The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to change the print industry is huge. We’ve been promised a revolution in the way we work, from increased efficiency and automation to more insightful data analysis and more actionable business insights. But the promise of AI has not yet been fully realized; while adoption is quickly growing, a September 2024 PRINTING United Alliance and NAPCO Research survey found that just 62.4% of respondents were either using AI or planning to within the next year. ¹

Print service providers are highly motivated to capitalize on the possibilities offered by AI. Many PSPs report big challenges going into 2025 including increased operating costs, decreased sales, and continuing labor shortages. Of course, implementing AI solutions can be a hurdle in and of itself; with a technology as broad and wide-ranging as AI (and with practically every software and platform out there claiming to have AI tools and features), where should PSPs focus today to get the most benefit? And what trends should we expect to emerge that are specific to the print industry? Here, we look at how AI is likely to impact print in 2025.

AI will drive us toward hyperpersonalization 

Opportunities for print personalization — and thus more effective print and better ROI for print customers — have increased dramatically in correlation with advancements in production inkjet technology. AI is speeding up that evolution dramatically. 
With AI, PSPs are now able to analyze vast quantities of data quickly and not only personalize print pieces based on the structured parts of that data (name, address, purchase history) but based on the unstructured parts of that data such as customer feedback written in natural language. What’s more, AI can suggest personalized text and images based on predictive analytics and what the data shows will be most effective for each individual recipient. 

AI will help us achieve peak efficiency

For PSPs, efficiency is often the key to profitability, so it makes sense that most printers I’ve talked to about AI have started their journeys here: how can we reduce wasted time, wasted effort, and wasted material resources? 

AI can help increase efficiency by: 

• Validating inputs and detecting errors in real time

• Predicting inventory needs based on past data for more accurate purchasing

• Predicting maintenance needs on equipment to prevent downtime

• Optimizing the routing and scheduling of jobs 

• Suggesting the best job layouts to maximize material usage

• Generating estimates based on past job costs

• Automating tedious tasks so teams can focus on more important work

The list goes on. If there is an area where you could use improved efficiency, chances are, AI can help. 

PSPs will use AI to improve the customer experience

From AI chatbots available to assist customers 24/7 to automated order tracking and updates, PSPs are putting AI to good use to delight customers. Even better, PSPs can use AI to understand the customer experience — both what’s working and what could be improved. AI can digest large amounts of natural language customer feedback, analyze it for sentiment, and generate a list of issues that need to be addressed. 

Because of AI, there will be an even bigger focus on data security

While AI tools offer new possibilities for using customer data to increase the effectiveness of print campaigns, many PSPs are entrusted with highly secure data like financial information and personal health information, and customers will need to be reassured that their data is being handled appropriately. 

It is crucial for anyone using AI tools to understand that some AI tools will train their models on the data to which you give them access. As a PSP, you must create and enforce an AI policy that prohibits employees from putting customer data into tools like these. Only private, secure AI tools that do not train on your data should be used in these cases. 

Print leaders will turn to AI as a thought partner

As a business leader, one of my favorite use cases for AI is treating it like a trusted thought partner. I can show it the same data I’m looking at and ask it to identify trends, provide a forecast, or tell me what I’m missing. I can present it with a problem I’m facing and ask it to brainstorm with me or suggest my solution and ask it to poke holes. Because it’s a chat, it really does feel like a conversation with a (very well-researched) peer. And as leaders in quickly evolving industries, that’s often exactly what we need. 

Are you ready to leverage the benefits of AI?

Register now for the February 27th thINK Academy workshop Crafting an AI Policy For Your Print Organization. In this interactive workshop, we will examine factors to consider when crafting an internal AI policy for your organization, including compliance, the appropriate use of data, security, employee impact, training, and more. Together, we’ll draft guidelines that can be used to lead your team through the ever-changing landscape of AI, and the next steps to take to fully leverage AI.

As Managing Director of Client Services at Trekk, Emilee Christianson works with clients to develop strategic marketing plans and craft measurable programs that span print, web, social, mobile, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence. She leverages her expansive knowledge of marketing tactics to lead creative and technical teams and create communications programs that help B2B marketers meet their business objectives. 

¹ Paparozzi, Andrew D. “State of the Printing Industry Q2 Update: Profitability Pressures and a Surge in AI.” Printing Impressions, https://www.piworld.com/post/state-of-the-industry-q2-update-profitability-pressures-and-a-surge-in-ai.