FuturePrint Podcast
FuturePrint is dedicated to and passionate about the power of print technology to enable new opportunities and create new value. This pod features deep-dive discussions with the people behind the tech as well as market analysis, trends, marketing and storytelling!
FuturePrint Podcast
#300 - Mark Boyt on Why Robotics and AI Will Redefine Print’s Next Chapter
In this episode, FuturePrint speaks with Mark Boyt, one of the print industry’s most experienced and respected analysts, now Principal Analyst at Keypoint Intelligence. With more than four decades in print across 3M, Xerox and now Keypoint, Mark brings a unique, long-view perspective on how technology, culture and economics shape the sector’s evolution.
Mark discusses the slow but accelerating adoption of automation within print, revealing new research showing that nearly half of printers have not yet begun their automation journey. He explores why: the industry’s inherently conservative mindset, caution around investment, and the complexity of integrating disparate workflows.
A major theme of the conversation is robotics — where Mark believes print is significantly behind other industries, yet exceptionally well-positioned to benefit. He explains why robots are ideal for lifting, transporting and repetitive handling tasks that continue to pressure today’s production floors. He also addresses common misconceptions, such as fears around job loss, noting instead the potential to relieve labour shortages and free staff for higher-value work.
Mark also highlights the escalating role of AI as the “turbocharger” for automation, connecting workflow islands, optimising scheduling, and enabling more predictive and intelligent production.
The discussion ultimately presents a compelling vision of the near future: highly automated, AI-orchestrated production environments where robotics integrates seamlessly into print workflows. Mark shares clear, practical advice for printers on how to begin that journey, the importance of strategic planning, and why events like FuturePrint Industrial Print Munich offer essential opportunities to learn, see technologies firsthand, and build the roadmap for the next phase of print innovation.
Listen on:
Apple Podcast
Google Podcast
Spotify
What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events.
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint TECH: Industrial Print: 21-22 January '26, Munich, Germany
Welcome to the Future Print Podcast, celebrating print technology and the people behind it.
SPEAKER_01:Welcome to the latest episode of the Future Print Podcast. Happy to have with me for the first time, I believe, Mark Boyd, who is principal analyst at Key Point Intelligence, one of our key partners, Future Print partners. And Mark will be joining us in Munich for Future Print Industrial Print event and actually more specifically our AI for industrial print conference. So going to be following a bit of that theme later on in the discussion. But first and foremost, welcome to the podcast, Mark. Thank you, Marcus. It's great to be here. Great to have you. Um Mark, um you, I believe, have been involved in the printing industry for a while, even before you joined Key Point. Give us a little bit of an introduction and your background and how you were you got involved in print and more latterly key point.
SPEAKER_02:So funny enough, I've been in the print industry for over 40 years now. So um many, many years ago, I joined 3M as uh an industrial placement when I was doing my degree. And that was with the graphic arts group, as it was those days. So that was back in the days of film plates proofing, you know, before the uh the first digital revolution when the when the Macintosh came in. So I actually worked uh for 3M for for 10 years. So it's you know very close uh connections with all sorts of printers around uh around the UK. It was a UK-based job. And I you know really got to really take that print industry into my heart, that getting the ink under your under your nails and in your bloodstream, etc. It was um it was great to see the the industry and how it expanded and changed with that first digital revolution. And then after that, um I joined Xerox, where I actually was for twenty worked there for 28 years. Um when I first went to Xerox, it was very much in a hardware role. Um got involved in um small desktop printers more in the office space and then up to uh entry production devices. Uh, and then I had what I refer to as my uh sort of road to Damascus moment, when I sort of um realized that maybe hardware wasn't where the real excitement was going to be going forward. The real excitement was gonna be around software and especially around you know workflows and automation and how that was really going to change the whole kind of opportunity in the marketplace in those days, both in the office and in the production space. And what I took on then was a software role, which covered both production and office. And that's uh, you know, again, when I got into all sorts of uh interesting conversations with printers about automation was going to uh to change and modernize the market. And you know, here we are today. Um, I left Xerox uh about eight, 18 months ago now and joined Key Point. Funny enough, Key Point had been uh a supplier of mine throughout a good part of that uh Xerox time. So I got to know them very well, realized their, you know, knew their benefits and their and where they were also focused. And for