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.
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.
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Prospects often sent specs to multiple PSPs.
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By the time Hudson replied, a competitor had already won the order.
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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.
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Internally, the team slashed quoting time from hours to minutes.
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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
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65% reduction in human quoting effort — freeing teams to focus on growth.
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Quotes in <5 minutes instead of hours.
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Higher win rates by being the first to respond.
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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. 
The State of Intelligent Print Production 2026
Benchmarks, trends and AI strategies from the world's leading print operations — see what's driving growth in 2026.
Download the report →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.