Print & Promotional Materials
A standardized process for requesting, approving, ordering, paying for, and receiving printed and branded items across SGA Dental Partners — designed to keep The Studio out of routine ordering and invoice administration.
Why this SOP exists
Establish a standardized process for requesting, approving, ordering, paying for, and receiving business cards, printed materials, signage, swag, and other promotional items across SGA Dental Partners — with a hard guardrail that The Studio touches ≤10% of orders.
What this SOP fixes
Clear ownership at every step — from the practice request through vendor payment — so The Studio does not become the default intermediary for ordering, invoicing, shipping, or inventory. Every step below either removes a Studio touch or explains why one is required.
Who owns what
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Office Manager | Places the order, confirms shipping address, reviews order details, manages delivery, resolves vendor issues. |
| ROD / Practice Approver | Approves the location-level expense in Ottimate. Approves business purpose + budget for swag and unusual items before a Studio ticket is opened. |
| The Studio | Creates and approves production-ready artwork. Nothing else — no ordering, no invoicing, no shipping, no inventory. |
| Growth Manager | Coordinates artwork approval with the practice. Serves as the escalation contact for OMs on non-artwork questions. |
| Accounts Payable | Processes the invoice, applies coding, routes through Ottimate per approval policy. |
| Vendor | Produces and ships materials; submits a compliant invoice directly to AP. |
What The Studio does not do
The Studio is a creative partner — not the operations, finance, or fulfillment desk for print orders.
- Place routine orders
- Approve location-level expenses
- Reconcile invoices
- Track shipments
- Manage physical inventory
- Serve as the default approval intermediary
- Replace Sharley as the MPrints approval gate
- Maintain an invoice tracker
The one Studio exception
The Studio steps in only when the problem is caused by artwork we supplied. Shipping, fulfillment, payment, and inventory issues remain with the practice and vendor.
MPrints and Quality Printing — two lanes, one flow
Both vendors stay. They do different jobs. Consolidation is not the bottleneck — Studio touchpoints are.
| Capability | MPrints (shopsgadental.com) | Quality Printing |
|---|---|---|
| Primary role | Storefront for swag, apparel, promo | Print production for BCs, referral pads, flyers, signage |
| Platform | Shopify + EasyLockdown (per-location visibility) | Account rep + email order desk |
| Locked templates | Yes — via EasyLockdown tags | Yes — files on file per practice |
| Self-service reorder (no Studio) | Yes | Yes |
| Direct-to-AP invoicing | Confirm by 9/1 | Confirm by 9/1 |
| Cost-center capture at checkout | Needs Paylocity Code field added | On invoice per practice |
| Coordinates with the other | Escalates variable-data print to QP | Sends promo/apparel to MPrints |
Sharley's approval role is retired
EasyLockdown tags are the control. GP practices see only what they're approved to order. Escalations go to the Growth Manager, not The Studio.
Where do I order? — the whole SOP in one page
Submit the request
Who submits & when
The Office Manager submits a Marketing Request Form for any new or revised item, including:
- Business cards
- Flyers, brochures, postcards, and referral pads
- Banners and signage
- Apparel, swag, and promotional products
- Any item requiring new artwork or changes to an approved design
Reorder shortcut
A reorder that does not require artwork changes may be placed directly through the approved vendor storefront — no request form needed.
Required fields on the request
- Practice and location (Paylocity Code)
- Requester's name
- Item and intended use
- Quantity
- Needed-by date
- Correct shipping address
- Preferred vendor
- Vendor product link and production specifications, when applicable
- ROD approval for swag, unusual items, large quantities, or unbudgeted purchases
Create and approve the artwork
The Studio builds the file
Retrieves, updates, or creates the required artwork.
OM supplies vendor specs
For nonstandard products, the Office Manager provides dimensions, bleed, file format, resolution, color, and any vendor template.
Status → Pending Approval
The Studio flips the task status when the artwork is ready for review.
Growth Manager coordinates approval
Reviews the file and routes to Office Manager, doctor, or ROD as required.
The Studio releases final file
Provides the production-ready file plus recommended print specifications.
Handoff complete
The practice now has everything needed to place the order — Studio task closes.
Place the order
The Office Manager places the order directly with an approved vendor — MPrints for swag/apparel/promo, Quality Printing for variable-data print.
Verify before submitting
- Practice and provider information
- Item and quantity
- Final proof
- Shipping address
- Requested delivery date
- Estimated cost
- Paylocity Code (checkout field on MPrints)
- Required budget approval, if applicable
Order accuracy is on the placer
The person placing the order is responsible for correcting order-entry or shipping-address errors and communicating directly with the vendor.
Approved vendors
MPrints · Quality Printing · plus other approved storefronts for reorders. SGA West grandfathered vendors OK through 12/31.
Invoice submission & approval
Quality Printing, MPrints, and other approved vendors submit invoices directly to Accounts Payable.
Accounts Payable will
- Enter the invoice into Ottimate
- Code the expense to the correct practice and GL
- Route to the designated ROD, Office Manager, or practice owner per the approval policy
- Hold the invoice from payment until all required approvals are complete
Ottimate policies are configured so approvers only receive invoices for practices they oversee.
Standard process
Office Manager
Places and verifies the order.
ROD / Practice Approver
Approves the expense in Ottimate.
Accounts Payable
Processes payment after approval.
The Studio
Not a routine invoice approver — only when a specific policy requires review of a vendor, GL, or centrally funded project.
Interim invoice process
Until Ottimate is active for all SGA divisions, vendors may send invoices to AP for manual distribution to the appropriate ROD or practice approver.
AP obtains approvals
AP will obtain the required approval before processing payment.
The Studio is not a tracker
The Studio should not maintain a separate invoice tracker or serve as the default approval intermediary during this period.