me, you know, sometimes in um in a role, you do it because of passion, you do it because of um no needs must. But in this case, I feel um you know, I spent 40 years in the print industry, and so maybe it's about giving something back. So it's almost uh there's a little bit of uh altruism in here in terms of I feel sometimes, you know, especially when we think things about automation and what have you, that sometimes there's a there's a lag in take up. And sometimes you need to help, you know, an explanation, discussion, et cetera. And that's where I feel that's where my passion is, is actually encouraging people to grasp the opportunity that's in front of them, to see some of the software capabilities, et cetera, that can really make a difference for them and help them understand those uh those investments, how to do it, the return on investment that's going to flow from it, et cetera, and become that sort of uh encouragement in the marketplace to move on. And today I see that very much in the AI space and in the robotic space, that they're key technologies that it can really drive the print industry forward. And my role is very much one of um flag waving, showcasing those opportunities and say, and helping people make those investments and transitions that can really help them transform their business.
SPEAKER_01:Brilliant. And I like the the point you make there in terms of you notice that perhaps as an industry we're pretty obsessed with hardware, but that actually a big opportunity exists in software. And from what you're saying, it's still relatively early days, is it?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I mean it's quite sometimes you do research and you find answers that you expect, other times you find answers that um that surprise you. And I guess in some ways it doesn't surprise me, but the reality is I guess automation is still a long way from full automation. In fact, there was a there was a there was a statistic I read last week, which was quite frightening, which is 47% of printers haven't started yet on their automation journey. So you've almost got stratification in the market that half are on a journey, the other half haven't started yet. So there's a long way to go. Those that have started those automation, a lot of them is still in the what they call islands of automation, you know, pockets of investment they've made, but it's still surrounded by a lot of other manual activities. And I guess automation ultimately is all about connecting those together, you know, and smoothing out those processes to make sure you've got the you know the right flow through the business. I think one of the things I probably learned over the 40 years is the print industry is extremely resilient, it's dealt with so many ups and downs and challenges. I mean, it's a bellwether industry, you know, when there's you know, when there's economic climate challenges, it's one of the first to um to have to manage it. Uh, but it's all always good then at reinventing itself and finding new opportunities and driving on. But it's also has a quite a conservative nature, and I think when transformation opportunities come through, the industry likes to think about those a lot, contemplate it, really study it before making those investments. Of course, there's a logic to it because you know it is a production manufacturing business, and you don't want interruptions, you don't want you know new technologies ultimately to give you the glitches that hold you back. You it's always you know good to make sure it's uh tried and tested. But what my research would indicate today is I think we're at uh an interesting point now where there's a lot of pressures in the marketplace, whether that's uh you know labor challenges, rising costs, all of those elements, which I think put a strain on that conservative nature. There's uh you know, there's more pressure than before, and therefore there is a logic to you know, I've got to move, find a way forward. And that finding forward is probably around investing in automation to make you know to counter those those challenges. Because there's always a you know, there's a there's a push to it, but in many cases with automation, absolutely, there's a benefit, there's a payback as well. So it's all about what's the right time to make those changes. And I guess what we'll always see is some early adopters that get in there fast and and furious and benefit from it, and others that sort of um take it a little bit a little bit slower. But it's interesting where you know AI seems to be taken up in a different way. It seems to be accelerating and you know, more adopters coming through. And I believe robotics is going to follow that pattern as well. It's gonna come through a lot faster than many people anticipate.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so it's exciting what you've said. There are a few things that um chime uh really away. First off, though, you you're saying research, so key point, explain a bit about key point and what it is. I like the fact that you you feel like there's almost uh you're giving back to the industry some insight and guidance and so on with the work and the role you're doing now. But how does it work with key points? Do you do general studies? Do you do specific ones and and and and then perhaps some of the findings that you've found around um adoption?