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The Power of Web-to-Print Automation in Addressing Print Workforce Challenges

Blog | 15 Jul 2025
W2P automation streamlines print workflows

Summary: Are you struggling with rising labor costs, staffing shortages, or slower turnaround times caused by traditional workflows in your print business? You’re not alone, and there are effective solutions for this problem. This blog delves into how print automation can solve the workforce crisis and enhance business productivity, ensuring competitiveness. Read on to explore!

One of the common issues in today’s print businesses is that printers get more print orders but find it difficult to fulfill all of them on time. The staff are often well-trained and do their best, but it becomes difficult to meet tight deadlines and avoid costly mistakes.

As per research, almost 76% of businesses utilize automation to standardize day-to-today workflows, making repetitive operations quicker and more consistent. These stats prove that automation is being widely adopted to maximize productivity levels.

In such a scenario, utilizing the power of a progressive web-to-print automation can truly be a game-changer. It will help print business owners to maintain the right balance between manual involvement and automation, ensuring the business runs smoothly. In this blog, let’s delve deeper into how print workforce challenges can be addressed with print automation.

On this Page
  1. The Workforce Crisis in the Print Industry: What’s Really Going On?
  2. What Is the Need for Balancing Web-to-Print Automation with Skilled Expertise
  3. Key Benefits of Web-to-Print Automation for Workforce Management
  4. Tips to Adopt Web-to-Print Automation Smoothly
  5. Wrapping It Up!

The Workforce Crisis in the Print Industry: What’s Really Going On?

There's no doubt that customers’ demands keep changing day by day. In such a competitive landscape, where print buyers can instantly jump from one business to another if it does not meet their requirements, having a solid customer-centric framework is essential.

On the other hand, it has become more difficult than ever to hire and retain skilled personnel, especially to perform tasks like pre-press, production, and finishing. As a print business, managing everything ranging from labor shortages, rising costs, high turnover, the expectation of personalized experiences, and faster turnaround from customers is no small feat.

This gap between the limited workforce capacity and the evolving business demands can hinder your business growth and may even negatively impact your profits. So, what’s the solution for this? How can print businesses like yours deliver extraordinary customer experiences while preventing staff burnout and eliminating the need to constantly expand your workforce?

Let’s unveil that in the next section.

Explore How AI-Powered Web-to-Print Solutions Can Strengthen Your Workforce

What Is the Need for Balancing Web-to-Print Automation with Skilled Expertise

The print industry is constantly adapting modern technologies to keep pace with the evolving customer demands. Today’s print buyers demand effortless ordering, faster deliveries, and error-free prints.

While manual operations might be sufficient to fulfill a small volume of orders with less personalization, high-volume print orders with complex customizations might need a robust system to fulfill them on time. Utilizing automation in print businesses can maximize productivity and profitability by speeding up day-to-day print operations.

In this digital age, it has become necessary to strike the right balance between print automation and skilled workers. The combined power of automation and human insights is unbeatable, and hence, leveraging it in the right way can help printers deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Each element has its own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, automation can quickly process multiple orders with minimal errors. But when it comes to performing tasks like client relationship building, only skilled staff members can understand client requirements, guide them effectively, and build trust, something that automation alone cannot provide.

Automation should complement the work of skilled workers, not replace their existing jobs. The best way would be to train staff on utilizing the power of automation to manage complex tasks and maximize their outcomes.

Key Benefits of Web to Print Automation for Workforce Management

Web-to-print automation can be highly beneficial if leveraged correctly. Print businesses like yours can utilize this powerful technology for effective workforce management. Let’s see how.

W2P automation boosts workforce efficiency

1. Automates Repetitive, Time-Consuming Printing Tasks

By utilizing a modern print order management system, you can automate repetitive tasks like order intake, pre-press checks, and job routing. With this automation-based system, printers can reduce the burden on staff and reduce human errors.

2. Speeds Up the Entire Print Order Lifecycle

Automation-driven W2P system can speed up the entire order lifecycle from start to end. During times like dealing with tight deadlines or during seasonal surges in order volume, this automated system becomes highly beneficial.

3. Empowers Staff to Focus on High-Value Work

Print businesses can let automation take over complex and repetitive tasks like order entry and print job scheduling. This strategic shift can empower your staff to focus on other high-value and impactful tasks to grow your business.

4. Minimizes Costly Errors and Design Rework

By incorporating an automated process in your print business, there will be less room for any costly mistakes. With minimal manual input and more automation, you can offer accurate print estimating, minimize design revisions, and ensure reduced material wastage.

5. Enables Smarter Print Workflow Management

Automation-based W2P systems enable smarter print workflow management by offering capabilities like smart print job assignment, dashboards, and more. Printers can utilize these print-specific tools to effectively track the status of print jobs and streamline workflows.

6. Supports Print Volume Growth Without More Hiring

Leveraging the power of automation can help printers scale up business operations without increasing their workforce. This simple yet powerful system can enable printers to handle more print order volumes without hiring more staff.

Learn How Print Automation Can Make a Transformative Impact on Your Workforce

Tips to Adopt Web-to-Print Automation Smoothly

Adopting web-to-print automation can be a transformative move for your print business, and to make the most out of it, you should know the roads ahead. Therefore, here are some tried and tested tips to ensure a seamless transition.

Easy tips for w2p adoption

1. Map Out a Clear Strategy

Before diving in, knowing your business goals for automation is a must. Whether it’s reducing order turnaround time or handling more orders without expanding the team size, a targeted goal helps guide the quickest implementation path.

2. Choose an Apt W2P Solution

Opt for a customizable and scalable platform that can grow with your business expansion. Ensure it integrates well with the tools you are habitual to working with, and has niche-specific features for your print segments.

3. Train Your Team in Advance

Involve your staff before implementing. Provide hands-on training, access to knowledge bases, and let them contact live support for any breakdowns. Employees are more likely to embrace change when empowered.

4. Automate One Phase at a Time

You don’t have to automate every operation in one go. Start with repetitive and time-intensive tasks like order intake, estimating, or artwork approval. Expand gradually and automate one workflow at a time with confidence.

5. Monitor to Optimize Continuously

Once in practice, you should track performance metrics continuously. Look for scope of improvement in workflows, reduction in human dependencies, and enhancement of customer experience using your W2P solution.

With the right approach, web-to-print automation can eliminate inefficiencies, boost productivity, and free up your team to focus on growth-oriented tasks.

Wrapping It Up!Web-to-print automation is surely a boon for modern print businesses. It is not optional- but a necessity for overcoming the print workforce crisis.In fact, an advanced W2P automation software provider like OnPrintShop offers top-notch automation capabilities to balance human efforts with modern tech. Adopting the right software can help you to streamline your print operations, boost overall productivity, reduce printing costs, and gain a competitive edge.If you haven’t explored our neo-modern web-to-print capabilities yet, then don’t delay and request a demo with OnPrintShop today. Witness a personalized demonstration by our solution experts on how OnPrintShop’s print automation capabilities can optimize your print operations while effectively meeting your workforce challenges.

FAQs

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