Your Weekly Dose of AI Impact in Print [Week 23, 2025]
👋 Welcome back to AI Print Wire — your source for how AI is transforming real-world commercial printing. This week, we're watching smart moves in estimating, carton production, and label forecasting — plus an upcoming AI webinar that's not just hype.
📢 This Week in AI Print Wire:
Print ePS acquires Avanti to scale AI quoting
New AI print webinar reveals success and failure
Dscoop panel: smarter web-to-print strategies
Heidelberg brings AI to packaging workflows
Fedrigoni uses Palantir for predictive print ops
📰 Top 5 Headlines This Week
1. Print ePS Acquires Avanti Systems to Power Predictive Print Estimating
Summary:
Print ePS, a leader in print workflow software, has acquired Avanti Systems from Ricoh. The deal boosts Print ePS’s portfolio with an AI-capable MIS that specializes in estimating, job costing, and capacity planning — making AI tools more accessible for mid-market commercial and packaging printers.
Key takeaways:
Avanti Slingshot MIS now joins Print ePS’s platform
AI will assist in estimating and production scheduling
Mid-sized printers gain faster, more accurate quoting
Why It Matters:
Estimating is one of the most time-consuming processes in print — and ripe for disruption. This acquisition could push the entire MIS segment toward smarter quoting and scheduling, especially for shops that need fast, data-driven turnarounds.
2. AI for Printers Webinar Announced: Cautionary Tales & Extreme Success
Summary:
Printing Impressions has announced a free webinar for July 10, 2025, titled “AI for Printers: Cautionary Tales and Extreme Success.” The session promises real-world stories from shops using AI in estimating, layout, and operations — including both major wins and lessons learned.
Key takeaways:
Webinar date: Thursday, July 10 at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT
Will explore what worked — and what didn’t — in real-world AI rollouts
Tailored for SME printers navigating new AI investments
Why It Matters:
This session could be a reality check for SME print pros: where AI automation delivers, where it flops, and how to separate useful tools from vaporware. Mark your calendar and bring questions.
3. Dscoop: AI and Web-to-Print Automation on the Rise
Summary:
In a recent Dscoop roundtable, digital printers explored how AI is improving everything from online order routing to layout imposition. One key theme: combining human input with predictive automation for job batching, costing, and custom print storefronts.
Key takeaways:
AI streamlines complex custom orders
Imposition and routing can be AI-assisted
Web-to-print can scale with fewer touchpoints
Why It Matters:
AI helps web-to-print platforms adapt dynamically to press capacity, minimizing bottlenecks. For SME printers trying to scale, this is a blueprint for lean growth.
4. Heidelberg’s Cartonmaster CX 145 Gets Smart Upgrade
Summary:
Heidelberg has introduced AI enhancements to its Cartonmaster CX 145, enabling smarter job changeovers, auto-calibration, and predictive maintenance. This is part of Heidelberg’s larger move to embed assistive intelligence into its high-speed commercial and packaging platforms.
Key takeaways:
AI assists operators with setup and scheduling
Designed for fast-turn packaging and pharma work
Preventative maintenance powered by job history data
Why It Matters:
This launch is less about flashy tech and more about real-time, in-press assistance. In high-volume packaging, seconds saved per job = massive ROI.
5. Fedrigoni and Palantir Team Up for AI-Powered Label Production
Summary:
Fedrigoni, known for its premium labels, is using Palantir’s AI platform to predict demand, optimize production flow, and enhance material forecasting across global print operations.
Key takeaways:
Real-time job forecasting improves scheduling
AI supports sustainability by reducing material waste
AI platform aggregates print and client order data
Why It Matters:
This partnership hints at how enterprise-level AI can cascade down to SME vendors in the supply chain. Fedrigoni may soon offer smarter services — and expect more from its print partners.
🎯 This Week’s Strategic Takeaway
Smarter quoting and scheduling = AI’s quiet revolution.
AI isn’t replacing press operators — but it is replacing guesswork. Whether you’re quoting 100 runs or batching jobs online, AI-driven MIS is becoming a must-have for growth.
❌ This Week’s Noise
“AI will make all print shops autonomous.”
Reality check: AI doesn’t fix poor workflows or broken data. The winners are still human-led — they just work faster and with better insights.
📅 What’s Coming Up
PRINT MATTERS for the FUTURE 2025 – June 13 – Zürich, Switzerland
Hosted by Intergraf, this event brings together print industry leaders to explore trust, talent, and tech — including the ethical use of AI in European production environments.
🔗 Event Info
🧠 Smarter Every Week
💡 “Every job you quote is a data point. Make your MIS work harder with AI to quote faster — and win more.”
Thanks for tuning in to AI Print Wire – Week 23!
We’ll be back next Friday with another look at automation, tools, and trends — minus the marketing fluff.
Until then, print smarter. 🧱✨