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So yeah, so keypoint is uh an industry analyst firm. So one of the things that makes key point very different is our focus on the print industry. So what you've got in in the heart is a lot of people that have got a lot of experience and expertise, not only in the industry, but also in the technologies such as uh research research, etc. Now, the beauty of research is what we we're doing is is talking to printers to get their their views. And in some ways, then we become the conduit of be able to take that valuable information and insight and need and share it back with the vendors who can then make the difference, the investments, etc., you know, to fulfill those challenges, overcome those challenges, and deliver you know great solutions going forward. So that's part of our role is that sort of conduit. Um, what I, as I said, I also see is that element of, especially with what we're seeing with robotics, is sort of a mismatch at the moment. The research is telling us that a lot of printers are aware, they certainly are struggling with those challenges of rising costs and labor challenges. And robotics is almost seems like a, you know, in some ways too good to believe, but it's almost a perfect fit for those challenges that uh that they're facing. Yet when I look at the the amount of robotics actually available today, and I and by that I include talking to robotic firms themselves and where they're focused, as well as to the traditional uh hardware vendors in the market, there's a not a lot of focus yet on robotics. And that therefore is uh I think is an opportunity to for key point to evangelize this opportunity and to you know bring everyone, bring the parties together so we can find the right solutions that uh say is going to make the difference going forward.
SPEAKER_01:Interesting. And the other thing that you were you pointed out earlier is that actually the the perfect storm for change often is when economic pressure inspires that, because at the end of the day, that is the ultimate um pressure that I think we all respond to. Um when you when you say robotics, so what is the what is causing the lag, as you call it? Is it um people are threatened by the uh you know the word robotics and what it might mean? Or is it uh is it a very complex technical um thing that that that that requires time, thought, a lot of expertise. What what what is causing that lag? You've already mentioned the conservative nature of the industry, but is it is it as simple as that, or is it the complexity?
SPEAKER_02:I think there's lots of elements in there. I mean, there is uh there's an interesting element about robotics in general, which is it it there's a feel of it which is quite different to buying any other piece of hardware. Um you know, I go I can think back to uh you know through my my childhood, etc., where you've seen robotics as being good and bad. Uh many of us have think of the Terminator and where the where the world could go if robotics takes over. So you have that in your mind. That's what sort of the we've been conditioned to think about robotics in those negative ways, um, but also in some positive ways. Uh, I still remember the very first um uh car advert that I saw for Strada, Fiat Strada, made by robots. And the fantastic headline headline was hand built by robots. So trying to get that impression of that actually, you know, no one wanted a Friday afternoon car, now you've got a robot building it, you've got that consistency. So you know the robotics always had that sort of positive and negative sort of feel to it, which is why you know one of the things that makes me smile is when uh, in a way, is when the research we asked about when people would buy potentially robotics, uh, there was a large number of people that said never. And when you think about a technology and you're asked about when do you think you'd buy it, I can see I can normally you get a response, well, maybe not today, I can see it in the future, but never is quite a you know a solid no. So why is that? And all I can think of is because actually, because of that history that we have about robotics, that for some people it's you know something they're very wary of. I think there's another side to it though, which is sometimes robotics and indeed AI um gets talked about in a negative way in terms of it's gonna take people's jobs away. And and in many cases, I mean, AI, and I think of AI and robotics, the first role they're gonna play is to work alongside and actually take up some of the slack, but also take on some of the heavier lifting. Now, I love the expression from robotic companies where they say they'll they do dull, dirty, and dangerous roles. That's the best place for them. Um, I don't think there's too much danger in the print industry. There's dirt, yes, some, but the dull bit, the repetitive bit, the you know, the strain of lifting a lot of the media that we have to do is a clear area of opportunity. So I think there's there's that nature of what what it might replace or take out that some printers, especially those that are more family-oriented, might also see that as a as a negative that I don't want to remove people from my team. But I say that's where I think first people need to think about robotics. It's not what they uh what they're gonna take away, but actually what they can do today. And the fact is the printing industry is one of those industries that is really suffering from labor challenges. You know, retaining people and bringing people to the industry is a challenge. So rather