Gelato Launches GelatoConnect AI Estimator: The Print Industry’s First AI-Powered Quoting Engine
An industry-first tool that delivers estimates in 15 seconds, customer-ready quotes in under five minutes, and cuts manual work in half — transforming how printers win business.
Gelato today announced the launch of its GelatoConnect AI Estimator, a breakthrough innovation that redefines how print service providers (PSPs) quote and win work. By injecting artificial intelligence into one of the industry’s biggest bottlenecks, Gelato is setting a new global standard for speed, accuracy, and competitiveness.
With GelatoConnect AI Estimator, PSPs can generate precise estimates in just 15 seconds and deliver branded, customer-ready quotes in under five minutes—slashing manual quoting work by more than 50%.
For decades, quoting has been the print industry’s Achilles heel: slow, manual, and dependent on a handful of experts. The result? Lost deals, inconsistent pricing, and eroded margins. GelatoConnect’s AI Estimator replaces this with a fast, consistent, margin-protective process—helping PSPs win more business by being the first to respond.
Early adopters are already seeing impact
“The AI Estimator by GelatoConnect is going to be a game changer. We can now generate quotes in one minute, simply by copying and pasting an email or typing into an AI prompt box,” said Simon Smogur, CEO of ESP Colour. “Speed, being able to margin correctly, and our estimators being confident it’s right the first time – that’s what we’re seeing so far, and we’re on a nine-week up-streak in margin vs. last year.”
PSPs can even embed the AI Estimator directly into their websites—so customers can get accurate, margin-protected quotes instantly, without back-and-forth emails.
“Buying print has always been too hard,” said Paul Hudson, CEO of Hudson Printing Company. “With GelatoConnect’s AI Estimator, that barrier disappears. Print buyers can go to our website, describe what they want, and get an instant quote. That simplicity drives growth for us and transforms the buying experience.”
How it works
From messy requests to accurate quotes in minutes:
Refine – AI translates free-text requests into structured production requirements.
Generate – AI combines customer inputs with PSP cost parameters.
Validate – Each estimate is checked for accuracy, competitiveness, and compliance.
Output – The system produces a branded, ready-to-send quote instantly.
The result: a step-change in print estimating — from slow and error-prone to fast, automated, and consistent.
Why it matters
Gelato’s 2025 State of Print Production Report shows that 80% of print professionals view AI and automation as essential, yet most are not investing in it. With GelatoConnect AI Estimator, leading printers are pushing the industry forward by showing what’s possible with AI and automation.
"Quoting is one of the most critical moments in any business relationship — but across industries, it’s often slow, manual, and inconsistent," said Henrik Müller-Hansen, Founder and CEO of Gelato. "By embracing AI in this process, printers are showing what leadership looks like: transforming a universal challenge into a competitive advantage. With GelatoConnect AI Estimator, print is not following the future — it’s helping define it."
About Gelato
Gelato is a software company on a mission to redefine global manufacturing for people and the planet. Through its network of 150+ local production partners in 32 countries, Gelato provides the operating system for local manufacturing,
GelatoConnect. It consolidates every element of digital print production into a single platform, driving profitable growth, efficiency and control.
GelatoCreate, empowers creators and ecommerce entrepreneurs to reach customers anywhere in the world without the burden of inventory, upfront costs, or long-haul shipping. Orders are automatically routed to local production hubs, ensuring products are made closer to the end customer, reducing costs, transportation distances, and waste caused by overproduction. The result is a more streamlined supply chain and new way of manufacturing and distributing products—better for people and the planet.
Gelato was founded by CEO Henrik Müller-Hansen in 2007 and consists of GelatoConnect, GelatoCreate, and GelatoConsumer, operating under the Optimalprint brand. Backed by Insight Partners, Dawn Capital, SoftBank, and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Gelato is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with 16 offices worldwide, including in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Pakistan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the UK, the US, and Vietnam.
To learn more about Gelato, visit Gelato.com. For career opportunities, visit Gelato’s careers page.
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