The Top AI Tools to Help Printing Companies Grow

The Top AI Tools to Help Printing Companies Grow

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer an abstract concept for printing businesses, it is actively reshaping the industry. Commercial printing companies, often challenged by tight margins, rising customer expectations, and a quickly changing market, are discovering that AI can be one of the most powerful tools for growth. From generating new leads to streamlining operations and improving customer service, AI technologies offer a wide range of solutions that can help print shops remain competitive and even scale faster than ever before.

In this article, I share some of the top AI tools that can drive growth in four critical areas for commercial printers:

• Marketing
• Sales
• Operations
• Customer Support

Each section highlights tools with specific relevance to the print industry and explains how they can be applied to real-world use cases.

AI for Marketing: Attracting New Print Buyers

Marketing has always been a cornerstone of growth for printing companies. But in a digital-first economy, the pressure is on to create more content, across more channels, in less time. That’s where AI-powered marketing tools shine.

• ChatGPT (OpenAI) is one of the most versatile AI content creation tools on the market. For printing companies, it can instantly generate blog posts about the benefits of direct mail; craft email sequences promoting seasonal print specials; or even create ad copy for Google Ads campaigns. Instead of waiting days for marketing materials, teams can have a polished draft in minutes, ready to customize and publish.
• Gemini (Google DeepMind) offers advanced natural language processing and multimodal capabilities, which can be used to generate marketing copy, data-driven insights, and even image-related content. A print shop could leverage Gemini to produce campaign briefs, trend analyses, or multi-format creative assets that align with customer needs.
• Pryntbase.com, designed specifically for printing companies, is another standout. Unlike generic AI platforms, Pryntbase delivers AI powered content and lead generation for printing companies. As well as industry-specific marketing resources, such as prewritten email & blogs, thousands of print product images, SEO keywords and outlines for print websites, and ready-to-use ad creative. This gives printers a competitive edge because the content is already aligned with print buyer behavior and market demands.
• Jasper AI remains a favorite among marketers for creating brand-consistent messaging across blogs, landing pages, and paid ads. For a print business juggling multiple verticals, say healthcare, real estate, and nonprofits, Jasper helps maintain unique yet consistent messaging for each audience.

Together, these tools dramatically reduce the time required to build awareness campaigns, nurture leads, and maintain a consistent online presence. For commercial printing companies competing in crowded markets, faster and smarter content creation means more visibility and more inbound leads.

AI for Sales: Smarter Prospecting and Closing

Generating leads is only half the battle; converting them into long-term customers is where growth happens. AI tools are increasingly critical in the sales process, helping reps uncover opportunities and focus their time on the most promising prospects.

Perplexity, a conversational search engine powered by AI, allows print sales reps to quickly research industries, company needs, or market trends. For example, a rep preparing for a meeting with a local healthcare provider could use Perplexity to surface insights about marketing compliance requirements or patient outreach trends, then frame print services as solutions.

AI-powered CRMs, such as Zoho CRM / Sales with Zia AI or Salesforce Einstein, can forecast sales trends, suggest upselling opportunities, and automate follow-ups. Imagine a CRM that recognizes a repeat order pattern for business cards every quarter, it can remind the rep to offer a bundled discount for brochures or signage at the same time. These predictive insights help sales teams close more deals with less guesswork.

Other notable sales AI tools are:

• Apollo AI
• Overloop AI
• Gong
• Fireflies AI
• Crystal

For commercial printing companies, where margins often hinge on repeat business and upselling additional services, AI-enabled sales tools deliver a powerful edge. Reps can spend less time cold-calling and more time engaging prospects who are likely to convert.

AI for Operations: Efficiency on the Production Floor

The production floor is the heart of every print company. Mistakes, delays, and inefficiencies here quickly erode profitability. Fortunately, AI-powered operations tools can optimize workflows and ensure smoother execution.

PrintIQ, a management information system (MIS) with AI-driven estimating, helps streamline quoting and job management. By analyzing past data, it can predict the true cost of jobs, account for labor and materials, and deliver fast, accurate estimates to customers. This not only improves customer satisfaction but also reduces costly underquoting.

Fiery IQ uses AI to analyze production data in real time. For example, it can identify press bottlenecks, predict maintenance needs, and optimize print scheduling. By reducing downtime and minimizing waste, printers can handle more jobs with fewer errors, ultimately boosting profitability.

Machine learning algorithms can also be applied to inventory management, helping shops avoid both overstocking and shortages of key substrates like envelopes, large-format paper, or specialty finishes. Predictive models ensure the right materials are always available when needed, without tying up excess cash in unused stock.

Other notable AI Tools for Print Operations:

• Esko / Phoenix
• Infigo AI Imposition
• OnPrintShop AI Estimating
• Heidelberg Prinect
• PrintVis

For commercial printers, AI in operations translates into leaner processes, better resource allocation, and the ability to take on more jobs without adding headcount.

AI for Customer Support: Elevating Service at Scale

Customer service often determines whether a client becomes a one-time buyer or a loyal, long-term account, yet many printing companies struggle to provide round-the-clock support with limited staff. AI tools fill that gap.

ChatGPT-powered chatbots can be trained on a printer’s FAQs, product catalogs, and workflows to deliver instant answers to common customer questions. For example, a customer asking “What file format do you need for a brochure?” could receive a clear, branded response without waiting for business hours.

Intercom Fin AI and Zendesk AI also offer enterprise-level chatbot capabilities, including natural language understanding, ticket routing, and automated knowledge base suggestions. These tools allow even small print teams to offer rapid, personalized support, whether it’s checking on order status, explaining shipping timelines, or guiding file submissions.

Other notable AI Tools for Print Customer Support & Service:

• Brainfish
• SentiSum
• IBM WatsonX Assistant
• Cognigy
• Freshdesk Omni / Freddy AI
• Tidio / Lyro AI Agent

For printers handling high volumes of jobs, AI support tools reduce the load on customer service teams while maintaining (or even improving) response times. The result: happier customers, repeat business, and better retention.

The Strategic Reality of AI in Print

While AI tools offer immense value, it’s important for print company leaders to understand that AI is not a magic bullet. There’s no “set it and forget it” approach. Tools must be integrated into workflows, teams need to be trained, and strategies should align with business goals.

For example, using ChatGPT to draft a blog is powerful, but it still requires a marketer to fact-check, edit, SEO Optimize, and ensure the content aligns with the brand voice. An AI-powered CRM can forecast sales, but sales reps must still engage customers and build trust. And while AI estimating tools improve accuracy, managers must regularly review data inputs to ensure the system remains reliable.

The real power of AI lies in strategic implementation. Printing companies that take the time to integrate AI thoughtfully, across marketing, sales, operations, and customer support, position themselves for substantial growth. These businesses gain the agility to respond faster to customer needs, the efficiency to increase margins, and the scalability to compete with much larger competitors.

Commercial printing companies face unique challenges in today’s market, but AI offers a toolkit to address them head-on. From ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Pryntbase in marketing and sales, to PrintIQ and Fiery IQ in operations, to Zendesk AI and Intercom Fin in customer support, these technologies empower printers to work smarter, not harder.

When applied strategically, AI can help printing companies attract new customers, increase efficiency, and deliver a better overall experience. By embracing new tools, commercial printers can ensure not only survival but significant growth in the years ahead.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.