The Hidden Goldmine: How Production Data Can Transform Your Printing Business

Data is Everywhere – But Are You Using It?

Walk into any printing or packaging facility, and you’ll see machines running, workers managing print jobs, and stacks of materials moving in and out. What’s often missing?

A structured way to collect and use production data.

Most printing businesses still rely on manual registers, pre-printed forms, and handwritten logs to track machine performance, labor hours, and material usage. But let’s be real—this method is outdated, slow, and prone to errors. The real power lies not in collecting data but in analyzing it to make smarter decisions.

Let’s break down the importance of production data, the challenges of collecting it, how printers are currently tracking data, and why modern analytics tools can completely change the game.

The Importance of Data in the Printing & Packaging Industry

Why should a printing business care about production data? Because data-driven decisions can help you: •  Reduce downtime – Know exactly when machines are underperforming or need maintenance. •  Improve manpower efficiency – Track how operators perform and optimize shift schedules. •  Cut material waste – Understand how much ink, paper, or packaging materials you actually need. •  Boost profitability – Spot hidden costs and optimize pricing for better margins. •  Expand strategically – Use real production insights to guide investments in new machines or manpower.

•  Real-World Example: A printing company tracked production data and realized that 29% of its machine downtime was due to machine breakdown. By realising the downtime reasons, they increased machine uptime by 18%—without buying new equipment!

Challenges in Data Collection: Why It’s Not So Simple

Most printers understand that production data is valuable, but here’s the reality:

1. Manual Data Collection is Slow & Inaccurate

   • Operators write down machine running hours, downtime, or errors by hand.

   • Often, these entries are incomplete, inaccurate, or lost.

   • Human errors mean that what’s written is often different from what actually happened.
     

2. Registers Are Inefficient

   • Many businesses use logbooks to record daily production data.

   • Data remains scattered and unstructured, making it hard to analyse.

3. No Real-Time Visibility

   • Since data is collected manually, owners and managers only review it once a week or even once a month.

   • By the time problems are identified, it’s often too late to fix them in real time.
     

4. Lack of Analytics = Useless Data

   • Simply having records of machine hours or material usage is not enough.

   • Without analytics, you can’t see trends, spot inefficiencies, or make data-backed decisions.
     

How Printers Are Collecting Data Today: Old-School Methods

Despite technological advancements, many printing businesses still use traditional, manual methods for tracking production data. These include:

• Registers & Logbooks – Operators note machine start/stop times and downtime reasons.

• Pre-Printed Forms – Production managers record daily job details on paper forms.
  

Pros of These Methods:

• Simple and easy to implement.

• Low-cost.

• Familiar process for operators.
  

Cons of These Methods (And Why They’re Holding You Back!):

• Time-consuming – Data entry takes hours, and errors are common.

• Delayed insights – Data is reviewed too late to make real-time decisions.

• No automation – No way to link data with job costing, material orders, or maintenance schedules.

• Scalability issues – As your business grows, data tracking becomes impossible.
  

The Game-Changer: Converting Data into Real Analytics

Collecting data is only half the battle—what matters is turning it into insights. PrintPulse, a powerful machine productivity tool, helps printing businesses monitor performance in real-time, automate data collection, and reduce downtime.

With PrintPulse, you can: •   Track machine uptime/downtime instantly •  Automate data collection •  Identify downtime causes & improve efficiency

•   Get real-time alerts for errors & maintenance •  Visualize production trends with cloud dashboards

Final Thoughts: Stop Guessing, Start Growing!

Still using registers and pre-printed forms? PrintPulse helps you optimize production, minimize downtime, and boost profits with real-time insights.

🚀 Ready to transform your business? Start using PrintPulse today!