Custom Order Management Software: 4 Solutions for Frame Stores

Custom orders are the core of your frame shop services. Customers have a unique vision: specific dimensions, colors, materials, matting, glazing, and mounting. One mistake, and that vision falls apart — along with your reputation.

When juggling orders across sticky notes, emails, and phone calls, details can easily slip through the cracks. This leads to delays, disappointed customers, and lost sales.

If you’re still relying on handwritten forms or spreadsheets, it’s time to upgrade. Discover how custom order management software can simplify your workflow, reduce errors, and help you deliver exactly what your clients want — every single time.

Key Features To Consider in Framing Software

The right framing shop software should keep everything easy — from tracking sales and inventory to handling detailed custom orders. When choosing a framing software, look for a solution that allows you to:

• Manage custom work orders: Choose a platform tailored for framing businesses, with built-in tools to manage frame dimensions, mat and moulding options, and special requests.

• Keep track of your inventory: Simplify inventory management with software that tracks every material, color, and texture your shop carries.

• Access vendor catalogs: Order new matting, mouldings, and materials right from the interface of your custom order management software. Your supplier catalog is built in for faster, easier reordering.

• Display visual mockups: Replace physical mockups with a visualizer that lets customers see their custom design in real time, saving you time and materials.

• Use your point of sale (POS): Run your entire frame shop with custom order management tools that also serve as full-featured POS systems. Look for a system that lets you process payments, custom orders, invoices, and deposits — all in one place.

• Look for customer relationship management (CRM) tools: Build lasting customer relationships using CRM features that track past orders, remember preferences, and keep your most loyal clients coming back.

• Get data reports and analytics: Measure your shop’s success with reporting tools that translate data into insights, so you know exactly what’s moving and making money.

Choose software that supports your workflow, not one that slows you down. The right features help you stay organized, wow your customers, and free up time to focus on custom orders.

Top 4 Custom Order Management Software Solutions for Frame Stores

Once you know what to look for, explore these four top software tools designed for frame shops to see how they can help you process custom orders faster and with fewer errors.

1. LifeSaver POS

LifeSaver POS is an all-in-one, cloud-based point of sale system for picture framing businesses. Access a full suite of tools to manage your business, including custom orders, visual previews, quoting, and real-time inventory control.

Key features:

• Create and manage custom work orders: Enter your client’s artwork details, frame description, materials, and preferences into its custom work order interface. LifeSaver POS assigns each order to the appropriate customer automatically, making it easy to find them whenever needed.
• Showcase your custom designs: Display virtual mockups with FrameVue, an advanced virtual frame visualizer built into LifeSaver POS. Choose from thousands of mouldings and materials, or upload your own to FrameVue’s library, then show your customers accurate models of their custom designs.
• Order materials from leading vendors: Order new custom frame materials with built-in vendor integrations from leading suppliers like CMI, Bella Moulding, Roma Moulding, Don Mar, Nielsen, Larson-Juhl, and Fotiou. All quotes and pricing are updated in real time, meaning you never need to disappoint a customer with last-minute price updates.

LifeSaver POS is the best choice for framing stores and custom frame businesses that need a complete software solution. Manage your frame shop’s operations from any of your favorite devices, including desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones.

2. FrameReady

FrameReady is POS and custom order management software built on the FileMaker Pro database system. Its features are tailored to framers, art galleries, and other art industry businesses.

Key features:

• Make detailed work orders: Create highly detailed custom work orders with multiple tabs for details and information. You can even upload a customer’s personal notes and sketches to document every project as precisely as possible.
• Sell to other frame shops with wholesale pricing: Accept wholesale pricing orders, with separate invoicing from your standard retail operations. It’s a great solution if your framing business deals with other, smaller frame shops.
• Cut matting from your management software: Connect and use your mat cutting equipment with FrameReady through its integration with Gunnar Mat Designer.

FrameReady is an excellent fit for business owners who want a fully customizable solution. It’s most suitable for advanced users who are comfortable working with database systems.

3. shopVOX

shopVOX is a custom order management software solution for small and medium businesses (SMBs). It’s designed for organizations across various industries, including frame shops.

Key features:

• Track jobs, quotes, and job progress: Generate accurate quotes, track ongoing custom orders, and facilitate customer approval through online proofing. 
• Customize job boards to your liking: Tailor the program’s job boards to your preferences so you don’t need to slow down. shopVOX will adapt to your workflow no matter how you manage custom orders.
• Manage your frame shop’s books: Integrate shopVOX with popular accounting software like Xero or QuickBooks, eliminating the need to manually enter invoice and payment data.

shopVOX is ideal for frame shops that also offer printing or signage. It began as a platform for sign shops and screen printers, but now supports various custom manufacturing needs, including framing.

4. SpecialtySoft

For almost 30 years, SpecialtySoft has helped framing businesses manage sales, inventory, and custom orders, making it one of the industry’s most established tools.

Key features:

• Customize your pricing and discount structures: Tailor your pricing strategy with flexible tools that work for any shop size. Create retail, wholesale, or custom job tiers, and automate discounts by customer type or order volume.
• Use software that understands framing: Manage your orders with software designed by framing experts who understand your workflow. Use the order management system to track mouldings, mats, and supplies using familiar, shop-ready terms.
• Create detailed customer profiles: Log every order automatically to build complete customer profiles. Track pricing, materials, and notes without extra data entry.

SpecialtySoft is a custom order management software solution mainly intended for already established professional framers. It focuses on point of sale and order management features.

Stay Organized and In Control With the Right POS Solution

Choosing the right custom order management software for your frame shop isn’t always easy, especially without clear guidance.

If you’re looking for a tool that combines proficiency with simplicity, Lifesaver POS is worth a look. It’s packed with features and designed for ease of use — perfect for managing custom frame orders from start to finish.

Start your free trial today to see how Lifesaver POS makes managing your shop’s processes easier and more convenient.