The Future of Print is Data-Driven

Data management and artificial intelligence (AI) have had a significant impact on many aspects, from personal interactions to business transactions — and the printing industry is no exception.

Andy Paparozzi, chief economist at PRINTING United Alliance, notes that the impact hasn’t been confined to just one area either. “Every mission-critical function from quality control to supply chain management, and from customer-preference analysis to personalization based on those preferences, benefits from artificial intelligence and superior data management — i.e., the creation, maintenance, and accessibility of relevant, robust databases.”

While AI is rapidly changing and is still a new concept to some print service providers (PSPs), Steve Metcalf, founder and CEO of Imagine AI Live, notes that data management is an area PSPs already have some expertise.

“I would start by saying that [in the printing industry] there’s already a big expertise in managing data for clients,” he says. “Imagine a giant mail campaign that you’re running fulfillment for. You’re being entrusted with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of data records. So, data and print have gone together for a long time.”

There are, Paparozzi notes, three major “buckets” into which data can be classified, and in each of those, managing that data is a given, but AI is making huge strides in exactly how that data is managed.

1. Structured data, such as financials, market demographics, and customer profiles, that fit neatly into conventional computer spreadsheets.
2. Unstructured data, such as audio files, video files, and text files, that spreadsheets do not handle well.
3. Semi-structured data, such as data generated by Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, which is a mix of the two.

AI, he stresses, can analyze all of it, helping ensure printers are making the best possible decisions across the board, instead of just relying on a “gut feeling” or guesswork.

As to where it’s going next? That’s hard to predict, especially with how rapidly the AI space is evolving, seemingly every day.

Metcalf notes that in particular, he believes the biggest change for the industry will come more from building awareness than anything else. It is nearly impossible to keep up with every single innovation, so there are technologies out there PSPs might not even be aware exist. He believes that will likely be the biggest shift the printing industry will see in the next 12-18 months.

“When I talk to printing leaders, I think it’s not to say that they’re at fault,” he says. “It’s just they’re so busy with their day jobs to be aware that you can do this now, and you don’t have to necessarily wait for your MIS software provider to provide it for you. You don’t have to wait for Microsoft. In fact, if you do, you’re going to be at a disadvantage. Whether it’s a little injection of AI consulting, or AI app building, or whatever it is, you can start solving problems today, even this afternoon. And I think people aren’t even aware of how fast this is happening.”

That’s not to say there aren’t specific areas to be keeping an eye on. Paparozzi notes that the areas he is watching most closely for the next 12-18 month cycle revolve around innovations in “operations — including quality control and predictive maintenance — because our markets are too competitive to pass inefficiencies to customers; automation to boost productivity and production speeds, and to overcome chronic labor shortages; market analysis and forecasting to support consistently superior decisions companywide; and cybersecurity and risk management because as one participant in PRINTING United Alliance research says so well, ‘No matter how well your business is doing or how well it is run, it can turn in an instant.’”

So what does that mean for the average printer and how can a business prepare for something — much less implement it — if it is changing so rapidly? First, both Metcalf and Paparozzi stress starting small — don’t try to do everything all at once. Pick one area of the operation and analyze it — see where the inefficiencies are. Ask the staff what tasks are challenging, either because they are repetitive or frustrating. What kinds of overlaps are there with other tasks? Where is data needed to be input multiple times to move through the systems? Those are the places to start looking into AI tools — looking for ways to streamline one small piece of the puzzle.

From there, the company can start building on the process. What tasks or departments link to the ones where AI analytics and automation have been added? Can those be automated or benefit from their own AI analytics tools? A business can eventually have systems that hook into every other aspect of the business, but don’t start off at that point or it could be overwhelming.

Next, the old adage of “garbage in, garbage out” is even more critical when it comes to AI and data analytics. Good results will only be generated when tools go through things like inventory management, production workflow, or predictive maintenance, or any host of tasks if the data it is being provided is good to begin with. If the data is incomplete or there are errors, or even cases where the same set of data is different in two separate systems, it won’t be possible to get the most out of any AI tool. Before exploring AI tools, make sure the data is clean and clear, and policies about inputting and maintaining that data are spelled out — in detail — to everyone in the organization.

Finally, pick one person to be your data and AI “guru.” It could be a full time job to keep up with the new innovations and figure out how to implement them in a logical way in the printing operation. Having one person be the designated go-to for questions from the staff, to make the recommendations about what the business should — and shouldn’t — try investing in, as well as to be the point person to quality check what the AI generates is critical to success. Depending on the size and scope of an operation, there might need to be several people tasked with different parts of this process, but roles and responsibilities need to be clearly defined.

On that note, Metcalf points out that the person who takes on AI and data tasks doesn’t have to only look at what the company should invest in next — they can play with some of the tools and do the work themselves.

Metcalf notes that companies can “turn anybody into a data analyst now, and then spin up the apps to support them. And maybe it just becomes a stepping stone to getting some greater capability down the road — I use the term burner apps. You can literally create a burner app now that gives you a taste of what you can do. And maybe that’s not the end game. Maybe you spend a few hours on it and say ‘that wasn’t quite right.’ But now you have a better sense of what you can do.”

And that, he stresses, means that even if a PSP ultimately decides to start exploring a solution from different vendors, they will have a much better idea of what is needed, rather than picking an AI tool at random and hoping for the best.

The benefits of AI, especially in the data management space, are building up daily. Paparozzi notes, “Embracing AI and being data driven allows companies of all types and sizes to be more productive by automating company-wide low value-added tasks they could never automate before, freeing time for activities that create the greatest value for clients, employees, and the company, and to enhance market analysis and forecasting, critical in an industry in which the gamut of opportunity is expanding but the margin for error is shrinking.”

What advice do Metcalf and Paparozzi have when it comes to diving into the AI and data management spaces?

Metcalf notes that for him, it’s all about finding a community to bounce ideas off of and drum up excitement.

“Let’s say you’re in Chicago, Kansas City, Boston, or wherever. It doesn’t matter — any size city — look up your peer groups. Local AI groups are mushrooming up everywhere. Spend time with other AI people. Figure out how other people are applying and using it. They all have monthly meetings where AI-minded people are getting together, and they’re learning from each other. They’re using each other as sounding boards and for inspiration.”

For Paparozzi, it’s an emphasis on the fact that you can’t hesitate. Refusing to engage with AI is no longer an option.

“Take the advice of PRINTING United Alliance State of the Industry participants,” he advises. “‘You can’t sit on the sidelines with regard to AI because it is going to fundamentally change our business, so make sure you are learning about it. It isn’t going away’; ‘The big winners in our industry will master AI at all levels of the company’; and ‘We feel very strongly about our organization learning about and using AI because if we don’t, our competitors are going to pass us by.’”