop down list.


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INOVAE only Fields:

Inovae Only 1” Door: Check the box for 1” thick doors to be listed in ‘Door Style’ drop down.

Toe Space Type: INOVAE offers three toekick options: 1. Toe Notch – the standard, no charge option. 2. Toe Base – base and tall cabinets are manufactured without the toekick and a separate toe base platform is

ordered as a separate line item. 3. Leveling Legs - base and tall cabinets are manufactured without the toekick. Leveling legs and the toe board are

ordered as separate line items.

When you click on the button at the right end of the field, the following menu drops down:

Select the Toe Space Type option you want. Interior: INOVAE offers two interior options, natural maple veneer and white melamine. Click on the button for the interior you wish to order.

Wood Tape Edge: Check if wood tape edge band is desired. There is an additional charge.

For Custom, Prelude and ICON orders, the two fields are shaded as shown below. You cannot enter anything into them as they do not apply.

Varnish Sheen: Click on the varnish sheen you want Paint, Pearl, Flat, LL5, Special, or N/A. Note that you will not be able to Tab into this field if one of the four options is not already selected. You must click on the desired choice with the mouse. Finish Notes: Enter any special instructions pertaining specifically to the finish specifications. Each field will hold up to 40 characters.


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Door Hardware: Plato Woodwork does not supply knobs or pulls except the flush pulls and WK1, WK2, & WK3 wooden knobs. You may, however, specify drilling. To do so, click on the button at the end of the field and select from the drop down list. Drawer Hardware: Plato Woodwork does not supply knobs or pulls except flush pulls (FP1, FP2, FP3) and wood knobs (WK1, WK2, WK3). You may, however, specify drilling. To do so, click on the button at the end of the field and select from the drop down list. Hinge Type: The options available depend on the door series selected. Full overlay and Inovae only have one hinge option and will automatically be filled in. Overlay and Inset have more than one hinge option. Click on the button at the end of the field to select the hinge. Overlay will two hinge options; lipped uses the “knife” hinge (KNIFE) and overlay uses the concealed Blum hinge (BLUM 11). Inset will have codes for the “ball” pin (INSETBL), the “finial” pin (INSETFN), “flat” pin (INSETFT) style hinges, for a concealed inset hinge (CONBLUM). Color: Select from the standard hinge colors for the self-mortising hinges in inset. Click on the button at the end of the field to select one of the available hinge colors. Hardware Notes: Type in any special instructions pertaining specifically to the hardware specifications. If you are ordering a special hardware, you may enter that information here. Each field will hold up to 40 characters. A sample of a completed Door / Wood / Finish screen for an INOVAE order is shown below.

To continue entering your order, click on the Line Items tab to bring up the Line Items screen.


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Line Items To begin entering cabinets, click on the Line Items tab. The following line items view screen comes up.

The screen has three windows. The window on the left will contain the list of cabinets you enter into the order. The window on the top right will show all the cabinet information for the cabinet that is highlighted on the left. Directly under this window is another window and three columns for ‘Wall Doors’, ‘Base Doors’, and ‘Drawers’ door/drawer counts. The window will show the graphic of the unit. Since no cabinetry has yet been entered, everything is blank. Directly beneath the left window are three buttons, Edit, Add, and Re-sequence. To begin entering cabinets, click on the Add button and the first Line Item screen will appear. (The Edit and Re-sequence buttons will be covered later.) The individual Line Item screen:


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General Comments You will complete a separate Line Item screen for each item you enter on your order. When you finish entering all the information for one cabinet, you must click on the Save Item button on the bottom of the screen to save that cabinet and move on to the next. If you click on Cancel Item, the entries made on this screen will not be saved. It will close the screen, returning to the Line Items view screen which shows the list of cabinets entered. When you are done with the last item on the order, first click on Save Item to save that item, and then Cancel out of the empty screen that comes up. The program also will resave the complete order each time you save a new line item – ONLY if you have clicked on Save As to give the file a name. The first line (blue) on the top of the screen has basic information imported from the Order screen including: Order: = the name you gave the file Job Name: = the job name The date in MM DD YY format The top portion of the screen is used to enter basic cabinetry information. The 15 rows on the bottom are used for adding accessories and modifications to the cabinet.

Basic Cabinet Information: L# This is the item number. Screens will be numbered consecutively as you complete and Save Item one and move to the next. Don't worry if you enter an item out of sequence. You have the ability to re-sequence items after you finish entering the order. CL# This is the client number. You have the ability to list your item number per your floor plan. This may be especially helpful if you’re combining Prelude and Custom. Qty (Quantity) The default is 1. If you are ordering more than one of this item, you can overwrite the 1 with any number up to 999. The program will automatically default to the Item field when you bring up a new screen. If you wish to change the quantity, you will need to click into this field with the mouse to make the change after you enter the code for the desired cabinet in the Item field. If you try to change the quantity first, you will receive a message prompting you to select a valid item in the Item field. Item This is where you enter the Plato code for a cabinet. You can do it one of two ways:

1. Type the first two or three letters of the code and press the key until you get to the cabinet you want. Then press Tab to move to the next field.

2. Click on the button at the end of this field and select the cabinet you want from the drop down list. Press the Tab key to move to the next field. Because of the length of the drop down list, option one may actually be the most efficient.

The graphic of the product will appear after you press Tab. If you attempt to enter an item that is not in the catalog, the following message will appear.

