PrintSmith
MandatoryAgreement or it will expire, and you will not receive a refund of the payment. MIS System $15,0004, 6 Due one week prior This is the initial license fee for the PrintSmith Vision (PrintSmith® Vision)
From the filings
+0.881% units YoYHQ-led decisions
AlphaGraphics
Retail non foodSoftware purchasing at AlphaGraphics is driven by a mandated tech stack controlled at the franchisor level, with 229 franchised locations all operating under the same core systems. The brand runs on agXsell, EFI PrintSmith Vision, and Print Speak CRM, leaving narrow openings for complementary tools. For a vendor, the addressable market is 229 units concentrated in Texas, Georgia, and Utah, with a single-operator ownership structure that simplifies outreach.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
229
229 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+0.881%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.52M
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
7%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2.5%
national + local
Initial fee
$50K
per unit
Investment range
$298K–$384K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
9.5%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
3 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
PrintSmith Vision
Mandatoryument | 2026 Page 24 110487255.1 may continue to use this software temporarily for up to 6 months from opening of your Franchised Business Center, at which time you must switch to PrintSmith Vision Sa
QuickBooks
Mandatorys Center (One-Time) Pathway or upon conversion to our current designated agOnline System at a later time if permitted. Accounting $900 per year Upon opening Franchised This is for QuickBooks Online Es
CareerPlug
tain additional PCI DSS services (additional $96 annual fee); agOnline to MIS Integration ($1,848.60 annual fee); optional ShipLeap shipping software ($1,255 annual fee); optional CareerPlug applicant
Google Ads
ny Mark as part of any domain name, electronic address, digital address, user name, search engine, listing or online marketing, including but not limited to metatags, keywords and Google Ads that you
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 6 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You must use any accounting and/or recordkeeping software we designate periodically.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We will have the ability to access independently all of the computer files and programs you will use, including artwork files, customer information and National Program information, as well as all electronic and digital communications.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You must complete and grant us access to the following financial information, reports and/or information: (i) on or before the fifth (5th) business day of each calendar month following the effective date of this Agreement, a statement of the Franchised Business Center’s Gross Sales for the immediately preceding…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We currently are the only approved website hosting services provider for our corporate website and all franchisee websites that exist under the AlphaGraphics.com domain.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
We currently have one advisory council, called the Network Leadership Council (“NLC”) that provides us with ongoing policy and support program feedback and guidance, periodic updates of network strategy and action plans, input on marketing programs and materials, and reviews certain advertising creative work.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
We may change, modify or add to the MIS System or the software we require, and you must comply with any such changes, modifications or additions at your expense.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
840370Item 8
During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, our affiliate Print Speak’s revenues from its sales or leases to AlphaGraphics franchisees was $840,370, and no other affiliate of ours derived revenue, rebates, or other material benefit from required purchases or leases of products and services by franchisees.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We may receive marketing fees, which we use in whole or in part to cover our costs associated with helping vendors increase customer satisfaction and for our general purposes, from certain vendors for supporting their products and services.
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
5Item 8
We estimate that approximately 50% of purchases required to open your Franchised Business Center and 5% of purchases required to operate your Franchised Business Center will be from us or from other approved suppliers and in accordance with our specifications.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you desire to have a non-approved supplier of a product or service designated as an approved supplier, you must first notify us in writing and provide sufficient information, specifications and samples concerning the products, services, equipment, supplies or materials to permit us to determine whether they comply…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
You acknowledge that we have the sole right to and interest in all telephone numbers and directory listings associated with the Marks, and you authorize us, and appoint us as your attorney-in-fact, to direct the telephone company and all listing agencies to transfer such numbers and listings to us.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must participate in our designated Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) compliance program and comply with all applicable data security standards.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
To determine whether you are complying with this Agreement, we may, at any time during business hours and without prior Notice to you, inspect the Franchised Business Center.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 16
We can change these particular Systems Standards and the Operations Manual and there are no limits on our right to do so.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
We must consent to the site in writing.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree not to establish a website or permit any other party to establish a website that relates in any manner to your Franchised Business Center or referring to the Marks, except as we may designate or approve in writing.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesFranchise agreement
Once the digital marketing component of your Opening/Reopening Performance Package is complete (six months after your Franchised Business Center opening), you must spend a minimum of $850 per month on local digital advertising services through a digital marketing agency we designate or approve (“Local Advertising…
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
You must participate in, support and contribute a proportionate share, but no more than an amount equal to 1% of the Gross Sales for the Franchised Business Center, of the cost of regional cooperative advertising programs we either designate or which we approve if initiated by AlphaGraphics franchisees in your region.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase and use only those brands and types of equipment, fixtures, furnishings, products, materials, signs and supplies we approve and must purchase these items only from suppliers we approve.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase and use only those brands and types of equipment, fixtures, furnishings, products, materials, signs and supplies we approve and must purchase these items only from suppliers we approve.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
You must participate in the electronic funds transfer program under which we automatically deduct the amounts you owe us from the account you designate.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have the ability to access independently all of the computer files and programs you will use, including artwork files, customer information and National Program information, as well as all electronic and digital communications.
