AI, Inkjet, and Automation Are Rewriting the Future of Print

In his latest blog post, Consultant Howie Fenton highlights how rapid advances in automation, AI, and production inkjet—combined with ongoing economic and labor pressures—are reshaping the entire print landscape.

“AI continues to dominate industry discussion—but the conversation has matured from curiosity to implementation,” he writes

In-plants are actively deploying AI in estimating, prepress, creative development, and campaign analytics, he says. This adoption is strategic: he notes that 85% of PSPs now view AI as critical to competitiveness, a signal that automation-driven productivity is becoming the new baseline for survival. For in-plants in particular, these trends translate into growing expectations for data-connected portals, automated job intake, and more marketing-aligned services.

Fenton also underscores the accelerating push toward diversification as print volumes decline. For in-plants, his message is clear: the organizations that modernize their workflows, broaden their service portfolios, and integrate data across systems will be best positioned to meet rising expectations for speed, personalization, and multichannel communication.

Read Fenton’s full blog post here.