Click on Ok. The Item field will remain the active field and the non-valid item you entered will be highlighted. Select a valid item from the catalog and continue entering your order. If the item you wish to enter is not in the Plato catalog, contact the factory for a quote.


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To complete the cabinet, continue as follows: Width (top row) When you Tab to this field from the Item field, a default Width, Height, and Depth are imported into these three fields. You can overwrite this field with any width you want. Then press the Tab key to move to the next field. NOTE: Most framed cabinets are available in ¼” increments in width at no additional charge. NOTE: When you tab into the Width field, a list of the insert panels in the doors and drawers of this cabinet show up. The quantity of doors and drawers are in the boxes. The insert panel type is listed below the door and drawers.

In the example above, a 34.5” high B3D, the display shows that the top drawer is a solid lumber drawer in Full Overlay (SL2) and the other two have Flat panels. The drawer fronts are listed in alphabetical order, not cabinet order. Door & Drawer Front Code Note: Standard Overlay will have a 1 in the code, Full Overlay will have a 2 in the code, Inset will have a 4 in the code, Inovae will have a 5 in the code.

In the example above, the 84” high TFD, the display shows that the doors will have Flat insert panels.

NOTE: IF YOU SPECIFY A SPECIAL HEIGHT UNIT, THE INSERT PANEL DISPLAY MAY NOT BE ACCURATE!! Height If the default height is not what you need, overwrite this field with the correct height. Press the Tab key to move to the next field. Depth (top row) If the default depth is not what you need, overwrite this field with the correct depth. Press the Tab key to move to the next field. Hinge This is where you select the hinging if this cabinet is single door cabinet. If it is a double door cabinet or a cabinet without doors, leave None selected. Fin. End This is where you select finished ends. The program will count up all wall, base, and tall finished ends and import the sum of each into the corresponding field on the Subtotal – Price Summary screen. If you order a special end treatment such as inlay ends, door on the end of a cabinet, EC end on a cabinet, etc. there is no additional charge for a finished end. List$ When you Tab from the Depth field, the list dollar charge for the cabinet is entered automatically into this field. You may overwrite this field, so be careful not to inadvertently enter an erroneous price. There are times you will need to enter an amount or alter the amount in this field.


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Note on entering Enkeboll product: Enkeboll pricing is in the Plato PDQ catalog. Enkeboll SKU codes are used preceded by ‘ENK’. Moldings that are available in 8’ or 12’ lengths are followed by ‘-8’ or ‘-12’. The pricing is determined by the wood species selected on the Door/Wood/Finish screen. Enter Enkeboll on the upper portion of this screen if Plato will not be attaching it to a cabinet (shipped loose). If you are having Plato attach an Enkeboll item to a cabinet, you would enter that item as a ‘Tag’ to a cabinet, not as a line item (described later). There will be no percent upcharges applied to Enkeboll items shipped with an order. Enkeboll items not shipped as part of a cabinet order will be assessed freight charges. DimUp If you are ordering special width, height, or depth on this cabinet, the letters W, H, and/or D will be entered automatically into this field indicating that there will be a one, two, or three dimension upcharge added to this cabinet (one letter = 1 dimension upcharge, two letters = 2 dimension Upcharge, and 3 letters = 3 dimension upcharge). In square corner cabinets, where you will be required to enter a width and depth for both legs (or sides) of the cabinet, the same letter may show up twice (for example, if you order a square corner cabinet and make both the left and right leg 15” deep, the letter, ‘D’ will show up twice in this field). Right Leg W Directly beneath the Width field on the first line you will find a field labeled Right Leg W. This is to be used when ordering square corner cabinets. When you enter a square corner cabinet in the Item field, a dimension will appear in Right Leg W field. If you wish to change this dimension, you will have to click into it with the mouse and overwrite the default width. Note that on cabinets that require this dimension, the width on the top line will always be for the left leg of the cabinet. The one on the second line will always be for the right leg of the cabinet. Right Leg D Directly beneath the Depth field on the first line you will find a field labeled Right Leg D. This is to be used when ordering square corner cabinets. When you enter a square corner cabinet in the Item field, a dimension will appear in Right Leg D field. If you wish to change this dimension, you will have to click into it with the mouse and overwrite the default depth. Note that on cabinets that require this dimension, the depth on the top line will always be for the left leg of the cabinet. The one on the second line will always be for the right leg of the cabinet. See the following example.

Hardware, Hinge, Door and Drawer Count Fields Below the cabinet information the wall doors, base doors, drawers, and hardware is listed. These fields are used for counting wall doors, base doors, and drawer fronts. After you enter a cabinet’s basic information and tab through the width, height, and depth, the program will automatically import the door style names and drawer type names you selected on the Door/Wood/Finish screen followed by the number of each in the blank fields. At the same time, the door hardware, drawer hardware, and hinge counts will appear in their respective fields. These fields can be overwritten if you are making a non-standard modification on the cabinet or specifying modifications that require an addition or reduction of door premiums. If there is no code in front of a field, any number entered in that field will not be saved. The following screen shows an example.


