Margins in print have never been tighter. With rising costs in materials, energy, and labor, many print businesses are working harder but earning less. The problem isn’t necessarily production quality or customer demand.
It’s workflow inefficiency.
From clunky admin to error-prone approvals and disjointed systems, outdated processes can quietly drain thousands from your bottom line every year. Fortunately, that’s where modern web-to-print platforms come in.
The best web-to-print solutions don’t just make life easier for your team, they transform how orders are placed, processed, and produced. Below, we explore four areas where the right platform can help you cut costs, save time, and bring profitability back to your print operation.
1) Taking Sales Online with a Self-Service Storefront
The Problem:
In traditional setups, orders trickle in through emails, spreadsheets, or even handwritten notes. Quotes are manually created. Jobs are tracked in shared folders. Put simply, it’s chaos. With each touchpoint comes the risk of miscommunication, delays, or costly errors.
The Solution:
A branded, online storefront allows your customers to order products, upload artwork, review pricing, and pay, all without needing to speak to anyone. Repeat customers can log in to reorder past jobs. Custom pricing, product visualization, and approval workflows are built-in.
This level of automation not only speeds up the sales process, it reduces admin overhead and empowers your team to focus on higher-value work.
Industry data shows web-to-print adoption can reduce manual admin by up to 80% for B2B print operations.
2. Reducing Revision Cycles with Built-in Editing Tools
The Problem:
Even simple artwork changes can involve multiple rounds of feedback, emails, and versioning issues. Designers often spend hours correcting small errors, tweaking layouts, or replacing images—and the job still might not be print-ready.
The Solution:
The leading web-to-print platforms now offer online personalization and editing tools that allow customers to make their own changes in real time. These tools can lock certain brand elements (like logos or colors), while giving flexibility to update names, images, or messages.
This not only streamlines the ordering experience, it reduces the need for internal design support—cutting revision cycles and freeing up your pre-press team for more complex jobs.
Studies reveal that businesses that offer online editing see a reduction of up to 80% in artwork revisions.
3. Syncing with Your MIS, CRM, and Production Systems
The Problem:
When systems aren’t integrated, data is entered multiple times—first into the ordering system, then into the MIS, and again for production or invoicing. This manual handoff introduces errors, delays, and confusion.
The Solution:
The best web-to-print platforms are built to integrate with your existing MIS (Management Information System), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), and production tools—automating the flow of job data from order to output. With real-time syncing, everyone stays aligned: sales, production, and customer service.
Fewer manual steps = fewer mistakes, faster job turnarounds, and better customer experiences.
Data shows that automated job processing can reduce order turnaround time by up to 70%.
(Source: Dynamic Print)
4. Pre-Press Automation & Smart Batching
The Problem:
Files come in all shapes and sizes—some missing bleeds, others in RGB instead of CMYK, some with low-resolution images. Pre-press teams spend hours manually checking files and requesting replacements. Batching is often overlooked, leading to inefficient use of presses.
The Solution:
Modern platforms incorporate automated preflight checks that flag common issues on upload—so customers can correct them before submitting. Files that pass checks go straight into production. Smart batching groups similar jobs by stock, finish, or press type, saving setup time and materials.
Combined, these features not only reduce waste—they also keep your press running at full capacity.
Inefficiencies in pre-press workflows can result in up to 20% revenue loss annually.
Putting It All Together: Small Fixes, Big Gains
When you step back and look at the impact of these four changes—online storefronts, live editing, system integration, and pre-press automation—it becomes clear just how much you stand to gain.
Here’s what those improvements can mean:
- 80% less time spent on admin and quoting
- 80% fewer revisions on artwork
- Up to 70% faster job turnaround
- 30% reduction in waste and materials via batching and automation
And it’s not just operational efficiency. A smoother workflow leads to faster delivery, fewer mistakes, and happier customers—which is where real growth happens.
Why It Matters Now
The global shift towards automation in print isn’t just about staying competitive—it’s about staying profitable.
- 65% of print jobs in North America are now digital
- More than 60% of commercial print businesses have adopted web-to-print in some form
- Manual processes are still the #1 cause of workflow delays and revenue loss in print operations
If you’re still relying on spreadsheets, email chains, and handoffs to get work out the door, you’re not just working harder—you’re leaking revenue.
Supercharge Your Workflow
Getting back to profitability isn’t about working longer hours or slashing prices. It’s about making smarter workflow decisions at every stage—from how customers order, to how jobs are managed, produced, and delivered.
Download Our Free Guide
Whether you’re running a busy commercial print house or scaling a niche offering, the right web-to-print platform can unlock new efficiencies, reduce hidden costs, and give your team the tools to succeed.
Learn how Infigo could transform your workflows by downloading our guide Workflow Bottlenecks: The Hidden Cost in Print Operations and How to Fix Them.
