How to Boost Productivity with Online Ordering & Print Workflow Automation

Summary: Struggling to increase productivity in your print business but don’t know how? Well, then this blog is a must read for you. NAPCO Research found that productivity is a top priority for printers and using productivity improving software for online ordering and workflow automation can help to achieve this goal. Read on to explore!

In today’s printing world, print business owners want to enhance productivity in various areas of their print operations, including online ordering systems, finishing equipment, prepress workflow, business management systems, and printing presses. An innovative print workflow automation software can help print businesses to achieve end-to-end automation and meet these productivity targets.

Also, streamlining online order submission can boost the productivity levels for print businesses. This can be achieved by utilizing an advanced print order management software for print business owners.

This blog is inspired by a whitepaper published by NAPCO Reasearch on ‘Pursuing Productivity: Commercial Printers Investing in Tools to Reduce Costs, Improve Throughout, and Gain a Competitive Edge’.

Let's discover how the right print innovations can improve your productivity and maximize your print business potential. Keep reading!

Why Printers Are Prioritizing Productivity in 2026?

Factors like rising costs, worker shortages, and tougher competition have led to the increased importance of productivity in the printing industry. Due to these factors, printers find it necessary to maximize productivity than ever before.

As per a research report by PRINTING United Alliance, almost 73% of commercial printers said that productivity is their major priority for 2025. In the surveys conducted, users also stated that capital investment is necessary to improve productivity and 70% of them plan to invest in productivity boosting systems over the next year.

Top Productivity Focus Areas for Print Businesses

In 2026, printers are seeking strategic ways to improve productivity in day-to-day operations. A new study by NAPCO Research suggests print business owners to make productivity investments in two focus areas. Let’s find out what these include:

1. Online Print Ordering System

A survey conducted by PRINTING United Alliance revealed that online ordering is a top priority for improving productivity in commercial print operations. Utilizing a print order management system can boost your print business efficiency and profitability in several ways. This powerful system benefits printers by:

• Streamlining the print ordering process for customers
• Automating print production and reducing manual labor
• Minimizing the number of steps taken to place orders
• Allowing expansion of products and value-added services
• Strengthening customer relationships and building loyalty
• Automating repetitive tasks and focusing on high-value jobs
• Maximizing revenue by handling more orders with less errors

2. Print Workflow Automation

Since semi-automated or manual production processes are slower, error-prone, and resource-intensive, they can cause productivity issues in print operations. Hence, implementing print workflow automation is a powerful way to boost productivity of printers.

Adopting a print workflow automation software can streamline your printing process by reducing manual intervention and improving overall efficiency. It automates and centralizes the entire print job life cycle from start to end, enabling printers to do more work in less time.

Furthermore, dashboards act as a vital productivity tool to provide timely, accurate, and in-depth data on production process performance. As per PRINTING United Alliance’s State of the Industry survey, two-thirds of commercial print business owners use dashboards for order management, 46% use them to monitor press performance, and 37% for digital printed job reporting.

Dashboards for monitoring print workflows can benefit printers by:

• Offering real-time visibility into production
• Enabling data-driven decision-making
• Driving print business growth
• Providing competitive advantage

How OnPrintShop Can Help Printers to Increase Productivity?

OnPrintShop empowers printers to maximize productivity by offering tailored web-to-print solutions for varied business requirements. From streamlining online ordering to automating workflows, print businesses can leverage OnPrintShop for all.

Our next-gen web-to-print solutions can help printers to address challenges like complex order management, inefficient workflows, and scalability issues. We don’t just help you in improving productivity but also empower you to maximize your profitability in the long run.

Success Story on OnPrintShop’s Client

Stiglerprinting, one of the 2000+ clients of OnPrintShop, achieved a 75% increase in revenue and 100% automated order processing after opting for OnPrintShop’s automated print order workflow solutions.

The firm faced challenges in managing order volumes, expanding product line, and reducing manual intervention. OnPrintShop helped the firm by providing tailor-made B2B storefront, print order management software, intuitive order processing system, and integration capabilities.

By choosing OnPrintShop, Stiglerprinting was able to achieve 360° automation, reduce reliance on human labor, expand product offerings, and improve order handling. This enhanced their operational efficiency and led to a significant increase in their revenue.

Wrapping It Up!As the print industry is evolving rapidly, adopting productivity improving advancements has become mandatory for success.If you want to simplify online ordering for customers and effortlessly manage multiple orders from a unified platform, try OnPrintShop’s modern print order management system for printers.Similarly, if your workflows are still not automated, then check out our AI-powered print workflow automation software provided by OnPrintShop.If you want to discover how OnPrintShop can help you in improving the productivity of your printing business, then request a personalized demo with OnPrintShop today! Our solution experts will not only understand your unique business needs but also suggest tailored W2P solutions to help you achieve your productivity goals in no time.