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For many print, signage, promo, wide-format, direct mail, and graphic communications companies, the hardest part of adopting AI is not the technology itself. It is the starting point. Every week, there is a new tool. A new AI feature. A new platform update. A new promise that some piece of software can write, estimate, proof, […]

Operational Excellence Isn’t the Same as Customer RetentionI There is a version of AI training that looks impressive in the room and then quietly dies on Monday morning. Everyone leaves knowing what ChatGPT is. They understand that AI can summarize, draft, brainstorm, compare, classify, and analyze. They may even leave with a few clever prompts

Operational Excellence Isn’t the Same as Customer RetentionI In the print industry, operational excellence has long been the benchmark of a well-run shop. Jobs go out on time. Equipment runs smoothly. Proofs are handled. Problems get solved. The customer receives what they ordered, often under tight deadlines.Yet many print businesses are still seeing a frustrating

AI has changed how print buyers learn before they contact you.For years, many print businesses could rely on the first sales conversation to educate the customer. A buyer would call, email, or fill out a quote form. Your sales rep, CSR, estimator, or owner would ask the right questions, explain the options, clarify the specs,

There is a phrase that appears in nearly every corner of the print industry.“We’re not like other companies.”Commercial printers say it. Sign shops say it. Promo distributors say it. Wide-format companies say it. Direct mail firms say it. Display producers say it. Franchise owners say it. Specialty manufacturers say it.Often, they are right.Their customer mix

The U.S. print industry is facing a familiar squeeze. Expenses are climbing faster than prices—costs are up about 4.4%, but prices have only risen by 3.0%. To make matters worse, finding good help is harder than ever. 72% of printers struggle to hire staff, and many shops are paying 10% to 20% more just to

There’s a version of this story that plays out in print shops across America every single week. The owner is the best salesperson in the building. They know the product cold, they’re sharp on pricing, and when they’re in front of a prospect, they close. The problem is they’re almost never in front of a

Let me start with a moment of honesty: when this client first described his situation to me, I didn’t immediately reach for a tool recommendation. I had to slow down and actually listen — because what he was describing wasn’t a software problem. It was a structural one. Here’s the picture. He runs a print

When I started working with Stacey Brown, MBA, CAS on this ISA session, I thought we were “just” designing an AI course. What actually happened was that a 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 in the sign industry came into sharp focus. Not a dramatic, headline-worthy crisis. A practical, everyday one that shows up as: – One more owner

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “Let me just run this through AI so it’s done after lunch,” you’re not alone. That sentence is starting to show up across industries—and it’s not a productivity hack. It’s a warning light.An ongoing University of California, Berkeley field study—recently discussed in Harvard Business Review and other outlets—followed employees