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In the door/drawer style fields, three rows are shown because it is possible to have three different drawer front types on one cabinet (for example a desk file drawer cabinet could have a standard slab drawer front on top, an I-BPT on the second drawer, and an LX drawer on the bottom file drawer). If you are not sure what the drawer breakdown will be, you can refer to this screen as you enter the cabinet for a hint. Note: There are a few cabinets that will not show any door or drawer counts or only partial counts. This is done so these units will force a manual edit at the factory. You will have to manually enter hardware and door counts in this case if you want an accurate total when you are finished writing the order. Also, some tall cabinets in certain door styles may not include upper door counts. Note: If you edit an item with manually entered hardware and door counts, changing its type or its dimensions, the original manually entered counts will be lost. You will have to re-enter the revised counts again. Note: If you change any of the door style specifications on the Door/Wood/Finish screen, it will recalculate hardware, door and drawer counts reverting any you have changed manually to the default counts. You will have to re-enter the revised counts again.

How do you know when to enter or modify counts? When you enter a line item that may require manual entry of door counts, a caution will pop up on the screen prompting you to check door counts when you tab from the item field to the width field (see the screen below).

Click on Ok and the active field becomes the Width field. The hardware counts appear in their fields, and the specified door and drawer style codes appear in front of the door and drawer front count fields.

Enter the desired width, height, and depth as well as hinging and finished ends if applicable. Door counts may need to be modified. Using the mouse, place the cursor in the first field where a door count needs to be added or modified and enter the number of doors or drawer fronts. If needed, move the cursor to the next door count field and make the modification. If you are ordering standard hinges, you need not worry about the # Door HW, # Draw HW, or # Hinges fields since standard hinges are included in the price of Plato cabinetry, and with the exception of the wooden knobs, hardware is not available from Plato as standard. If, however, you are ordering special hardware and/or hinges, and have a quote from the factory, you will need to enter hinge and hardware counts if you want them to price properly.

You do not need to change hinge counts unless you have special hinges.


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When you are finished, you can tab to the first modification field and begin entering modifications. If no modifications are required on the cabinet, click on Save Item and begin entering the next cabinet.

Entering Modifications The Plato program provides space to add up to 15 modifications per cabinet. A modification is an option that allows you to modify the cabinet (for example, extended stile, wide stile, flush toe, etc.) or add accessories to a cabinet (for example, cutlery trays, spice rack on door, etc.). The graphic of the cabinet will NOT show the modifications selected. The PDQ Order Writing program includes the modification codes used in the Plato factory order entry program. These codes include additional letters above and beyond those in the catalog to further define how the modification applies to the cabinet or, in some cases, to make it possible to price the modification correctly. The additional letters used with modifications in the program are: w, b, or t used to indicate whether it is applied to a wall, base, or tall cabinet l, r indicates left or right placement on the cabinet + When an option has one price up to a certain height (or depth) and a different price for anything over that height (or

depth), the + is used along with a number to represent the greatest height/depth available at the lower price. Anything over that will have the higher (or +) price. An example is “iep48+wl”. In this case, an iep up to 48 high is the lower price. If it is over 48”, it will be the higher price.

To help assure you are selecting the correct tag, a description is included in the drop down list to further define the modification code. To enter a tag, complete one row for each modification you want to add to the cabinet. Qty enter the quantity of the item you want to add to the cabinet. If no quantity is entered, it will default to (1) when you save the line item. Modification enter the code for the modification you want. You may enter the first letter or two of the modification and use the key to scroll down to the one you want, you can click on the at the end of the field and scroll down until you find the code you want, or you can use the Search button to enter your tag. If you are applying the same modification to both sides of a cabinet (e.g., and IEP on the left and right), they must be entered as separate modifications.

Entering a Modification Using the Search Feature After entering the basic cabinet specifications, you are ready to enter applicable “modifications”. The “tag” portion of the line item screen looks as follows:

To use the search feature, click on the Search button for the following window.


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You may enter either a word or series of words, or enter a modification code if you know it. For example, if you want to add a 3” wide extended stile to the left side, you could enter, “extended stile”. When you click on the Find button, only modifications with “extended stile” in their description which also apply to the type of cabinet you entered (base, wall, or tall) will be listed.

Find the modification you want. Double click on it, and it will be entered on that line. Tab out of the field, and the price will be entered.

Follow the same procedure until you have entered all the modifications required for that cabinet. NOTE: Some modifications will affect door and/or drawer counts. For example, a 24” wide wall cabinet normally has two doors. If you add the SD (single door in lieu of two butt doors) tag, you will need to change the wall door count from two to one. Likewise if you add a clipped corner modification to the cabinet, the width of the opening becomes that of a 21” wide cabinet which receives one door. Here again, you will need to change the wall door count from two to one. Conversely, when you add a door on the end of a cabinet (DEC, DECF, or DECFF) you will need to add a door to the count. When you enter a modification that may affect door counts, the following caution will pop up on the screen.

Click on Ok, change the hardware and door counts as needed, and move on to the next modification (or save the cabinet if you are finished and move on to the next). Price modification pricing is included in the program. When you Tab out of the modification field, the price should automatically appear in this field. You can overwrite this field if you wish. Note You can type anything you wish in this field to help clarify how the selected modification applies to the cabinet. You can type up to 80 characters. When you type more than 28 characters, it will wrap and print out on the next line. When you Tab out of this field, it will take you to the Qty field for the next tag. You can enter up to 15 modifications.


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The following screen shows an example of a completed cabinet on the Line Item entry screen.

