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Quotation PDF Workshop

The Quotation PDF export lets you produce a polished, client-facing pricing document straight from your optimized cut list. It shows an itemized breakdown of materials, an optional cutting charge, tax, and a grand total — all under your company branding.

A typical use case: a joiner has just finished planning a kitchen job in CutOptim. Before raising the final invoice they want to send the homeowner a clear PDF showing exactly what material is being used and what it will cost. With a single click they can export a branded quotation, ready to email.

Prerequisites

Before exporting a quotation, make sure the following are in place:

Feature Type Description
Workshop subscription required Quotation PDF is available on the Workshop tier only.
Show price columns enabled required Enable in Settings → **Show price columns**. This reveals the price column in the Stock and Parts tables. Requires Pro or Workshop.
Unit prices entered required Enter a unit price per sheet or piece in the Stock and/or Parts tables. Without prices the totals will be zero.
Quotation details at export Customer, tax rate, validity, cutting charge, labour and margin are asked for in a short form when you export — nothing to set up in advance.
Optimization run required A quotation is generated from the current optimization result. Run the optimizer before exporting.

Step 1: Fill in the quotation details

There is nothing to configure in advance. When you choose Quotation PDF, CutOptim opens a short form and builds the file from what you type there. Every field is optional — leave one at zero and its line simply does not appear on the quotation.

Feature Type Description
Bill to — name text The customer this quotation is for. Printed as a customer block opposite your own company details.
Bill to — address text Customer address, one line per row. Printed under the customer name.
Tax rate (%) number Percentage applied to the net total. For example 27 (Hungarian VAT), 20 (UK VAT), 0 (tax-exempt). Printed as 'VAT X%'.
Validity (days) number Days from the export date that the offer stands; the 'Valid until' date is calculated for you. Default 30. Set 0 to omit the date.
Include cutting charges boolean When ticked, a cutting line is added: your per-cut rate multiplied by the number of cuts in the current result.
Cutting charge / cut number The amount charged per cut — for example 0.50 for €0.50 a cut.
Labour / setup number A flat amount added once for setup, handling or delivery. Appears as its own line.
Margin (%) number Markup applied to material + cutting + labour, shown as a separate line before tax.

Your rates are remembered on this device — tax, validity, cutting rate, labour and margin come back pre-filled next time, as does the last customer you typed. Change what differs for this client and export.

Step 2: Enter Unit Prices

Unit prices come from the price columns in the Stock and Parts tables.

  1. Go to Advanced Settings and tick Show price columns.
  2. A Price column appears in both the Stock table (per sheet) and the Parts table (per piece).
  3. Enter the price you pay — or charge — for each material or part.

These prices feed directly into the quotation’s itemized table.

To include client-specific information such as a client name or project number on the quotation, add those as custom text fields. See the Custom Fields article for setup instructions.

Step 3: Export the Quotation

  1. 1

    Run the optimizer

    Generate a cut plan for the project you are quoting.

  2. 2

    Open the Actions menu

    It sits in the top bar, next to Downloads.

  3. 3

    Choose Quotation PDF

    The details form opens instead of building the file straight away.

  4. 4

    Fill in the details

    Customer, tax rate, validity, and any cutting, labour or margin charges — then click Generate quotation.

  5. 5

    Review the preview

    Check that prices, tax and your company details are right before you send it.

  6. 6

    Download the PDF

    Click Download PDF to save the file.

Example quotation PDF showing company logo, project details, itemized material table, and grand total
A quotation export with company branding, itemized materials, and tax breakdown.

What the Quotation Includes

Every exported quotation PDF contains the following sections:

  • Company header — logo, company name, and slogan from your Company Branding settings
  • Your contact block — address, phone, email and registration number, printed on the left
  • Quote number and date — an automatic Q-YYYYMM-nnn reference and the export date
  • Valid until — the export date plus the validity you entered (omitted if you set 0 days)
  • Bill to — the customer name and address you typed, printed opposite your own details
  • Custom field values — project number or any other custom fields you have configured
  • Itemized material table — one row per material: description, quantity, unit price, and line total
  • Cutting charge (if entered) — the number of cuts in the result multiplied by your per-cut rate
  • Labour / setup (if entered) — the flat amount, on its own line
  • Margin (if entered) — the markup percentage applied to material + cutting + labour
  • Tax — shown as “VAT X%” at the rate you entered
  • Grand total — every line above added together

Each charge is a separate line, so the figures on the page always add up to the total the client sees.

Cutting Charges

If you charge clients for the cutting labour itself — as many trade shops and panel processors do — tick Include cutting charges in the export form and set a rate per cut.

CutOptim counts the total number of cuts from the optimization result and multiplies by your rate.

Example: 120 cuts × €0.50 = €60.00 cutting charge

This line appears separately in the PDF above the subtotal, so clients can see the material cost and the cutting cost at a glance.

Important Notes

This is not a legally binding invoice. The Quotation PDF is a client-facing pricing document only. For official invoicing, export your project data as CSV and process it in your accounting software.

The quotation uses the currency configured in your Settings. If you need to produce a quotation in a different currency, update the currency setting before exporting. Supported currencies: EUR, USD, GBP, HUF, RON, PLN, CZK, CHF.

FAQ

Do I need both Pro and Workshop to use Quotation PDF?
Quotation PDF is a Workshop-tier feature. Workshop includes all Pro features, so a Workshop subscription is all you need — you do not need a separate Pro subscription.
How do I add material prices to the quotation?
Go to Advanced Settings and tick **Show price columns**. This adds a price column to the Stock and Parts tables where you can enter a unit price per sheet or piece. Those prices are then picked up when you export the quotation.
How do I change the tax rate?
Choosing Quotation PDF opens a short form before the file is built. Set Tax rate to the percentage you need — 27 for Hungarian VAT, 20 for UK VAT — and it is applied to the total. The value is remembered for your next quotation on the same device.
Where do I enter the customer's name and address?
In the same form, under Bill to. The name and address are printed as a customer block on the quotation, opposite your own company details. Both are optional, and the last customer you typed is filled in again next time.
How long is a quotation valid?
You set that per quotation with the Validity (days) field. CutOptim prints a 'Valid until' date counted from the day you export; 30 days is the default. Set it to 0 to leave the date off entirely.
Can I add labour and a margin on top of the material?
Yes. The form takes a per-cut cutting charge, a flat labour/setup amount, and a margin percentage. Each one that is not zero appears as its own line, so the client sees material, labour and margin separately rather than one opaque number.
Is the Quotation PDF a legal invoice?
No. The PDF is a client-facing pricing document, not a legally binding invoice. For official invoicing, export your project data as CSV and import it into your accounting software.

Last updated: July 17, 2026