Plate inventory

Inventory tracks the physical plate material your organization has on hand. Each physical plate has a material, size, location, and activity history. The list combines matching plates into stock groups. Creating a CDI gang reserves one exact physical sheet until the draft or queued gang is cancelled or the terminal team records imaging completion.

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Create a plate material

Organization administrators can create a material in Organization settings → Materials and service. In New material:

1. Enter the supplier or formal material name.
2. Optionally add an Internal label, such as Soft 5 mm. This is your organization’s shorthand and appears under the formal name in Inventory.
3. Choose the type Plate and complete the relevant price, distortion, and review fields.
4. Select Add material.

Only active, non-archived materials of type Plate appear in the material lookup when receiving new stock or in the material column filter. Archiving a material prevents new receipts but does not erase the identity or history of plates already recorded against it. Existing stock for an archived material can still appear when it matches the current Inventory view.

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Receive boxes or loose sheets

Open Inventory and select Receive plates. The same two-step wizard handles box labels and the familiar manual form. Stock is counted in sheets, not boxes.

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Count sheets, then record box details

For a sealed full box, check the printed number of plates. For an opened box, count the sheets actually remaining and enter that number in Quantity. Photo recognition keeps the printed count automatically with the receipt. There is only one editable quantity: if the label says 7 plates but 5 remain, receive 5. Do not enter 1 just because you are adding one box. The last three fields are under Label details (optional). They can also be entered manually. Leave unreadable optional information blank; do not guess a missing date or sheet count. Material, size, actual quantity and location must be completed before receiving. If material is missing, the picker turns red and receives focus so you can choose it.

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Add more than one box

Receive each labelled box separately so its own batch, box number, photo and quantity remain traceable. Finish the first receipt, then open Receive plates again for the next box. Boxes of the same material can have different sizes or pack quantities; check each label. Identical sheets may appear together in one stock row. That row’s quantity is the number of sheets, not the number of boxes. Open its activity to see the separate original receipt details.

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Enter details manually

Choose Enter manually on step 1 to skip the photo. The existing material lookup, recent/common size suggestions, quantity, batch and notes are still available. Choose the material, fill the size and quantity, select a location, optionally add shelf and label details, then select Receive plates. A material does not have one fixed sheet size. Size belongs to the physical sheet; repeat receiving for a different format. Suggestions come from previous receipts and do not restrict the size you can enter.

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Go back, close or retry

• Back returns to step 1 and keeps entered values. Choose Enter manually to return to them, or select another photo to refill the form.
• The X at the top right closes an unsubmitted wizard and clears that draft. There is no separate Cancel button. Refreshing an open review restores its draft and saved photo in the same browser tab.
• If analysis fails or a field is unreadable, try a clearer photo or use manual entry. Supported images are JPEG, PNG, WebP and HEIC, up to 12 MB.
• If the receipt response is interrupted, use Check / retry receipt. It checks the same request without adding the stock twice, including after a refresh.
• If a box appears to have been received already, check its code, batch, box number and stock history. Continue only for additional physical stock and provide the requested explanation; do not receive the same box again.

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Scan shelf and box barcodes

Use a photo of the whole box label to fill a receipt. The barcode button in the shelf field is for shelf identifiers. It does not look up a supplier box, fill its material or calculate how many sheets it contains.

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Scan a shelf with your phone

1. Select the required storage location first.
2. In Shelf number (optional), tap the barcode icon inside the right edge of the input. Allow camera access if the browser asks.
3. Point the camera at one shelf barcode, such as A-03. Scroll inside the dialog if needed to see the preview and its controls.
4. Check the displayed reading, then tap Use shelf A-03. The camera closes and the value appears in the shelf input. Scanning does not submit the form.
5. Finish checking the receipt and select Receive plates.

The shelf is optional: leave it blank when the location has no shelf identifiers. Changing the receiving location clears the previous shelf, so enter or scan the shelf again for the new location. The same shelf control is available when moving stock, including moves between shelves in the same location.

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Use a handheld scanner or type instead

A USB or Bluetooth scanner configured to act like a keyboard can enter text into the focused field. Click Shelf number, scan the shelf barcode and check the value. You still finish the receipt with Receive plates. To find an existing box, click Search inventory and scan a supplier barcode whose decoded text matches a stored material code, batch or box number. You can also type the printed code. Search does not receive stock, and a barcode is not a guaranteed match if it contains a different identifier or several combined values. Check the label and search its printed material code or box number instead. If camera access is unavailable or the reading is wrong, select Close camera · type instead and enter the shelf number yourself. Check that you are scanning the shelf label rather than a barcode on a box.

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Read the grouped inventory list

One Inventory row represents plates with the same:

• material;
• physical size;
• dimension unit;
• current location; and
• shelf (including no shelf).

Width and height are rotation-independent for grouping. For example, 500 × 700 mm and 700 × 500 mm at the same location and shelf appear in one row. Individual plate IDs are intentionally hidden. The columns have these meanings: Groups are always sorted by Updated, newest first. There is no separate sort control. Pagination starts after grouping and shows up to 50 groups per page.

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Find the stock you need

Click Search inventory above the table and enter one identifying value. Results update as you type; you do not need to submit the search. Search also covers stock notes and, when used stock is included, the associated job name. It ignores letter case and accepts part of a value. Box numbers and shelves are not globally unique: confirm the material, location and receipt details before choosing stock. Internal physical IDs are not searchable. To narrow the results further, open the filter in the Plate, Location or Status column header and select the required values. Active filters appear as removable pills above the table. Clear the search and remove unwanted pills if expected stock is missing. Search, filters and page are kept in the URL, so you can bookmark or share that view with another user who has access. Used records are hidden by default. Open the Status filter and include Used when checking consumed stock. Clear the other statuses for used stock only, or choose Select all to see every status. A handheld scanner in keyboard mode can type a stored code into Search inventory. There is no camera-scanning button in search; use the shelf-field barcode button only when entering a shelf. Selecting grouped rows prepares bulk actions. Selection survives searching, filtering and paging; the bulk bar reports selected plates outside the current view. Check the selection before moving or using stock.