than struggle and reduce, I think robotics can plug some of those holes. And what it will do ideally is free up those people in terms of their current roles to be able to focus on what they do best. So take away those endless trips back to the warehouse to grab the paper and then concentrate on your station. That's where you can add more value and uh produce ultimately more. So that's where I think robotics are first and foremost going to fit in. So why the lag? Some of it I think is just um those challenges, some of it is awareness in terms of actually really understanding that what is possible where that where they can fit and play. And that awareness, I think there's two sides to it. I don't think the industry is talking about it enough. And back to that point of there isn't a thing when you you know go to a show, for example, like Printing United, there was very little robotics actually there for people to see and uh understand, therefore, what's possible. So there's a there's an awareness gap, and ultimately back to that conservative nature and rising costs, and back to you know, when you think of a of a technical or technological investment, the first thing that comes to your mind is that's going to be expensive. And therefore, it's almost puts you off right from the start. But what you know, when we had had some conversations with some vendors, what we see is a very clear return on investment in many of these cases, and therefore it's not so much about say the investment, it's what it pays back, what it delivers to your business, which becomes the real where the real conversation should be. And I think it's about how we can then make those connections and bring those conversations to the fore that are really going to help bring robotics into the market.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and the key thing that you said there, which I think is clear, is the access to the knowledge and insight and and then visibly seeing how it adds value and actually in the physical sense as well, seeing it working, right? I mean, if there's not a lot of it on the show at one of the biggest shows for printing in the world, then that says quite a lot, doesn't it, in terms of the it it it with robotics is this something in terms of technology that is available by manufacturers from outside the printing industry, or they tend to be well-known names. I think that's also a factor, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I I think it is. I mean, it's interesting because you if you think about where robotics are most active today, yeah. There's half a million robots sold pretty much every year at the moment, everything since um since COVID. That's been a consistent number. Where they're where they're extremely active is definitely in in automotive and in production lines. And you think about that logic of uh you know continuous activity, robotic arms, and various things driving that production on, it's uh it's an obvious place. One of the fastest growing areas is warehousing. Again, um many people may well have heard of some of the stories around Amazon and how they're heavily investing in robotic capabilities, including humanoid robots. Interestingly, they uh they've been trained at the moment to work in the warehouses, but also been trained to uh jump out the back of the vans and deliver parcels to the houses. So you can see those areas you know growing very quickly. And if you think about the print industry, I mean it's really a combination of those production lines and warehousing, it's really what makes up the print industry. So the capability is is there in those areas that can be brought into the print industry. Um, one of the exciting things I did last year was went to uh Automatica, the big one of the big robot shows in Europe. And talking to a lot of the robot companies there, the reality is they're in a business which is growing and lots of different opportunities. Their challenge is that next opportunity really beyond automotive. So they're looking for new, you know, new vertical opportunities. But there are others that stand out far greater than the print industry, whether that's you know pharmaceuticals, uh, food manufacturing, all sorts of interesting areas, and that's where they all seem to be focused is on those big growth opportunities. You know, when I look at um the Industrial Federation of Robots numbers in terms of you know what's been sold into the print industry, the reality is they don't have a number, it's it's almost too small to count. So that's a part of the issue. When where where are the robotic firms focused? It's not they're not yet aware, I believe, of the opportunity inside print. So if a printer went to a robotics firm, of which there are many uh well-known brands, etc., that you probably have a you probably have a feeling of you're unique. It'll be a one-off transaction. There'd be a lot of therefore you know, work to be done to you know to make them fit for purpose in the print industry. So there's definitely a role that I see for the you know the for the press manufacturers, maybe the fin and the finishing companies, etc., to create those relationships with those robotic firms to bring the capabilities in, you know, the the physical part, the robotic arms, the AMRs, etc. But what's needed from the print industry is then a you know alignment to our processes, our software that's going to drive them, et cetera, so they get the right commands. That's where the uh where the print industry needs to help. There's there's another element which I always find fascinating as well. When you when you look at a robot, you know, a humanoid robot, you see hands, and hands are wonderful things for you know for picking up paper, etc. Uh, when you now start to talk about uh robotic arms and capabilities, that becomes one of the unique things for the print industry is what's the best way to pick up the media and and transport it. So there's a lot of um specific investments or activities happening to develop the right grippers for holding the media and moving it around in the print process.