Note on Entering Enkeboll Items Applied to a Cabinet Enkeboll items attached to a cabinet are included as modifications in the Plato PDQ program. Codes are the Enkeboll SKU number preceded by ‘EK–’ Moldings that are available in 8’ or 12’ lengths are followed by ‘–8’ or ‘–12’. (Example: EK-MLD–AB6–12). Pricing is wood species specific and includes the application charge for that item.

Saving a completed line item entry screen When you are finished with this cabinet, click on Save Item and a new blank line item entry screen will appear with the next line number. Each time you save a line item, it will also automatically save the order as long as you have clicked on Save As to give the file a name. If for some reason an error would crash the program, you would have the order saved to that point, minimizing the chance that you would have to start over. Always remember to click on Save Item. If you click on Cancel, it will close out this screen without saving it and will take you back to the Line Items view screen.

Model - Copying an existing Line Item into a new screen Click on “Model Help” for instructions.


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Closing out after the last item is entered When you have finished entering the last item, be sure to save it as described above. When the new blank screen comes up, you can then click on Cancel Item, and it will take you back to the Line Items window showing the list of the cabinets you have entered. Note that all cabinets you have entered are listed in the left-hand window. The right-hand window will show all the details on the last cabinet you entered (if no cabinet is highlighted), or the cabinet highlighted on the left. Door/drawer counts will show up beneath the right hand window.

This window gives your three options, Edit, Add, and Re-Sequence. Edit If you need to change the dimensions of a cabinet, change the modifications you have added to it, or just check it out to make sure you have everything, you can double click on the cabinet you wish to change, and it will bring up the cabinet entry screen. You can also bring up the cabinet by highlighting the desired cabinet in the left hand window and then clicking on Edit. Make the change(s) you wish, and then Save Item the line item and it will return you to this window. Be sure to check to make sure you have re-entered any manual door and/or drawer counts if applicable. Add When you first start entering cabinets on a new order, or if you forgot an item, you can add it to the order later. Click on Add and a new blank line item entry screen will appear with the next line item number. Complete the screen, and Save Item. Another blank screen will appear. If you need to add more items, you can continue to add as many as needed. Always be sure to Save Item, bringing up a new blank screen, and then Cancel from the blank screen. Re-Sequence If you entered items out of order, or entered forgotten items at the end of the order, you can move them to the correct position on your order. To do so, highlight the cabinet you want to move as shown below.

Click on Re-Sequence and the following screen will appear.


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If you want to move this item to the #1 position, type in 1 and click on Ok. The item will be moved into that position and the remaining cabinets will be renumbered.

How do I delete a Line Item? If you want to delete a Line Item on an order, highlight the item to delete and click on Edit (or double click on it). When the Line Item window opens, click on the ‘Delete Item’ button and click ‘Ok’. The item will be removed from your order.

Changing a Line Item to a Different Unit There may be occasions when you wish to change a cabinet to a different type of cabinet. For example, your customer decides they want a three drawer base instead of a B1D next to the cooktop. To do so, select and Edit the cabinet you wish to change (or double click on the item).

Overwrite the existing item code with the new one.


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Tab to the next field, and the following appears.

This gives you two options: 1. You may retain the width, height, and depth sizes and modifications you entered on the original item (Click on Yes). 2. You may choose to delete the original field entries and continue with an empty screen (Click on No). When you are finished, click on Save Item. The item will be saved as you have re-entered it and return you to the Line Item screen.

Printing or Viewing an Order on the Screen If you are printing from the Main Menu screen, you need to open the file. Click on Edit Order then select the order you want to view or print by either highlighting it and clicking on Open, or by double clicking on the order. You can print out or view an order at any time while you are working on it. Select the Print button. This will automatically save the order and bring up a message giving you a choice of what you want to print and how you want to print it.

You are given three options (if you check off all three, only the pricing summary will print): Suppress Pricing will print a copy of the order without any pricing. This is convenient if you want to print a copy

without pricing for your installer. Print Pricing Summary will print a copy of the pricing summary along with a copy of the order. Print Pricing Summary Only will print a copy of the pricing summary only. No copy of the order will be printed.


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Select the option you want and click on Print. The following message will appear giving you the opportunity to print to the screen or to a printer.

The program defaults to Printer. If you do not care to view the order first, you can print directly to the printer. Click on Ok, and the program will search for print drivers. While searching, you will see the comment, “Searching for Printers” flash in the window and the Print Setup screen will appear giving you the opportunity to select the printer you wish to use. When you have selected the printer you want, click on Ok. The program will print the Order Request and Price Summary Sheet (if that option was selected) and return to the previous screen.

If you only want to view the order on screen, click on the Screen button on the Print Options window and click on Ok. NOTE: Print to screen will not be in the new font and format. It will come up in Courier font and the 2004 catalog cover page format. If you want to view on screen as it will appear in print, you may select “Printer” and print to “Adobe PDF” if you have that as a printer option on your computer. The Plato Order Request form will appear on the screen as below. To view more of the order, scroll down the screen.


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When you are done viewing the order, you have two options.

1. Click on the Close button and the program will return to the previous screen. 2. Click on Print and the program will take you through the printing procedure described above. Note that if you

print from the view screen it will not print in the updated format. It is advisable that you close out of the view screen, press Print again, and select your printer. After printing, the program will return to the previous screen.