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Split one plate

Splitting represents one real straight cut through one available plate: After confirmation, the source becomes Split and remains in history. Two new child plates become Available at the same location, with the same material, unit, batch reference, and stock notes. The source can no longer be moved, split, or used. The split dialog models one straight cut, not two arbitrary free-form rectangles.

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Move plates

The top of Plate stock always offers Receive plates, Move plates, and Mark plates as used. You can start a move or record use without first selecting a row in the table. For a single plate, open its group’s three-dot menu and choose Move one plate. Only available plates can move. If any plate in a bulk move becomes unavailable before you confirm, no plates in that move are changed.

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Mark plates as used

Use this action to remove plates from available stock because they were sold, used, or found defective. A linked job is not required.

1. Select Mark plates as used at the top of Inventory. Choose stock and Continue, or start with groups already selected in the table.
2. Choose a Reason (required). There is no preselected reason.
3. Review the quantity for each group. Set unwanted groups to zero; one action can include up to 200 plates.
4. Optionally select a Job / production line and add a Note.
5. Select Mark [quantity] plates used to save.

To record just one plate from a group, use its three-dot menu and choose Mark one plate used. The same required reason and optional fields apply. The selection bar’s Mark selected used action uses the same form for multiple groups. All three reasons change the plates to Used, reduce available stock, and save the selected reason in history. They do not create separate Sold or Defect statuses. Used records are hidden by the default status filter; include Used in the filter to find them again. Reserved plates cannot be marked used separately from their CDI gang. A Sold or Defect record linked to a job supplies context and does not satisfy the job’s production quantity. Unlinked use also does not fulfill a job. Linked Used records must meet the production line’s material, location, size, and remaining-quantity requirements; individually tracked plates consume material through a CDI gang. Recording inventory use does not advance the job’s stage. If any selected plate is no longer available when you confirm a bulk action, none of the selected plates are changed.

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Review stock activity

1. Find the stock by material, code, box number or shelf.
2. Click the stock row outside its checkbox and action buttons. Group activity opens on the right.
3. Check the material, dimensions, location and shelf at the top to make sure this is the intended group. Read the events for who changed stock, when, and any recorded note or production-line link.
4. Select Load older events when it appears to see earlier events and additional receipt details.

The log includes receiving, moving, reserving, releasing, splitting and using stock. Transfer entries show the previous and new location, with shelves when recorded. New manual-use entries show Sold, Used or Defect. Older use entries without a recorded reason and CDI consumption show Marked used. The drawer covers the whole current stock group. A box search or status filter in the list does not narrow its history. A group can include several receipts, so match the material code and box number in the receipt details. If stock moved, search its new location or shelf. If it was used, include Used in the status filter to find it again.

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Check the original box label

Under Received label details, expand the relevant receipt, such as DEMO-P170 · Box number 0028. Check its received Quantity, printed Sheets in a full box, batch, material code, box number and Use after. The received quantity is the original receipt amount; use the stock list to check what is currently available. Original location and Original shelf show where this receipt first entered stock, even after a move. If a duplicate-box override was used, its explanation appears here too. If a photo was saved, select Open label photo to show it in the drawer. Select the image to open it larger in another tab. Manual and older receipts may have no photo or optional label details. Cuts retain their original receipt and photo, so you can check where the remaining pieces came from.

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Work on a phone or tablet

The same three top actions and row menus are available on smaller screens. In move and use forms, the destination or required reason appears before the quantity list. Scroll inside the dialog to review a longer selection and its optional fields; the action buttons stay visible at the bottom. In receiving, Back returns to the method choice and Receive plates saves the checked form. Submitting a use action without a required reason focuses the reason field so you can complete it. On phones, the first step uses large action rows. Both step labels remain visible while you review the form. Use the X at the top right to close it.

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Reserve and consume a CDI sheet

The CDI workspace uses one actual inventory sheet per gang. Creating a draft changes that sheet from Available to Reserved. It is excluded from available stock and cannot be moved, split, used separately, or reserved for another gang. Cancelling a draft or queued gang requires a comment and releases the sheet back to Available. Remove queued work from Esko before cancelling it in Flexoworks; cancellation is unavailable after imaging completion. Send to queue locks the layout and keeps the sheet reserved. When the terminal team selects Finish imaging, Flexoworks changes it to Used and records the gang, operator, and time. One used sheet can therefore contain several individual plates from different jobs. It remains in stock history and cannot be reused. Linking stock with reason Used to a production line remains available for eligible legacy work. It requires matching material, location, and buffered dimensions and does not advance a job. Sold and Defect can reference a matching line for context. Unlinked manual use does not fulfill a job. Individually tracked work consumes stock through its CDI gang.

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What a job shows when material is unavailable

Job details include a Material availability card for every Printing plate production line. It first accounts for plates already assigned to gangs or covered by stock use, then checks Available stock of the selected material at the job’s location. A plate counts only when its dimensions can contain the production line’s size plus its effective buffer; a 90-degree rotation is allowed. The same physical plate is never counted twice across the job’s production lines. If fitting stock exists elsewhere, the card names those locations and shows Transfer required. A local area total can be greater than zero while the status is still Out of stock when every local plate is too small.