AI was the hot topic of 2023, as the hype about it started to convert into real-world applications that can make working life more efficient. But how is AI influencing the print sector now and what applications does it have for businesses – and how will it affect how print works going forward?
Artificial intelligence (AI) was the emerging technology of 2023. Kick-started by the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, AI was seemingly on everyone’s lips. As the technology developed rapidly, so did the applications for businesses in all sectors, including print, to help increase efficiency productivity and – most importantly – profitability.
AI is now having an increasing impact on the print sector, for manufacturers, resellers and end users alike. “AI already is having a positive impact on the print industry in unique and diverse ways,” says Arjan Paulussen, managing director, Lexmark UK, Western Europe and English-speaking Africa.
“For example, Lexmark’s managed print services uses AI to predict tech support on printers sitting at customer sites. We can anticipate and prevent a vast majority of printing disruptions before they occur and resolve 70% of issues remotely before it becomes a problem. The same goes for printing supplies: AI predicts when a Lexmark customer will be low on toner and can automatically ship them new cartridges to ensure no gaps in their supplies.”
Arjan adds that AI is directly touching the print job itself. “Lexmark has developed an AI-imbued Translations Assistant that automatically translates any content in more than 100 languages right on our printers,” he says. “It helps break down language barriers that have traditionally hampered customer interactions in the health and government sectors.
“AI is also having an impact on Lexmark’s own operations. For example, on our manufacturing line, we’ve married AI with IoT to create AI-enabled smart cameras that automate the visual inspection of assembled printers. The heavy data processing required to do this occurs where the camera sits, all made possible by AI. We’ve produced a 40% improvement in inspection speed, a 99% reduction in errors and a return on investment – all within three months.”
Potential realised
Arjan adds that customers are also becoming increasingly aware of the potential that AI has to help how their businesses run. “AI is the key tech in the public spotlight, so Lexmark customers are inquiring about how it can help their print infrastructure,” he says. “Their baseline priorities boil down to: one – can it streamline my operations? Two – can it reduce my costs? Lexmark is creating practical and real-world applications for AI.
“Going back to our managed print services, we are seeing a 25% increase in profitability due to better utilisation of devices in the field. AI is extending the life of those devices. They are lasting 40% longer than other competitive models out on the market.”
Arjan adds that there is a learning curve to AI. “This is why Lexmark has been open and transparent in sharing our knowledge with the rest of the industry,” he says. “We’ve commercialised our AI and IoT learnings into Optra Edge, a packaged solution that provides an easy on-ramp for companies looking to embrace the two technologies, but don’t know how. The wonderful thing about Optra Edge is that it’s not limited to print. It can be applied to any business operation – back end or front end – that the customer is running.”
Production print
Rowan Jeffreys-Hoar, director, partner channel at Ricoh UK, adds that AI has the power to transform the professional print sector too, especially when it comes to workflow automation, design and smoother production processes. “One area where AI is already being used within the sector is in the form of intelligent dashboards,” he says. “Intelligent dashboards enable users to efficiently manage data, users and processes. This use of accurate and timely data can help business manage widgets, choose from a range of visualisation options, and share reports in seconds.
“There is no doubt that AI will continue to revolutionise business processes across every industry. To keep pace with these technological changes, commercial print businesses must be willing to invest in innovative technologies, otherwise they risk losing their relevance in the continuously shifting digital landscape.”
Rowan adds that research from Ricoh’s Automation Gap report revealed 77% of businesses want to automate, yet 55% are sceptical about the time and investment required to implement automation. “In reality, implementing automation and AI can streamline print processes, optimise print workflows, and monitor for maintenance needs and errors, boosting workplace productivity and growth,” he says. “For commercial printers, particularly of large-scale image generation, AI can enable marketing campaigns to be created in a matter of hours rather than weeks, reducing productions costs and as a result increasing revenue.”
Reseller conversations
But as AI is still an emerging technology – and the market for it is too – there are still many customers that will need to be guided in what AI can bring to the print side of their business. This is where resellers have a crucial role.
“Resellers need to act as trusted partners, offering customers valuable consultancy on AI, its uses and limitations,” says Rowan. “Trusted partners like Ricoh can provide guidance and expertise to implement AI tools that add value and mitigate risk.
“The rapid and widespread use of AI across multiple industries has brought with it some understandable fear and scepticism, particularly when it comes to cybersecurity risks and the authenticity of online data. While it is important to remain vigilant of cybersecurity threats, the benefits of AI for print businesses outweigh the potential risks – this is where resellers can play a key role with sound advice and reassurance.
“Businesses within the sector that are slow to implement automation and embrace AI risk damaging future growth, employee retention and their competitive edge.”
Communication
Arjan adds that resellers are an important communication pipeline into customers. “Resellers help us understand what customers like to see with an AI-embused print infrastructure that can feed back into new devices hitting the market,” he says.
“Resellers can also shape the conversation with customers, ensuring they can fully utilise AI. Those talks should encompass GenAI applications for chatbots, ways to organise data to ensure the AI is correctly trained and security considerations.
“But most importantly, resellers should ask how AI can achieve business outcomes. Doing AI for the sake of AI will only lead to failure. You need to attach a clear and attainable business goal to AI. Resellers can play a vital role in setting up AI expectations for success.”
Arjan adds that Lexmark is seeking to set resellers up for success with AI. “We have MPS Express, which enables resellers and system integrators to offer sophisticated Managed Print Services powered by AI through our platform,” he says.
Future
As we have seen over the past year, AI is a rapidly evolving technology, and will only provide more benefits to business as it develops in the coming months and years and becomes increasingly effective.
“AI will evolve as we train it with larger, richer data sets,” says Arjan. “It will be able to process more info with more accurate insights. Things like printer maintenance, waste management and supply fulfilment – which are already using AI – will be far more comprehensive and automated. We will see nuanced, bespoke applications for print as well.
“It also empowers the customer to do more with print like layouts and designs, colour corrections as well as hyper-targeted print jobs. An AI-powered chat-bot could act as an interface processing simple instructions to do complex printing tasks.”
Rowan adds that as AI technology continues to evolve and become more widely used, it represents a great opportunity for the print industry to increase the efficiencies of manual processes – but warns that it could be missed if businesses don’t receive proper guidance.
“To ensure the continued growth of the industry, print businesses need to ensure their employees are equipped with the right tools and skills to make the most of AI tools at their disposal,” he says. “Research conducted by Ricoh revealed that 33% of employees in the UK and Ireland use AI tools, such as Chat GPT, yet only 12% of companies have offered training on how to utilise AI tools. Without proper guidance on how to harness the technology, print businesses could miss out on productivity and business benefits.”