If you are not working on a specific order, you can also print any order starting from the Main Menu. This method will be described later. When you are finished working on the order, you are given four options for closing your work session.

Saving an Order Under a Different File Name If you wish to save a copy of an order for reference if you make changes to an order’s specifications, or if you wish to copy it to a different drive or folder, use the Save As button.


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The following window opens.

If you want to save the new file in a different folder or on a different drive, select that location. Type the new name in the File name field (circled above) and click on Save.

Saving an Order Without Closing Out of the Order As you are working on an order, you can save it at any time by clicking on the Save button. If you have entered any invalid codes, an error message will come up informing you which fields have invalid entries.

Make the corrections and re-click on the Save button. The order will be resaved as it is entered at the time you save it.

Saving and Closing Out of an Order When you are finished with an order and are satisfied that it is accurate, click on Save + Exit. The order will be saved and will take you out to the Open Plato Woodwork Order window (see below). At this point, you can start a new order by entering a new file name in the File name field, continue work on a previous order by double clicking on one of the existing orders, or Cancel out of the window and return to the Main Menu.


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Closing Out of an Order Without Saving Changes If you do not wish to save the work you have done on an order, click on Cancel. Any changes made since the last time the order was saved will not take effect (bear in mind that each time you save a Line Item, you are saving the entire order). The order will close and the program will take you out to the Main Menu.

Subtotal – Price Summary Note on this screen that a number of the fields are shaded. These fields are automatically calculated by the program and cannot be changed. The current multiplier is imported from the Setup screen. If the Setup screen is accurate, you most likely will not need to enter data into any of the fields except where noted.

Total Cabinets, HW, Access. (the field numbered 1) This field is calculated automatically as you enter cabinets on the order form. You cannot change this field. Finished Sides: The three fields in the Qty column are automatically calculated based on the finished sides you specify as you enter cabinets on the order form. You cannot change these fields. Wood Tape Cabinets: The Qty and $ will automatically calculate when the “Wood Tape Edge” box is checked on the ‘Door/Wood/finish’ tab. You cannot change these fields. No Midrail Cabinets: The Qty and $ will automatically calculate when the “No Midrail” box is checked on the ‘Door/Wood/finish’ tab. You cannot change these fields. 2)+ This field calculates the total list for the Finished Sides and No Midrail. You cannot change this field. SUBTOTAL This line is used to determine the net amount on which your freight is calculated. The total in the field labeled 3) is automatically calculated and is the sum of all cabinets with accessories plus finished side charges. The field after Less Exclude contains the sum of all line items that are not included in the base net price for calculating freight and other percent upcharges. For example, Plato does not charge percent premiums on the Special Finish Upcharge or on Enkeboll items. These items will have “(no wood/fin upcharge)” printed with the description on the order when you print it out or view it on the screen. Any amounts attached to such a line item will be accumulated in this field. The program will subtract this amount from the subtotal in field 3) before calculating percent upcharges and freight. You cannot change this field. The field after the x sign is the current multiplier, which was entered in the Setup screen. This field can be overwritten. The field labeled =4) is the net cost of the entered cabinets, accessories, and finished sides less the excluded items amount, before adding premiums and upcharges. This is the amount used for calculating freight and percent premium upcharges. You cannot change this field.


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Wood Species % If you have selected a premium wood (Maple, Quartersawn Oak, or Cherry), the standard upcharge will automatically be entered here. If you are specifying a Select Wood™ for which you were given a percentage upcharge in a quote, you must enter that percentage in this field. You don’t need to do anything when specifying standard non-premium woods. Wood Effects % If you have selected distressing, heavy distressing, character distressing, or special distressing, chip out, etc., the percent upcharge will automatically be entered here. If you are quoted any other upcharge, you can overwrite that percentage in this field. You don’t need to do anything when specifying distressing or heavy distressing. Finish Upcharge % If you are ordering a standard finish with an upcharge, the program will automatically enter that percentage here. For example, if you are ordering a standard paint, “10.00” will be entered here. If you specified unfinished, the program will automatically enter “–5.00” here. If you specified a special paint or special stain on the Spec screen, you must enter the percentage quoted by the factory in this field. Total Wood, Wood Effect, Finish Upcharge This field calculates the total percent upcharges on the order (not the dollar amount). You cannot change this field. % of This field will contain the amount on which Total Wood, Wood Effect, Finish Upcharge percents will be calculated. The amount in this field is 3) minus the Less Exclude amount. You cannot change this field. 5) This field automatically calculates the dollar amount derived from the percent premiums. It takes the Total Wood, Wood Effect, Finish Upcharge percentage times the amount in the % of field to calculate the total list amount of the premiums. You cannot change this field. Plus Finish Special Effects % (max 50) If you specified any finish special effects (glazing, highlighting, spattering, or sand thru), the program will automatically enter the total percentage here. For example, if you specified standard glaze (10%), sand thru (10%), and spattering (5%), these percentages will be added together (25%) and 25.00 will be entered in this field. If the Finish Special Effects total more than 50%, 50.00 will be entered in this field. % of This field will contain the amount on which Finish Special Effects percents will be calculated. The amount in this field is 3) minus the Less Exclude amount. You cannot change this field.

