Looking for a MultiPress alternative?
MultiPress is a strong Print MIS for graphic businesses, but what if you want to connect print to CRM, customer portals, client integrations, finance and custom work? Here are the best alternatives side by side: from specialised Print MIS packages to a broad open platform.
Odoo Gold Partner · Amsterdam · experienced with graphic businesses and custom portals
What is the best alternative to MultiPress?
That varies from situation to situation. If you mainly want deep print functionality - quoting, prepress, workflow, press planning - you stay in the Print MIS world with another specialist package. If you want to connect print to the whole business - CRM, customer portals, client integrations, eCommerce, stock, finance, service and custom work - Odoo is usually the strongest alternative, with Updoo building blocks for the print-specific parts.
The best MultiPress alternatives, honestly scored
Full disclosure: as an Odoo partner we are not neutral. But honestly: for pure print depth a specialised Print MIS can be stronger. The difference is whether you want to connect print to the rest of the business. (Specialist names and scores: we welcome your check on the graphic market.)
| Alternative | Type | Print depth | Breadth (CRM / portal / finance) | Open & extensible | Cloud & modern | Short verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OdooTop pick | Broad open platform | Via configuration & Updoo | Native and strong | Open source | Browser-first | Best if you want to connect print to the whole business |
| Prindustry | Print platform / MIS | Strong (print chain) | Limited | Closed | Cloud | Dutch print-management platform; strong in the print chain |
| Tharstern | Print MIS | Strong | Limited | Closed | Cloud / on-prem | International Print MIS with deep print workflow |
| EFI (Printsmith / Pace) | Print MIS | Strong | Limited | Closed | Cloud / on-prem | Established Print MIS, mainly larger printers |
Which option suits whom?
Briefly per option, so you can cut the list down faster:
Odoo
Strongest if you want to connect print to the rest of the business: CRM, customer portals, client integrations, eCommerce, stock, finance and service on one open, browser-first platform. For the print-specific parts (quoting, web-to-print, prepress integration) we build Updoo blocks on top of standard Odoo - without locking you into a closed ecosystem.
Prindustry
A Dutch print-management platform, strong in the print chain and ordering portals for the graphic sector. Logical if you want to stay close to the print world; beyond print (CRM, finance, broad custom) narrower and more closed.
Tharstern
An international Print MIS with deep production and workflow functionality. Strong if print depth is your core; company-wide coherence and open custom work weigh less.
EFI (Printsmith / Pace)
An established Print MIS, often at larger printers. Deep in print production, but a closed ecosystem; connecting to a broader digital business is less obvious.
What MultiPress does, and where you find it in Odoo
MultiPress revolves around the print chain. Here is how each area maps to Odoo:
| In MultiPress | In Odoo |
|---|---|
| Print quoting & calculation | Sales with a product configurator (Updoo) and cost build-up |
| Order management | Sales and Manufacturing on one order |
| Prepress & workflow | Routings (MRP) and integrations with prepress tools |
| Production planning | Manufacturing (MRP), work orders and planning |
| Web-to-print | Native Website & eCommerce, as part of the portal |
| Customer portal | Portal, broader than web-to-print: orders, invoices, service, approvals |
| Stock | Multi-warehouse, reservations, lot tracking |
| CRM & sales | Native CRM and Sales, where a Print MIS is thin |
| Invoicing & finance | Native Accounting on one ledger |
Why graphic businesses look for a MultiPress alternative
MultiPress is strong in the print chain: quoting, order management, prepress, workflow and production planning. The pain is usually beyond print: a broader customer portal (more than web-to-print), integrations with clients’ systems, CRM, finance and custom processes. Then a second system often runs alongside, or you hit the limits of a closed Print MIS ecosystem.
Print MIS or platform? The honest trade-off
This is the heart of it, and we are honest about it. MultiPress and other Print MIS packages are deep print specialists. If you mainly want to automate your print production - quoting, prepress, press planning, finishing - a Print MIS can be deeper than a broad platform. Odoo wins the moment you want to connect print to the rest of the business: one data model from quote to order to invoice, with CRM, customer portal, eCommerce, finance and service native alongside. So the question is not which is better, but: do you want the best print software, or one platform for the digital business around print?
Where Odoo matches the specialist: Updoo and the portal
The misconception is that a broad platform misses the print depth. For the parts where standard Odoo stops, we build Updoo blocks: a product configurator for quoting, web-to-print as part of a broader customer portal, and integrations with prepress and client systems via API. The difference with a closed Print MIS: it is open source, you can read the code, extend it deliberately, and switch partners without switching platform.
How to choose
Three rules of thumb. One: if your pain is purely print quoting, prepress and press planning and you want to stay in the Print MIS world, specialist packages are the logical candidates. Two: if you want to connect print to CRM, customer portals, client integrations, finance and custom work on one open platform, Odoo is usually the strongest choice, with Updoo for the print-specific parts. Three: unsure? Start with a fit-gap that tests what is genuinely print-specific and what is company-wide.
Curious about realistic hours, cost and timelines? See the Odoo implementation benchmark →
Frequently asked questions about MultiPress alternatives
Is Odoo a good alternative to MultiPress?
For graphic businesses that want to connect print to the whole business - CRM, customer portals, client integrations, eCommerce, stock, finance and service - Odoo is usually the strongest alternative. For the print-specific parts we use Updoo building blocks on top of standard Odoo.
What are the best MultiPress alternatives?
If you want to stay in the Print MIS world, specialist packages such as Prindustry, Tharstern or EFI are the logical options. If you want a broad open platform that connects print to the rest of the business, Odoo is usually the strongest choice.
Can Odoo handle print quoting and web-to-print?
Standard Odoo covers manufacturing, stock, sales, portal and finance. For print-specific parts like quoting, web-to-print and prepress integration we put Updoo blocks on top of Odoo - open and extensible, not in a closed ecosystem. How complex your quoting is, you test in a fit-gap.
Is a portal in Odoo more than web-to-print?
Yes. Web-to-print is usually about ordering or configuring print products. The Odoo portal can be broader: tracking orders, seeing invoices and documents, raising service requests, running approval flows and consulting reports - and integrating with clients’ systems.
How long does switching from MultiPress take?
A well-scoped implementation takes weeks to a few months, depending on scope and customisation. We start with a fit-gap and a data plan; quoting, web-to-print, portals and integrations are planned in explicitly.
Connect print to the whole business?
We are happy to think along about which alternative fits your graphic business - even if that is a specialised Print MIS rather than Odoo. Honest about where a specialist goes deeper, and where a platform wins.