We hear this a lot... and it makes sense
Paper counts feel like a solid failsafe. You can see everything at once, hand sheets to your team, and work without a phone. This article doesn't dismiss that instinct; it shows you exactly what a paper count costs you and how Ply solves those problems without making you give up control.
Yes, you can download your inventory list as an Excel file and print it, but keep the following in mind: any updates would need to be manually entered back into Ply afterward.
How to Export Your Inventory (If You Still Want to Print It)
Follow these steps to download a stock list from a specific location:
Step 1
Go to the desired Stock Location (e.g. warehouse, truck, or consignment location).
Step 2
Click on Bulk Select Materials at the top.
Step 3
Click on Print & Export, then select Export as Excel and send the file to your email.
✅ You can print this list and use it as a reference, but we don’t recommend it for completing full counts.
Why You Should Use Cycle Counts Instead
Cycle Counts let you track and update inventory directly from your phone—faster, easier, and no manual input required later.
With Cycle Counts, you can:
Choose the location, assign a tech/admin, set dates, and even schedule recurring counts
Select specific items, categories, or both
Apply filters by cost, activity, or item position
Use your mobile device to scan and adjust quantities on the spot.
That's why we recommend using cycle counts, which update your stock in real time as you go.
Summary: It sounds simple until you see every step that has to happen
Here's the full comparison in table format:
Category | ❌ Paper Count | ✅ Ply Cycle Count |
Setup | Export → format → print. Takes 15–30 min before counting even starts. | Create a count in 2 minutes. Ply automatically sends it to the assignee's mobile app. |
Counting | Handwrite quantities. Easy to skip rows, misread writing, or count the wrong item. | Tap quantities directly on the phone. Scan barcodes to auto-find items — no searching. |
Data Entry | Re-enter everything manually into Ply. Doubles time, doubles errors. | Zero re-entry. Quantities go straight from the count into Ply when submitted. |
Discrepancies | No audit trail. Can't tell if the count or the entry was wrong. | Ply flags every discrepancy automatically. Admin reviews and accepts or skips each one. |
Accountability | No record of who counted what or when. No history. | Full audit trail — who counted, when, what was found, what was accepted. |
Scheduling | Manual — someone has to remember to do it each month. | Set it once (monthly, quarterly) and Ply auto-generates the next count automatically. |
Live Stock Update | Stock is only updated after manual re-entry is complete. | Stock updates the moment the admin accepts the count — no lag, no manual step. |
Multi-Location | Need a separate printout per location. Easily gets mixed up. | Create separate counts per location. Each assignee sees only their location's items. |
🖥️ Step 1: Export from Ply
Export your inventory list as Excel, email it to yourself, download it, format it for printing.
🖨️ Step 2: Print
Print the list. If you have 200+ items across multiple locations, those are a lot of pages; and I hope nothing changes before you start counting.
🚶 Step 3: Walk the location
Team members walk the warehouse or truck, physically count each item, and write numbers next to each line. Handwriting mistakes happen. Rows get skipped.
⚠️ High error rate — illegible numbers, skipped items, wrong rows
📥 Step 4: Re-enter data into Ply
Someone has to manually type every counted quantity back into Ply. For 200 items, that's 200 data entry points; each one is a chance for a mistake.
⚠️ Manual re-entry doubles the time and doubles the error risk
🕐 Step 5: Reconcile discrepancies
When counts don't match, you have no audit trail. Was it a counting error? A data entry error? You can't tell; you may need to recount.
⚠️ No history, no accountability, no way to trace the error
💬Your Concerns, Answered
Addressing the real reasons teams reach for a clipboard:
Concern | Ply's Answer |
📵 "We don't have wifi in the warehouse" | The Ply mobile app works offline. Techs can complete the count with no signal — quantities sync when they're back in range. No wifi required during counting. |
📱 "Some of our team members aren't comfortable with phones" | The mobile count screen is one of the simplest in Ply — a list of items with a number field next to each. If they can handwrite a number, they can tap it. Takes 5 minutes to learn. |
🖨️ "I want a printed reference to work from" | You can export your inventory as Excel and print it as a reference — just don't use it to submit the count. Use the paper to work through the shelf, then enter counts directly in Ply. Best of both worlds. |
🔒 "I want a physical backup in case of a system issue" | Export your stock list at any time from Stock → Bulk Select → Export as Excel. You get a current snapshot you can print and store. Separate from your count process, it's a solid backup strategy. |
Still need help? Contact Support!
Questions about setting up your first cycle count or migrating from paper? We're happy to walk you through it.