6) This field automatically calculates the dollar amount derived from the Finish Special Effects percent premiums. It takes the Finish Special Effects percentage times the amount in the % of field to calculate the total list amount of the Finish Special Effects premiums. You cannot change this field. Plus 1” Thick Door Style Upcharge % If you specified Manor door style (or any other 1” thick door styles that may be introduced in the future), the percent upcharge is automatically entered here. % of This field will contain the amount on which 1” Thick Door Style percentage will be calculated. The amount in this field is 3) minus the Less Exclude amount. You cannot change this field.

6a) This field automatically calculates the dollar amount derived from the 1” Thick Door Style percent premium. It takes the 1” Thick Door Style percentage times the amount in the % of field to calculate the total list amount of the 1” Thick Door Style premiums. You cannot change this field.

6b) This field automatically calculates the dollar amount derived from the ICON Face Frame percent premium. It takes the ICON Face Frame percentage times the amount in the % of field to calculate the total list amount of the ICON Face Frame premiums. You cannot change this field.

SUBTOTAL (3+5+6) ………… 7) This field automatically calculates the sum of the dollar amounts in fields 3, 5, and 6. You cannot change this field.


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When you have finished reviewing this screen and modifying any percentages (only if you need to do so), click on the Total - Price Summary tab.

Total - Price Summary

This screen continues from the Subtotal – Price Summary screen where the last number was 7), thus this screen continues with number 8). The previous screen is used to calculate percentage premiums, this screen is used to calculate dollar premiums, factors in jobsite delivery charge, freight, your gross profit, and sales tax, ultimately giving you a selling price. Again, there are several shaded fields that are entered and calculated by the program which you cannot change. Wall Doors / Base Doors / Drawers The Plato Woodwork PDQ Pricing program incorporates the door and drawer logic used by the factory order entry program. This means that when you enter a cabinet, in most cases the program will automatically determine how many doors and drawers of each type will be on that cabinet. There are a few cabinets that Plato has chosen not to include door/drawer counts. If this is the case, door counts will come up as zeros. You will need to verify door and drawer counts, making changes manually if necessary for each line item as you enter it. When this does occur, a dialogue box will pop up prompting you to check door and/or drawer counts. If additional doors require hinges, you will need to add to the hinge count on that cabinet. If it is an open cabinet, you will need to zero out the hinge count. Likewise, additional doors may require adding to the hardware counts. Deleting a door will require reducing the hardware counts.

You do not need to change hinge counts unless you have special hinges.

Once you have completed writing your order, the three rows across the top of the screen print will list the door or drawer styles selected, how many of each on the order, and the premium amount per door (or drawer).


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Door and Drawer Front Counts As you enter Line Items on your order, you will find that some door counts are as you want them to be. On some the door counts will be zeros and you will need to enter door counts. In other cases you will be adding ‘modifications’ to a cabinet that will affect door counts (e.g., the ‘OPEN’ modification means there are no doors on a cabinet and you will have to change door counts to zeros). Hardware counts automatically show on the screen. When you change door/drawer counts, and you are ordering special hardware or special hinges, you will need to modify hardware (and hinge) counts, too. If you go back to the Door/Wood/Finish screen and change Door Style specifications at any time, the program is designed to recalculate pricing based on the new doors style specifications. If this happens, all modifications you have made to door and hardware counts will revert back to the factory defaults and your door counts will no longer be accurate.

There are two ways to deal with this issue.

1. When you enter a cabinet on a Line Item screen (described later), you will notice that there are three columns of three fields directly beneath the cabinet specifications fields. This is where the program will enter the number of wall doors (first column), base doors (second column), and drawer fronts (third column) of each type for that cabinet. If you want the program to calculate door premiums in a different door style, you will have to go back and re-enter the correct door counts in these fields for any cabinet with door count modifications before printing out the order. If you do want the program to print out correct door counts in the new door style and plan on re-entering door counts, it would be a good idea to keep a list of the changes you made on each affected cabinet so you can more easily go back and reenter the original door/drawer counts. As you click on each cabinet on the left side of the line item view screen (discussed later), the current door counts will appear beneath the cabinet information on the right side of the screen.

2. Before making any Door Style changes on the Door/Wood/Finish screen, make sure you are not in a Line Items screen. Use the Save As button on the bottom of the screen to save this order under a different file name (e.g., you might want to save the OLSON.pdq file as OLSON 1.pdq). You will now have two saved copies of the order. If you make any Doors Style specifications changes on your original copy of the order, you will still have the second copy with the correct door counts.

NOTE: If you are entering an order solely to be sent to Plato and do not need to develop a price to present to your customer, door counts and pricing do not need to be accurate. We will catch any discrepancies during order processing.

There may be certain orders where you are specifying door or drawer modifications which incur an additional per door or drawer upcharge. An example is ordering wall cabinet doors with a 3-1/4” high bottom rail for which there is a charge per door. You cannot alter the door upcharge pricing, so the three $ fields and the three Note fields in this location are used to account for such upcharges. In the Door Upcharge W $ field; enter the list price per door for the modification. In the Note field, enter what it is for (e.g., “High Bottom Rail”). If base doors or if drawers incur any extra upcharge, treat them in the same manner. You must enter the counts and the price per unit in these fields. You don’t have to enter anything in the Note field, but doing so will help you remember what this is for. Any amounts calculated from these fields will be included as separate door/drawer premium amounts. They will not be added into the standard premiums, but will be listed separately at

(used for wall door upcharges)

(used for base door upcharges)

(used for drawer upcharges)


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the end of the order. By noting what the charges are for in the note field, your description will also print with the count and pricing at the end of the order. All Wood: If you have selected Standard construction on the Spec screen, the note, (Not Selected) will appear. If you select All Wood construction, the total All Wood upcharge appears in a field to the right of All Wood $ (see examples below).

