How AI Can Help PSPs Work Smarter

By Kalie VanDewater

The following article was originally published by Printing Impressions. To read more of their content, subscribe to their newsletter, Today on PIWorld.

In the printing industry, staying ahead of the competition means investing in the latest technologies, from presses to emerging solutions like artificial intelligence (AI). Despite — or perhaps because of — its rapid evolution, AI is something many printer service providers (PSPs) may be wary of. Instead, PSPs should fully embrace AI.

“Just like every tool that we've had as a precursor that was a transformative technology for the industry, that waypoint — when you look back five, 10 years — that was a separating point between leaders and laggards in the industry,” Ryan McAbee, chief analyst at Pixel Dot Consulting, said during a recent webinar.

In that webinar “AI for Printers: Cautionary Tales and Extreme Success,” McAbee was joined by Pat McGrew, CEO of The McGrewGroup, and Nick Benkovich, chief product officer at eProductivity Software, to discuss the potential opportunities and pitfalls AI holds for PSPs.

Benefits of AI for the Print Industry

To start, AI, when implemented effectively, can be a huge time saver.

“In terms of just GPT [generative pre-trained transformers], it's amazing how many hours it can save you, just in pure content creation,” McAbee said. “I went to an exercise probably two weeks ago, and what would have literally taken me about four weeks previously — to transform a website to rank for a keyword string on the first page of results of Google — I did in two days.”

Time savings aren’t the only benefit PSPs can reap by using AI. According to Benkovich, this technology can help add efficiency wherever your operation needs it.

“If you're running super efficiently in your manufacturing process, then maybe that's not where you start with AI,” Benkovich said. Instead, he suggested, look at the challenges across your operations. For instance, maybe you are losing out on business because you’re not turning quotes fast enough. Or you might not be getting “enough prospects into the top end of the funnel, so to speak, that [you] can have [your] sales people chase after it,” Benkovich said. AI can help in those areas, too.

But what if you’re having trouble identifying where your inefficiencies lie in the first place?

“If you are a printer who is looking around your shop and saying, ‘There are friction points I know that are happening; there are things about my business that I should know that I don't,’” McGrew said, “and then you take a couple steps back. You start looking for the pieces that you think are the friction points and define your brief: What is it that I need to know about this friction point that is going to help me solve this friction point? You throw it into a licensed GPT engine and ask it to help you identify the low-hanging fruit to improve your business, make it more optimal, make it more efficient. It will come back with suggestions, and if you implement those suggestions, it is very likely you will wind up five, six, 12 steps ahead of where you were when you started that process. But you have to be brave enough to look at your operation and actually identify the places where those friction points and pain points are occurring.”

The panelists also dove into specific applications for AI for PSPs — including color management, predictive analytics, and more — that some companies have implemented with great success.

Words of Caution

While the capabilities of AI may appear nearly limitless, there are some snags that could spell disaster for PSPs. One such issue is AI’s tendency to hallucinate, aka provide inaccurate, false, or nonsensical information.

That’s why, McGrew said, humans are an indispensable piece of the AI puzzle — the information these tools spit out must be validated.

Additionally, PSPs must be very careful about what data they’re feeding their AI tools. At best, giving AI bad data to work with will return bad results. At worst, you could end up with a data security issue on your hands.

“I do know a printer who used OpenAI and uploaded all their financials to get information about their business,” Benkovich warned. “They thought they could do analysis about: ‘Who are my most profitable customers by a specific line, dealing with certain reps?’ ‘What's the seasonality?’ They just uploaded the entire thing. And I said, ‘Essentially, you just put everything you have into the open internet.’”

McAbee says PSPs can safeguard against these types of dilemmas by implementing company policies around how employees can use AI.

“Remember, for all of these things, there are legal and ethical questions,” McGrew added. “Make sure, if you're using a GPT engine, that you are licensing that engine, and that you understand your company's policies with regard to using AI in any context — whether it's analyzing your financial spreadsheets, remaking processes in your workflow, or loading all [your equipment and software] manuals.”

If PSPs can work around these challenges and use AI appropriately, they stand to see continued strong success. However, despite the potential AI holds for PSPs, it’s crucial to see it as the tool it is, not as a solution to everything.

“It's not a panacea; it doesn't cure the common cold,” McGrew said. “Just because you open up a ChatGPT window, your business won't automatically run itself better.”

Another reminder: Using AI at its full effectiveness isn’t something you become a natural at right away.

“You don't become a world-class sports leader — you don't get to the top of your game — without studying, without putting in the effort, without the hard work. AI is no different,” Benkovich said. “You have to train the engine, and that comes from validating the results.”

This is just the tip of the iceberg. If you missed the event, it’s not too late to learn the rest of the insights. Click here to register.

Bonus Learning Opportunities

To learn more about AI is growing in influence in the printing industry, check out these resources:

Plus, AI will be a major focus at PRINTING United Expo 2025, being hosted Oct. 22-24 in Orlando, Florida. The must-attend industry event will debut the PRINTING AI Pavilion (booth 4255), which will feature real-world AI solutions, expert-led microsessions, and an immersive “AI Wall.” Dedicated education sessions and panels will offer attendees at all levels of AI familiarity a unique chance to learn, connect, and explore cutting-edge innovations.