GelatoConnect Blog

The future of print buying | GelatoConnect

Written by GelatoConnect team | Sep 29 2025

Managing printing needs can be a daunting task, especially at scale. There are many challenges, from maintaining consistent quality to efficiently managing numerous print jobs.

For Hudson Printing, a US-based commercial printer known for quality, the challenge wasn’t print production — it was speed to market.

Customers increasingly expected instant answers. Yet quoting remained slow, manual, and frustrating. CEO Paul knew something had to change.

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The Challenge: Customers Won’t Wait

Traditionally, Hudson’s quotes could take hours to prepare. For buyers used to ecommerce experiences, that felt like an eternity.

  • Prospects often sent specs to multiple PSPs.

  • By the time Hudson replied, a competitor had already won the order.

  • Sales teams felt trapped in admin rather than focused on growth.

The bottleneck was damaging both customer experience and conversion rates.

The Solution: AI Estimator

Hudson Printing adopted Gelato’s AI Estimator to bring quoting into the modern age.

  • Internally, the team slashed quoting time from hours to minutes.

  • Externally, Hudson embedded Estimator directly on its website. Now, buyers could describe their jobs and receive instant, validated quotes 24/7.

Sales staff were freed to focus on complex and high-value accounts.

The Results: Faster, Smarter, More Customer-Centric

  • 65% reduction in human quoting effort — freeing teams to focus on growth.

  • Quotes in <5 minutes instead of hours.

  • Higher win rates by being the first to respond.

  • Always-on quoting: Website became a 24/7 sales channel.

Customer experience upgrade: Buyers described Hudson as more modern, responsive, and easier to work with.

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Conclusion

Hudson Printing didn’t just make estimation faster — it transformed quoting into a growth engine. For Paul, AI Estimator is more than automation. It’s a way to give buyers what they want: speed, simplicity, and confidence.