Standard Construction Selected All Wood Construction Selected

Specifying Special Hardware (Special Hinges, Knobs and/or Pulls) Door HW The program will automatically calculate the number of door pulls or knobs required. If you are ordering drilling only, leave 0.00 in the $ field. If you are ordering special hardware for which you have been given a price quote, enter the dollar amount of the quote in the $ field. Drawer HW The program will automatically calculate the number of drawer pulls or knobs. If you are ordering standard hardware with the order, leave 0.00 in the $ field. If you are ordering special hardware for which you have been given a price quote, enter the dollar amount of the quote in the $ field. Hinges If you are ordering special hinges, you will have to enter the quoted amount in the $ field.

8) This field calculates the dollar total for the Doors, Drawers, Door Upcharges, All Wood, Drw Hardware, Door HW, and Hinges. You cannot enter any amount here.

SUBTOTAL (7+8) ……9) This field calculates the total of the dollar premiums in field 8) plus field 7) from the Subtotal – Price Summary screen. You cannot enter any amount here. list x This field contains the current multiplier imported from the Setup screen. You cannot enter any amount here. If the multiplier must be changed to a different multiplier, make the change on the Subtotal – Price Summary screen. 10) This field calculates the product of field 9) times the current multiplier to give the net dollar amount exclusive of freight, fuel surcharge, and jobsite delivery charges. Plus Delivery (11) This includes a field for a fuel surcharge. Fuel surcharges are based on the following table. The surcharge is applied to orders of 8 or more cabinets. The surcharge is based on the weekly national average cost of diesel fuel. Job Site The standard job site delivery charge from the Setup screen is imported into this field when the ‘Job Site Delivery $’ box is checked on the Order Info tab.

Fuel Price Per Gallon

Surcharge

$2.00 - $2.499 $45 NET $2.50 - $2.999 $60 NET $3.00 - $3.249 $75 NET $3.25 - $3.499 $90 NET $3.50 - $3.749 $105 NET $3.75 - $3.999 $120 NET $4.00 - $4.249 $135 NET $4.25 - $4.499 $150 NET $4.50 - $4.749 $165 NET $4.75 + $180 NET


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+ Fuel Surcharge if your order is for 8 or more cabinets enter the amount from the table above based on the weekly diesel average cost for gallon. As this will be difficult to determine at the time you place the order, you may want to “aim high” to be sure you are covered. 11) the program automatically totals the amounts in the Job Site and the + Fuel Surcharge fields and enters the amount here. You cannot change this field. Plus Freight % of 4) The first field shows the freight rate for your area which you entered in the Setup screen. The second field, 12), calculates your freight by taking the freight rate times the dollar amount in field labeled, 4), on the Subtotal – Price Summary screen. Field 4) is the net amount of your order plus finished sides minus the Less Exclude amount before adding upcharges and premiums. Grand Total (10+11+12) 13) calculates the total net cost plus job site delivery and freight to give the Net Dealer Cost. This is your projected bottom line cost. You cannot change this field. Gross Margin The first field in this row shows the percent gross profit you wish to gain from this sale. The percent rate is imported from the Setup screen. This field can be overwritten if you wish to change the gross margin. Field 14) calculates the gross profit dollars that will be added to the net cost to come up with your selling price.

Plus Sales Tax Tax Type you have the choice of calculating sales tax on the net dealer cost or on the total selling price. If you sell in a state that only collects a tax on the cost of goods on installed jobs, click on the Net button. If you want sales tax to be calculated on the total retail sale, click on the List button. Tax Freight some states do not charge sales tax on freight - click on the No button. If you do charge sales tax on freight, click on the Yes button. The % field defaults to the sales tax percent you entered in the Setup screen. If you charge no sales tax, overwrite the % field with 0 and no tax will be added. Field 15) is the dollar amount of the sales tax to be added to the bottom line. You cannot change this field. Total (13 + 14 + 15) …. 16) This field calculates your total selling price and is the sum of the Net Dealer Cost, Gross Margin dollars, and Sales tax. You cannot change this field. When you have reviewed this screen you may want to save the order and then begin entering cabinets. You will want to come back to this screen later to enter any special door style charges or hardware counts (if you are using special hardware). Click on the Save button and all the information you have entered will be saved. Then select the Line Items tab.


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Catalogs If you wish to view the catalog, click on the Browse Catalogs button.

Select Plato Catalog button you wish to view and then click on Ok. The pdf of the catalog will open.

Forms Click on Forms to access forms and the Users’ Guide. You must have Acrobat Reader© installed on your computer. Most of forms can be filled in on the computer and printed.

Select the document you want to open and click on Open or double click on the document’s icon.

Managing Files File management can be performed within the program from the Open Plato Woodwork Order window. Select a file and click the right mouse button to bring up the menu as seen below (the menu options may vary slightly depending on which


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version of Microsoft Windows© you are using and other programs installed on your computer). Left click on the action you wish to perform (e.g., copy, delete, rename, etc.).