Invoice requirements
Each invoice must include
- Vendor name
- Remit-to address
- Total amount due
- Practice / location receiving the materials (Paylocity Code)
- Ship-to address
- Item description and quantity
- Any information needed to split the expense among multiple locations or GL accounts
Coding & splits
Single GL
If the entire invoice is coded to the same GL, additional GL instructions are not required.
Split invoices
If an invoice must be divided — e.g. Office Supplies, Advertising, Technology — the allocation must be shown on the invoice or in supporting documentation. AP does not calculate splits.
New vendors
Must provide a completed W-9 before payment.
Expense coding
Routine print materials for both SGA East and SGA West code to Office Supplies.
Non-routine
Anything that should code elsewhere (e.g. Advertising, Technology, Campaign) must be flagged on the invoice or in supporting documentation.
Vendor payment
Check
Standard payment method.
ACH
Vendors receive an enrollment invitation from AP; banking info entered through the approved process.
Virtual credit card
Available where supported by the vendor.
Practices without corporate purchasing cards
This invoice-based workflow applies to practices without corporate purchasing cards — including applicable Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama locations. A location credit card is not required to order approved printed materials.
Shipping & delivery
Shipping notifications should go directly to the ordering Office Manager or receiving practice whenever the vendor supports this option.
Office Manager owns
- Confirming the shipping address before ordering
- Monitoring shipment notifications
- Confirming receipt
- Locating materials after delivery
- Reporting damaged, incorrect, or missing shipments to the vendor
When The Studio steps in
Only when an issue is caused by the supplied artwork.
Not The Studio's issue
Shipping, fulfillment, payment, and inventory issues remain with the practice and vendor.
Swag & promotional products
ROD approval required first — for
- Business purpose
- Vendor
- Quantity
- Estimated cost
- Budget availability
Reminder
A lack of a practice credit card does not move ordering or invoice-management responsibility to The Studio.
After approval — sequence
Office Manager
Submits the Marketing Request Form with product link + specs.
The Studio
Creates the artwork.
Growth Manager
Coordinates proof approval.
Office Manager
Places the order via MPrints.
Vendor
Invoices AP directly.
Ottimate
Routes the invoice to the appropriate approver.
Task completion
The Growth Manager marks the marketing task complete once all three of the following are true:
Artwork approved
All required approvals collected.
Production-ready file delivered
Final file + recommended print specs handed off.
Ordering instructions delivered
Practice has what it needs to place the order.
The task does NOT stay open through
Printing · shipping · invoice approval · delivery. Those are operational and financial workflows owned by the practice, AP, and the vendor.
Information needed for Ottimate setup
Before launch, the implementation owner (Mike — The Studio) provides AP with the following:
- Approved vendor list
- Current ROD and practice-owner list
- Office Manager approvers, if applicable
- Location-to-approver mapping (Paylocity Code)
- Default Office Supplies GL
- Exceptions requiring Advertising or another GL
- Dollar threshold requiring second approver
- Any centrally funded vendors or projects that still require Studio approval
The 5 decisions needed from Nathan, Matt, Brendan
1 · Ottimate $ threshold for second approver
Below $X: ROD auto-approves in Ottimate. Above $X: requires second signature.
2 · Who inherits Sharley's MPrints approval role?
Recommend nobody — GP practices become self-serve via EasyLockdown tags. The storefront IS the control. Escalations go to the Growth Manager.
3 · Do OMs forward invoices, or do vendors email AP directly?
SOP already says direct-to-AP. Confirm both QP (Bethany/April) and MPrints comply by 9/1.
4 · Cost-center capture on MPrints checkout
Add a required Paylocity Code field at Shopify checkout (~half day of vendor work). Without this, AP has to look up every order.
5 · SGA West vendor sprawl — grandfather or force-migrate?
Existing West vendors keep working, or force everything to MPrints/QP by a set date.
30-day action list — before 9/1 go-live
| # | Action | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm QP (Bethany/April) will send invoices direct to AP with Paylocity Code + ship-to on every invoice, effective 9/1 | Mike — The Studio |
| 2 | Confirm MPrints will send invoices direct to AP with Paylocity Code, effective 9/1 | Mike — The Studio |
| 3 | Add "Paylocity Code" as required checkout field on shopsgadental.com (Shopify custom field) | Mike → MPrints |
| 4 | Set Ottimate approval policy: default = ROD for the practice on the invoice; $ threshold for second approver TBD | Finance / AP + Nathan |
| 5 | Decide + document Ottimate $ threshold for second approver | Nathan, Matt, Brendan |
| 6 | Retire Sharley's MPrints approval role; publish "storefront IS the control" to OMs | Mike — The Studio |
| 7 | Audit EasyLockdown tags on MPrints — every GP practice sees only items they're approved to order | Mike → MPrints |
| 8 | Publish this v2 deck as the new print SOP; retire regional variants | Mike — The Studio |
| 9 | Send OM comms: "Where do I order?" + "The Studio is not the invoice desk" | Mike → RODs → OMs |
| 10 | Set 30-day escalation review: count orders that The Studio was pulled into that shouldn't have been | Mike — The Studio |
| 11 | SGA West grandfather policy: existing West vendors OK through 12/31; new orders MPrints/QP only | Nathan / Matt / Brendan |
| 12 | Interim (pre-9/1): vendors email AP; AP routes manually to ROD. The Studio does NOT maintain a tracker. | AP + Mike |
Local verification. Location approval. AP payment.
The Office Manager places and verifies the order · the ROD or designated practice owner approves the expense · AP processes payment through Ottimate.
Why this works
Preserves local verification without making The Studio responsible for practice spending or invoice administration. Studio touches only artwork — nothing else.