standardisation, proofing, and approval. By reducing back-and-forth, and reliance on specialist operators, it becomes a tool anyone can use, not just prepress teams,” says Duckworth, who adds: “This allows roles such as customer support to resolve issues earlier and keep work moving. The result is a more consistent and scalable path into production.” When it comes to the way print jobs are changing, Duckworth agrees that turnaround times are shrinking, runs are becoming shorter, and SKU counts are rising, putting more pressure on operations. This coupled with customers’ uncertainty regarding print requirements means that manual work is increased and delays and hidden costs can affect bookings. Duckworth says that Artworker can absorb that pressure by automatically correcting and standardising files, which in turn means that small or problematic jobs are viable once again. When it comes to AI and the new innovations taking place in the industry, Duckworth says that Artworker is investing in AI technology as a “practical layer” that acts like an additional team member. “It can run spell checks, visual inspections, and file analysis at scale, as well as normalise data and flag inconsistencies. It also broadens access, allowing more people to run tasks and query information using natural language rather than complex interfaces. Alongside this, deterministic automation remains essential for consistency. The approach is to combine both, with guardrails in place to ensure reliability,” says Duckworth. Advising on investing in prepress software, and why it is so important, Duckworth emphasises the significance of speed and turnaround, as well as impacts on customer experience and revenue. Duckworth comments: “If there is friction or delay in the process, customers are far more likely to go elsewhere. Faster checks, corrections, and approvals remove that risk, helping retain work and keep jobs moving. “It also enables sales teams to say yes more often, as jobs that were previously risky or time-consuming become manageable. It is not just about efficiency; it is about protecting revenue and enabling growth through a better customer experience.” For Duckworth, a lot of the wider changes in prepress software have been built around manual workflows and specialist operators, which he thinks do not scale well. “The shift is towards automation-first systems that embed consistency into the process. More checks are moving upstream to prevent downstream issues,” he says, also touching on the critical importance of connecting MIS, web-to-print, and production systems together to remove delays. “The focus is less on adding tools and more on removing friction”, he adds. A Variety of Applications and Considerations When it comes to prepress software, solutions can be applied to the various applications that are offered in the industry including labels, packaging, and wide-format print. While some challenges with The focus is less on adding tools and more on removing friction A 2024 report by PwC found that 40% of organisations leveraging AI for automation were seeing increased productivity 40% ▲ Nate Duckworth, founder of Artworker, exhibited and spoke at The Print Show 2025 about the issues that printers can face when dealing with artwork from customers ▲ CLOUDFLOW from Hybrid Software can help designate files to specific presses PREPRESS SOFTWARE | DAVID OSGAR 52 Issue 360 - May | June 2026 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk
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