A report from Alliance Insights (formerly NAPCO Research) explains how commercial printers, book manufacturers, apparel decorators, and sign and graphics companies are moving beyond the hype about artificial intelligence. The 31-page report, entitled “AI Adoption in the Print Industry,” shows that AI is moving swiftly from experimentation to execution and delivering measurable gains in efficiency and creativity.
The report notes that achieving success with AI requires more than just the technology. Factors such as leadership and cultural readiness are also important.
The State of AI in Printing
At the 2025 PRINTING United Expo, Alliance Insights Vice President of Research Nathan Safran and Principal Analyst Lisa Cross discussed key findings of the study of AI adoption. The repoert is based on input from more than 300 companies. including in-depth interviews with 16 executives.
Here are some noteworthy findings:
- 85% of respondents believe AI is critical to competitiveness, and 83% view it as a source of new opportunities.
- Printers are applying AI in content generation, marketing personalization, customer support, sales tasks, job scheduling, and workflow optimization.
- Smaller percentages (15% or less) are using AI in areas such as human resources, customer analysis, market analysis and forecasting, visual quality inspection.
- Companies that have already developed an AI-adoption roadmap are reaping benefits and pulling ahead of their peers
Barriers to Adoption
More than 50% of study participants identified obstacles such as the lack of in-house AI expertise and difficulty integrating AI with existing systems as the biggest barriers to AI adoption.
One sign-company executive said the company had tested promising AI tools, but many couldn’t connect to the firm’s existing MIS and ERP programs. He cautioned that the AI program looked great in a demo, “But if it doesn’t talk to our platform it creates more work than it saves.”
Other barriers include lack of proven use cases in the printing industry and lack of staff understanding of the capabilities of AI.
Employees at one commercial printing firm feared AI would replace their roles. But fear gave way to curiosity after managers assured the employees that AI was a tool that could eliminate drudgery and make people faster and better, not redundant.
Another barrier to adoption was simply figuring out how to begin. “AI can help every division within the organization,” noted Safran. So, some survey respondents were unsure about where to start.
Most adoption is still decentralized, driven by individual advocates or departments rather than an enterprise-wide strategy.
Applications of AI
The report found that across every print-industry segment, “AI delivers faster workflows, smarter decisions, and measurable ROI.”
More than half (57%) of respondents are currently using generative AI to create content used for marketing. In small-to-mid-sized companies, AI has become the equivalent of an always-available creative assistant for producing and refining imagery and drafting blog posts, emails, project updates, and podcast scripts.
Multi-media content production has traditionally been a cost center. But 22% of the AI survey respondents said AI-driven content tools increased their profitability. Although human staff members still review and refine the AI-generated content, AI reduces hours of time spent brainstorming and drafting ideas. Companies use the content to drive more traffic to their websites, bring in more leads, and/or educate their existing customers.”
Other applications used in printing businesses include: AI-driven marketing personalization (38%), customer support (26%), sales tasks and lead scoring (23%) and job scheduling and workflow automation (21%).
A commercial printer interviewed for the study uses AI to automate estimating, process mapping, and shipping. AI has reduced the time required to complete an estimate from four hours to two minutes.
What Separates AI Leaders from Laggards?
The report notes that there is a visible gap between the companies that already repeating benefits from AI (leaders) and those who are just getting started (laggards). The AI leaders were more likely to report benefits such as increased production efficiency and improved quality and consistency. Other reported benefits include cost savings, improved sales and marketing results, and better decision-making.
Safran and Cross studied some of the steps that AI leaders are using to attain that competitive advantage.
They found that 46% of the leaders have a clear roadmap for AI implementation compared to just 9% of the laggards. An AI roadmap prioritizes what AI efforts are likely to have the greatest impact on the organization as a whole.
The study also found that 91% of AI leaders assign responsibility for AI efforts compared to 51% of the laggards.
One key conclusion is that “Even a basic roadmap, a designated champion, and clear rules for oversight can transform AI from a novelty into a competitive driver.”
Access the report at: https://www.printing.org/publication/ai-adoption-in-the-printing-industry.
Printing AI Consulting Services
In discussing the results of the research, Safran announced the new PRINTING AI consulting service. It provides industry-specific expertise to help organizations define, implement, and scale AI-driven solutions. Amy Servi-Bonner leads PRINTING AI. She has more than 25 years of experience in technology leadership and consulting, including deep expertise in ERP systems, digital transformation, and AI strategy.
Readers of the PRINTING AI Blog can learn about the latest AI updates and get tips and tricks for successful implementation. Visit https://www.piworld.com/blogs/ink-to-ai/.
The Role of the PRINTING United Alliance
The PRINTING United Alliance is the largest member-based printing and graphic arts association in North America. Through research, workshops, and consulting services, the Alliance is equipping the community with actionable insights, strategies, and guardrails to thrive in the AI era.
“The PRINTING United Alliance is committed to helping our members and the broader printing community stay ahead of emerging technologies like AI,” said Mark J. Subers, chief innovation officer, PRINTING United Alliance. “This is the biggest industry shift since the internet, and we are proud to serve as the guide for our members on this journey.”
About Alliance Insights
Alliance Insights (formerly NAPCO Research) provides market intelligence, strategic consulting, and business development services for organizations involved in printing. packaging, publishing, marketing, retailing, promotional products, and non-profit services. Now operating as part of PRINTING United Alliance, Alliance Insights has access to an engaged audience of 550,000 professionals. Alliance Insights supports companies seeking to strengthen market positioning, amplify thought leadership, and unlock new opportunities.