How Print Providers Are Using AI to Gain a Competitive Edge

Artificial intelligence has become a hot topic across every industry, and the printing and packaging sector is no different.

“AI touches every single division within the organization,” Nathan Safran, vice president, research, Alliance Insights, says. “Whether it's the shop floor, whether it's marketing, or sales, or customer service, or the executive suite, there isn't an aspect of your organization that AI does not touch.”

That’s why Alliance Insights, the research branch of PRINTING United Alliance, released a report detailing where the industry stands on AI adoption, what measurable benefits companies are achieving, what differentiates leaders from laggards, and more.

To offer practical insights into the report, Safran and Alliance Insights’ Lisa Cross joined Amy Servi-Bonner, vice president, consulting, applied AI and printing technology, PRINTING AI, for a webinar titled “Artificial Intelligence in Print: From Curiosity to Competitiveness.”

AI Adoption Trends in Print

One of the strongest indicators of AI's power in print and packaging is that 85% of participants report that AI is critical to remain competitive.

“Eighty-five percent agree on that data point, which is not typically a number that we see as far as agreement on anything that we ask in our surveys,” Safran says, “and it highlights for you what your colleagues are thinking about, how crucial AI is as it relates to staying competitive in print.”

On top of that, 83% report that AI unlocks new business opportunities, and 42% say it is key to survival in the industry.

The report emphasizes that print providers expect more out of AI than just productivity and efficiency — namely, measurable benefits.

“When it comes to getting real results from AI, the companies we spoke with were consistent in reporting that they started with a purpose,” Lisa Cross, principal analyst, Alliance Insights, says. “They noted that AI adoption succeeds when it's tied to a specific business problem, not tied to broad transformation goals. The most effective approach, they told us, is to really start small and pick one or two high-impact pain points — maybe estimating, maybe invoicing or job scheduling — and apply AI first.”

While addressing these pain points with AI do in fact help boost productivity and efficiency, the main goal remains improving processes to deliver better outcomes overall.

As an example, Servi-Bonner says “shops that are using AI-assisted estimating are cutting their quoting time significantly. … What that means is they respond faster, they’re winning more deals, they’re protecting margin more consistently.”

However, AI also presents new challenges for print and packaging providers to overcome. According to Safran, one of the largest is getting staff on board.

“Some of the greatest barriers are not actually financial, but organizational … whether it's skill gaps or clear use cases, cultural resistance,” he says.

Servi-Bonner adds that there are several reasons companies feel stuck with AI. These reasons range from manual workflow burden to “tool obsession,” where print providers “want to buy an AI tool the same way they want to buy a press,” she says.

But one of the biggest issues she sees is siloed information.

“Data is scattered across multiple MIS and ERP systems,” Servi-Bonner says. “You've got estimating tools that either are part of Excel or that were written custom years and years ago; you've got things sitting in email; you've got legacy databases. When your information lives in silos, AI can't reason over it, and your staff ends up doing the heavy lifting.”

What AI Leaders Do Differently

While many survey respondents have tested the AI waters, trying AI is much different than reaping tangible benefits.

“The winners in this space are not winning by accident,” Servi-Bonner says. “They're winning because early AI success follows very predictable patterns.”

When the researchers looked at these AI leaders under a microscope, they found some common threads that have placed them consistently at the front of the pack. Here’s what sets them apart.

Having an AI Plan

One of the top indicators of AI leaders in the print and packaging industry was intentional adoption — including creating an implementation roadmap and allocating budget for AI.

“Forty-six percent of AI leaders have a clear AI roadmap, compared to 9% of laggards,” Safran says. “That's not something that's shocking, right? If we're planning and we're strategizing and we're developing a roadmap and we're being systematic about it, we're going to have more success than those that don't.”

Assigning Responsibility for AI Efforts

The second commonality between AI leaders was that someone in the organization was responsible for AI efforts. In fact, 91% of AI leaders assign responsibility for AI efforts, while only 51% of laggards do.

“AI succeeds only when someone is clearly responsible for outcomes,” Cross says. “... When ownership is vague or optional, AI adoption stalls in an organization, but when AI is directly defined in job roles — and not just IT and leadership — it really becomes part of the daily workflow.”

Treating AI as an Important Initiative

Perhaps the greatest indication that an organization is an AI leader is that AI is treated as significant as any other strategic initiative.

“[AI leaders are] recognizing that: ‘If I can make an investment now, I can have a significant ROI in so many different areas of my company that it's worth the investment,’” Safran says.

When it comes down to it, the potential isn’t limited to the largest, most-resourced organizations.

“The real advantage in AI in print is it's leveling the playing field,” Servi-Bonner says. “You don't need to have the biggest press room; you don't need to have the deepest pockets. What really matters right now is who can turn their data into decisions the fastest.”

To hear more about AI trends in print and packaging and what makes a company a frontrunner, watch the full webinar, “Artificial Intelligence in Print: From Curiosity to Competitiveness,” here.

You can also access the full report here.