Sales and CRM
Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You will license and use the customer management software, applications, data storage and communications system that we designate or its successor program (the “CRM System”).
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may charge you a reasonable fee for the additional and refresher training programs.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
Except under certain circumstances, you must attend, at your expense, each network conference we may hold or sponsor.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?Item 8
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Item 8
- Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at AlphaGraphics
AlphaGraphics operates 229 franchised locations, all single-operator units, with no company-owned stores disclosed in the 2026 FDD. The brand’s average unit volume sits at $1,523,124, and the royalty rate is 7.0% on a 10-year initial term. Year-over-year unit growth is modest at 0.881%, meaning the installed base is stable rather than rapidly expanding. For a software vendor, the opportunity lies in displacing or integrating with a tightly mandated tech stack across a concentrated footprint — Texas alone holds 33 units, followed by Georgia (10), Utah (9), Illinois (7), and North Carolina (6). The operator base is entirely single-unit, with 158 mapped operators across roughly 158 located units. No multi-unit franchisees exist in the system, so every purchasing decision flows through the franchisor or is heavily influenced by HQ mandates.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2026 FDD names five executives in Item 1. Ryan Farris, President and Chief Operating Officer, is the most likely operational decision-maker for technology mandates. Erica Blair, Vice President of Marketing, likely owns the CRM and customer-facing tool decisions. Paolo Fiorelli (CEO) and Samuele Spaccia (Vice President) sit on the Board of Directors, while William “Bill” McPherson leads franchise development. Because every unit is franchised and no multi-unit operators exist, franchisees have little autonomy to deviate from the mandated stack. A vendor’s path runs through the HQ team in Colorado, not through individual operators.
Mandated and current tech stack
AlphaGraphics mandates a specific set of systems. The FDD lists agXsell, EFI PrintSmith Vision (including PrintSmith Vision SaaS), Print Speak, and Print Speak CRM as required. Additionally, a generic “CRM System” and “MIS System” are mandated, though no separate vendor names are given for those beyond Print Speak CRM and PrintSmith Vision. This stack covers point-of-sale, print management, and customer relationship functions. The presence of both on-premise (PrintSmith Vision) and SaaS (PrintSmith Vision SaaS) versions suggests a transition window or a hybrid deployment. Vendors selling adjacent tools — marketing automation, analytics, payment processing, or supply-chain modules — should position against this mandated core, not try to replace it outright.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the formal purchasing model — designated supplier, approved supplier, or open — is not disclosed in the most recent filing. Renewal terms are clearer: a franchisee in good standing can renew for one additional 10-year term on the then-current terms. With 229 units on staggered 10-year cycles, renewal-driven technology evaluations happen continuously, but no single mass-renegotiation window exists. The single-operator structure means HQ can push stack changes top-down without franchisee committees slowing adoption. Vendors should time outreach around the franchisor’s own strategic planning cycles rather than individual unit expirations.
How to read the AlphaGraphics FDD
The 2026 AlphaGraphics FDD is embedded below. It contains the full Item 1 executive roster, Item 11 tech mandates, Item 17 renewal conditions, and unit-count tables used to build this analysis. For software vendors, the most actionable sections are Item 11 (the mandated systems list) and Item 1 (the buying-center names). The FDD does not disclose company-owned unit counts or a parent company, and the brand appears independently owned. Use the PDF viewer to verify the data points cited here and to identify additional contacts or system requirements that may matter for your product category. When you are ready to prioritize targets, FranCloud can rank the franchise systems that match your ideal customer profile.
Questions vendors ask
AlphaGraphics, answered from the filing
The FDD lists Ryan Farris (President and COO) and Erica Blair (VP of Marketing) as key executives. Technology mandates flow from the leadership team, with no multi-unit operators to influence decisions independently.
AlphaGraphics mandates agXsell, EFI PrintSmith Vision (including the SaaS version), Print Speak, Print Speak CRM, a CRM System, and an MIS System. These are named in the FDD as required systems.
There are 229 franchised locations, all single-operator units. No company-owned units are disclosed. The brand shows 0.881% year-over-year unit growth.
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the designated-supplier versus approved-supplier model is not disclosed in the most recent filing.
Franchise agreements run 10 years with one 10-year renewal if in good standing. With 229 units on staggered terms, renewal-driven tech evaluations occur continuously, but no specific window is published.
The 2026 AlphaGraphics FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review it directly in the embedded PDF viewer below.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment AlphaGraphics files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
184 operators run 184 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit184
Top states by locations
| TX | 40 |
|---|---|
| GA | 10 |
| UT | 9 |
| NC | 8 |
| IL | 8 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind AlphaGraphics
unknown of alphagraphics inc of tucson.
Related Retail non food brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.