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's almost like that the technology has to be designed custom uh in a custom manner to to deliver the right results and and service, in essence, for the printing industry. It's interesting. You said also the the the focus is on other industries that perhaps might have a more of a receptive culture and uh a financial um uh ROI that's more compelling. So that makes sense too. Um absolutely. And that was it was thinking in terms of Munich, obviously robotics is a key part of the theme of your talk. How does AI connect with that? How does the problem is you said earlier, the islands of of production within one business, how does AI, does AI kind of help unify all of this together?
SPEAKER_02:Or yeah, absolutely. Well, it's interesting. AI is a when you think about robotics, actually, one of the things, reasons why robotics has grown or elevated in terms of its capability in the last few years is through AI. When you think about a humanoid robot, in reality, what makes the humanoid robot think and do a lot of these things is AI. So robotics is effectively physical AI. It's the it's the outcome of uh all of that investment AI now leads us to this. So there's that aspect. The other aspect, which I also think is really important, is back to you know, it's a production process. So automation and getting those processes in line in the print process are really important. So those investments to make sure that um you know you've removed all those unnecessary steps, taking out as much of the manual activity is key. And AI, I see as that huge sort of turbo boost that's now been brought into the industry that's really accelerating some of those capabilities. And so the logic of you know, it's eventually going to make all those all those steps connected and easier to flow through in the industry. Robotics, to my mind, is gonna fit best when that automation is in place, when those processes are flowing. Because what you need is robotics to be triggered and interact with those processes. And if back to the point of you know, really robotics is very much around moving the media to the right places, then it's all about you know the process saying, I need that media now, and robotics delivering it at the right time. And what we know in the print industry is you know the production process um is great when it's a continual flow, but it's also a nature of a lot of the print activities today is shorter run, so more changeover, and you know, planning doesn't always um mean that it's a you know locked in, things happen, things change, new instructions have to be given. So you're back to that point of you know, robotics is part of that whole automation piece, and and part of those instructions of those changes need to be re-delivered and reconfigured, and the robots you know, sent back to the warehouse. No, don't get the other one. We need that now. So, yeah, it's all integrated and part of that whole uh automated future that we're all uh working to.
SPEAKER_01:And I guess what that takes then is a strategic helicopter view of the business, right? Rather than the tactical, I'll get that to do that. That and you're you're you're then getting in a bit of a muddle, aren't you? You've kind of got to take a helicopter view of this and really think it through over a period of time.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. I thought that I mean that's one thing I would always say is the most important thing for any print owner or anyone driving the you know the print aspects of the business is to make sure you've got that clear view of how everything fits together, the flow. You know, the the those workflows are critical. What triggers next, etc., etc. And as soon as you've got that all that mapped out and viewed, that's where you can really start to see where automation can make a specific benefit in each area. But as I say, the whole thing is about connecting that together. And you're right, then robotics is where does that slot into each of those areas? And the truth is, it isn't what's one area. I mean, it's going to be say bringing media in from the warehouse, it's going to be about taking the media from the press to the finishing area, for the finishing area to wherever it needs to go next, whether that's packing or back onto the main production line, whatever. There's lots of different movements that need to be to be coordinated in those activities. So you're right, the helicopter view is critical. And it's really interesting. I saw some um some great footage recently of uh of an automated warehouse where you've got all of these vehicles moving around autonomously, independently, and what you see is everything moving, adjusting, and moving on. It just works seamlessly together, and I guess that's where that's the vision of where all of this ultimately is going to take us.
