The Most Dangerous Phrase in the Print Industry: “We’ve Always Done It This Way”

The Most Dangerous Phrase in the Print Industry: “We’ve Always Done It This Way”

Experience is valuable in printing.

But experience can also create process inertia.

Many print shops still operate with workflows designed decades ago.

Examples include:

• paper job tickets
• manual production boards
• email-based order management
• disconnected software systems

These processes worked when orders came by phone or fax.

But today’s customers expect something different.

The Shift Toward Digital Operations

Digital transformation is one of the biggest trends shaping the printing industry today.

Modern print operations increasingly rely on:

• integrated workflow systems
• digital job tracking
• online ordering
• automated production scheduling

These tools help companies reduce manual work and improve accuracy.

How Legacy Processes Hurt Growth

Outdated workflows create several problems:

• slower job turnaround
• higher risk of errors
• limited production visibility
• difficulty scaling operations

Automation helps eliminate many of these bottlenecks by streamlining tasks from order intake to finishing.

A Simple Question to Ask Your Team

Ask your employees:

“What process here wastes the most time?”

You may be surprised by the answers.

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Sources

• PrintEPS – Future of the Printing Industry
• Gelato – Print Workflow Automation Guide

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