Artificial intelligence (AI) has been developing at a rapid pace. In fact, Steve Metcalf, founder, CEO, and chief AI officer at IMAGINE AI LIVE, likens one month of AI development to a full year of software developments prior to AI’s meteoric rise.
This quick development has opened up “an entirely new economy, a new way of thinking,” Metcalf says.
“Humans aren’t put on the world to do mundane stuff, but that’s what we’ve been stuck with in the old economy,” he says. “But they’re not doing mundane stuff anymore. And if you’re not using AI, you’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.”
Metcalf shared these key pointers on the best ways printing and packaging professionals can implement AI today during a session at the PRINTING AI Pavilion at the 2025 PRINTING United Expo in Orlando, Florida.
Multimedia
For printing and packaging professionals, one of the most accessible ways to venture into AI is to use it to help create graphics. Depending on the specific model you use, you can input either a text description of what you want, or a reference image with additional context.
“Have you ever gotten a print file from a client and they said it needs to be printed yesterday — but they didn’t give you the right bleed, and now you have to go back and forth and back and forth?” Metcalf says. “What if you could just offer them a service for a few 100 bucks: ‘We’ll perfectly bleed your images for you and charge you for it’? You can do that.”
Research
In the past, the surest way to do research on a new printer, prepress software, or other solution has been to attend events and do a standard web search, Metcalf says. Now, he explains, AI can give you a solid baseline and save you time.
“What I recommend, especially if you’re doing research, go to more than one [AI tool], because there is this thing called hallucination that the industry is trying to solve,” he says. “They’re getting much better at being grounded when they do these searches, but it’s great to have three different points of view.”
Metcalf notes this strategy can also be used to develop content that would otherwise take you a long time to put together, such as a strategic growth plan for your company.
Software
Metcalf also highlights the software implications of AI. Whereas printers used to invest heavily in software, AI has lowered the price point for software.
“So this is an illustration: In the old economy, maybe it took half-a-million dollars if you wanted a piece of software that was custom-rolled for your business,” Metcalf says. “You’d have to hire dev shops, designers — they’re expensive … Now, the new economy, you can’t even see the bar, because it’s, like, $100 and your time. Your time probably should be billed into that, right? It’s about $100 to get an app built in about a day that can solve things you would not believe that you can do.”
Read this full feature on Printing Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Expo, ASI’s strategic partner.