SPEAKER_01:And how how would I um from you know, somebody that fascinated by this, thinking there could be an opportunity here to improve in essence and enhance profit, productivity, efficiencies, whatever? How would you know, from your point of view, your opinion be useful to know really how would a printer begin that process of creating that strategy? Would it research phase is really important, isn't it? And are there people like yourself would help, or how how could you give?
SPEAKER_02:I think research is really important in terms of understanding what those opportunities are. And I think there's plenty of um, I mean, in fact, I said that in many ways, partnerships in the industry with whether you're whether your press manufacturer, your software supplier, they're great sources of understanding what's possible, what's capable. And because all of this is around integration and making sure everything works seamlessly together. So they're great places or great people to uh to have those conversations with. Um, I would say you know, events normally are great places to go to to go and see them in action. Uh, I'm a firm believer is seeing is believing when you start to see what they're capable of doing, uh, the speed they can operate at, and what they you can start to much easier imagine how they would fit into your production line and what benefits they would bring. So, yes, it is about uh doing the right diligence beforehand, having those conversations.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so I sense it's not an off-the-shelf solution, is it so customized, so integral? You would you've got to look be open to learning and and and in order to do, like you say, the due diligence to make and create the right strategy and then the right technology.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I I think customized is probably, I mean, the reality is, I guess, the print process, lots of his elements are consistent. Uh, so there's certain amount of repeatability there. There's consistent product and the right grippers, etc. Um, but the nature of most printers is the you know the way they've done their layout, the way they sorted various things is you know bespoke to them. So you've got to make sure the robots, robots can fit into that environment. So there's an element of uh adjustment that's needed to be done. And and again, I think as robotics moves on and um and evolves and more printers get to buy, it should become more off the shelf in terms of at least the um you know the physical part of it, uh along with them with the um you know customization into your specific workflow. But yeah, it's going to keep moving.
SPEAKER_01:It's going to keep moving, yeah. And I'm looking forward to see how this develops. So any final thoughts really uh looking ahead to Munich uh that you might want to leave people with, and in you know, what way would if somebody's listening and they want to get in contact with you, the bet the best way to connect with you?
SPEAKER_02:Um well, the best way to connect with me is certainly through anything like LinkedIn or I'll make sure my email is provided out, etc. Always happy to help. The the the first thing, the first thing for me is once people start to think about robots and what they can truly do, and they get beyond that sort of um those fear factors that we've talked about before. But the reality of a robot is it's a physical piece of kit that can add real value into your production line. So we talked, you mentioned a little bit about efficiency, productivity. The one thing is also consistency, and that's the one of the beauties of that repetitive nature. That's what you know robots can deliver. So there's a huge amount of value they can bring into your business. But the chances are you may also be in that situation where you've got a lot of pressures on you in terms of how to evolve and move forward. Labor challenges, rising costs, the things we mentioned, robots have a great role to play in addressing those challenges as well as creating those new productivity benefits going forward. So for me, it is a great fit for the industry. So the most important thing to do is now start to think about it, to plan for it, start imagining where it would work in your business and start those conversations. The more people you can talk to to understand what's available today and how it can fit into your environment, the better. So going to Munich and participating in the in this event is a you know a perfect way to kick off those opportunities.
SPEAKER_01:Brilliant. And what we've put it better than I would have done. I appreciate you joining us today, Mark. Really fascinating area of part, like I said, part of the um the conference focused on AI for industrial print. And you know, I'm looking forward to hearing your talk and discovering more. And I really appreciate you joining us today. Yeah, it's been a pleasure.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, you can subscribe now for more great audio content coming up. And visit futureprint.tech for the latest news, partner interviews, in-depth industry research, and to catch up on content from future print events for three units time under futureprint.