If you choose to do file maintenance through this window, there is only one disadvantage. You can only act on one file at a time. If you have a large number of files to move, copy, or delete, you may want to use the My Computer or Windows Explorer in the Windows© operating system.


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E-mailing an Order to Plato Plato orders may be submitted to Plato as an attachment to an e-mail. The easiest way to do it is to click on Email when you’re in the order. This will only work if you have Microsoft© Outlook.

Another option is to right click on the order to be submitted as above, and left click on Send to, and then Mail Recipient.

When the e-mail application opens, type in [email protected] in the address field and send the file to Plato. You will receive an auto-confirmation that the order has been received. Remember that floor plans and any supporting documentation will still be required. If such documentation can be created in a digital format (e.g., scanned to a file), it can also be e-mailed to the same address.

Closing PDQ Order Writing Program When you are finished working in the Plato PDQ Pricing and Ordering Program, while at the Main Menu screen click on Exit to close out of the program.

Convert Button To convert an order from one catalog to another, open the order to convert. Click on Convert button. You will be prompted to select the catalog to change to. Click on the button at the end of the field and select the desired catalog from the drop down list. Click on Convert button.

A message will state “Order exception report is ready to print or view. You will not be able to save this.” Click on Ok.



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You can choose to print or print to screen. Select Printer or Screen. Click on Ok. It is recommended printing the report because it can’t be saved. A message will pop up saying a new order has been created. The new order will be the existing order name followed by: _’catalog converted to’. Click on Ok..

PDQ will return you to the main screen. Click on Edit Orders. The original order and the converted order will be in the list of orders.

Exception Report The exception report will list what was unable to convert (Invalid item or Invalid tag) and what changed (price difference between catalogs, etc.). Below is sample report of a custom order converted to Prelude. See pages 2 & 3 for explanation of the report. See pages 4 & 5 for the custom order that was converted to Prelude.


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Header items will be listed first. This will list anything in the header portion that isn’t available in the converted to catalog (door style, insert panel, finish, etc.)

Sample custom catalog door information:

Conversion report information: Explanation: ‘wall-door base-door drawer’ means the door style (AFN - Afton) is not available in Prelude.

‘drawer-panel’ means the insert panel (R8) is not available in Prelude. Line items will be listed next. This will list items / modifications not available or differences in the converted catalog from the original catalog. Item 2: Conversion report information: Explanation: Hood box is not available in Prelude. The item is replaced with ‘VOID’. The item will need to remain in a

custom order or replaced with item available in Prelude. Price was changed to $0. Tag: IPF is not available in Prelude. It was changed to a note and price changed to $0.

Item 8: Conversion report information: Explanation: Item is available in Prelude. The price changed to $2682. The price will be updated to the new price in the

converted Prelude order.


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Item 11: Conversion report information: Explanation: Item is available in Prelude. Need to change height because it exceeds the allowed maximum of 96”.

The price changed to $2068. The price will be updated to the new price in the converted Prelude order. The modification ’tdt’ (tray dividers) is not available in Prelude. The modification has been changed to a note and

the price was changed to $0. The note needs to be replaced with an item available in Prelude or the cabinet will need to remain in a custom order.

Item 13: Conversion report information: Explanation: Item is available in Prelude. Need to change height because it exceeds the allowed maximum of 96”.

The price changed to $1851. The price will be updated to the new price in the converted Prelude order. The modification ’nsff’ (non-standard face frame) is not available in Prelude. The modification has been changed to

a note and the price was changed to $0. The note needs to be deleted or the cabinet will need to remain on a custom order.


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Copy Specs

‘Copy Specs 1’ copies the ‘Order Info’ tab. ‘Copy Specs 2’ copies the ‘Door/Wood/Finish’ tab. Click on either to copy the specs of an existing PDQ order. Both buttons will open the orders folder. Double click on the order you wish to copy. You will see this prompt. Click on ‘Yes’ if it is the correct order. Click on ‘No’ if it is the incorrect order.

You will then be warned that if any order specifications have been entered on this screen they will be replaced with the order selected. Click on ‘Yes’ to have specs copied. Click on ‘No’ to stop the copy spec process.

Future Updates Future updates will be posted on the Plato Woodwork “Dealers Only” website under “Downloads/PDQ Updates”. Log into the site, go to “Downloads/PDQ”, click on the word, “Downloads” next to the PDQ files, and it will automatically copy the program onto your desktop, unzip the files, and start the install program. Under normal circumstances, any orders saved in the PlatoPDQ\Orders folder (your orders) will not be affected. Even though that is the case, it is always a good idea to back up your PlatoPDQ\Orders folder to another drive prior to installing any update.

What do I do if an error occurs? If an error occurs that crashes the program, a file will be created in the “PlatoPDQ” folder. The file will be in the following format: S999999999999.w3 Typical location for Error folder is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Plato Woodwork\PDQ90\Errors The numbers tell the date and time when the error occurred. The file records the environment that existed in the program when the error occurred. The program developer can usually determine the cause of the error by reviewing this file. If an error occurs, locate the file and attach it to an email and send it to: [email protected] This will allow the programmer to check out what happened to cause the error and create a fix.


Documents

Plato Woodwork PDQ Order Writing Program Users’ Guide ...Guide+Version+9.1.pdf · Plato Woodwork PDQ Order Writing Program Page 1 of 45 Users’ Guide - Version 9.1 August 2018