AI Estimator

See why printers choose GelatoConnect over EFI Pace / PrintSmith.

Quote any print job in 15 seconds. Win it before your competitors finish typing.

The AI quoting engine behind Hudson Printing's 24/7 self-serve store, ESP Colour's 200+ estimates a day, and BSG's £750K tender win. Runs alongside Pace or PrintSmith from day one. Try it free for 14 days.

15-second AI quotes 2× win rate at BSG (£750K tender won) 200+ quotes/day at ESP Colour

Win the work

Open a new self-serve path for your buyers — without losing margin control.

Buyers expect a quote inside the same browser tab they're researching in. GelatoConnect Estimator gives commercial print operations a self-serve quoting layer that runs 24/7, returns accurate numbers in seconds, and keeps your margin rules in charge.

Paul Hudson, CEO of Hudson Printing

Customer story · Hudson Printing

24/7

self-serve quoting at Hudson Printing, opening a new path for buyers without losing margin control.

"It doesn't just make our estimating team faster and more automated — it also creates a powerful new path for buyers. They can self-serve a quote and we still control the margin."

Paul Hudson · CEO, Hudson Printing

Buyer experience

Self-serve

Customers price their own jobs on Hudson's own site, 24/7.

Margin control

Preserved

Margin rules baked in — AI never undercuts the floor.

Back-and-forth

Removed

Quotes returned instantly instead of the days it used to take.

The full Connect platform

One platform. Every part of your operation.

EFI Pace / PrintSmith is two legacy print MIS products now inside the ePS portfolio — not one platform. GelatoConnect is the full production stack — Estimator, the workflow engine, Apparel, and Store Link, all from one vendor on one roadmap. Start with the bit that hurts most today and roll in the rest on your timeline.

GelatoConnect Estimator

GelatoConnect

Estimator

Generate precise, margin-aware estimates in 15 seconds and deliver branded, customer-ready quotes in under 5 minutes.

Explore Estimator
GelatoConnect

GelatoConnect

 

One platform that handles what your team is doing manually today - from the moment a job comes in to the moment it ships.

Explore Connect
GelatoConnect Apparel

GelatoConnect

Apparel

Powers high-volume DTG, DTF, and embroidery with one intelligent platform. Connects orders, blanks, artwork, production, and fulfilment.

Explore Apparel
GelatoConnect Store Link

GelatoConnect

Store Link

Connect your customers directly to your production floor. White-label ecommerce storefronts and B2B ordering portals — with every order flowing straight into GelatoConnect.

Why commercial printers switch from EFI Pace / PrintSmith to GelatoConnect.

Printers running Pace or PrintSmith today are weighing the same three questions about staying on a legacy MIS inside the ePS / CAI portfolio. Here's how GelatoConnect Estimator answers them.

01

Quote in 15 seconds. Without changing your MIS.

GelatoConnect Estimator runs alongside Pace or PrintSmith from day one. 15-second AI quotes with under 0.35% error rate. Hudson Printing uses the same engine to give their buyers 24/7 self-serve quoting. No MIS migration project to greenlight.

02

One Gelato roadmap. Not two ePS products.

Pace and PrintSmith are two separate products inside the ePS "Midmarket Print Suite"S1. Two roadmaps, two release cycles, two integrations to maintain. GelatoConnect Estimator is one product from one vendor — with the rest of the Connect platform on the same roadmap.

03

Estimator today. The full platform when you're ready.

Start with the wedge: AI quoting in 15 seconds. Roll workflow, Apparel and Store Link in on your timeline. Hudson Printing runs the same engine to offer 24/7 self-serve quoting to their commercial buyersG2.

Side-by-side: GelatoConnect vs. EFI Pace / PrintSmith

Every claim about EFI Pace / PrintSmith below is sourced from EFI Pace / PrintSmith's own published material. Every claim about GelatoConnect is sourced from gelato.com. Sources at the end of the page.

Capability ★ GelatoConnect EFI Pace / PrintSmith
What you're licensing One platform from one vendor, on one roadmap Pace and PrintSmith are two separate products in the ePS Midmarket Print Suite. ePS portfolio includes 17+ products in totalS1
How quotes get priced 15-second AI quotes, <0.35% error rate, trained on real production dataG2 Legacy print MIS estimating via configured rules and templates inside Pace or PrintSmith. No AI-native quoting engine
Published customer outcomes 2× win rate, £750K tender won, +11% margin at BSGG3; 24/7 self-serve quoting live at Hudson PrintingG2 No Pace- or PrintSmith-specific customer outcomes published on printepssw.comS1
Procurement automation Native module — supplier replenishment, real-time inventory, >40% material overhead reductionG1 Not a primary capability of Pace or PrintSmith; sold separately inside the ePS portfolioS1
Logistics & carriers ~100 carriers natively integratedG1 "Process Shipper" sold as a separate ePS productS1
Apparel + Web-to-Print Apparel (DTG/DTF/embroidery) and Store Link (B2B + e-commerce W2P) included in the same suiteG4 MarketDirect StoreFront sold as a separate ePS product. No native apparel moduleS1
Who's in charge in 2 years Gelato. One company, one roadmap, since 2007. CAI Graphic Communications business unit, mid-merger as of October 2025M
How you try it 14-day free trial, configured with your machines and pricing — no credit card No published trial; pricing not disclosed on printepssw.com (May 2026)

See AI quoting on your own jobs.

Two ways to try GelatoConnect Estimator without leaving EFI Pace / PrintSmith. Start the 14-day free trial yourself, or book 30 minutes with a Gelato production specialist.

How printers adopt GelatoConnect

Start with Estimator. Expand when you're ready.

Run GelatoConnect Estimator alongside Pace or PrintSmith today. AI-native quoting in 15 seconds with a 14-day free trial. When you're ready, expand into the rest of the Connect platform — from one vendor, on one roadmap.

  • Drop AI Estimator in next to Pace or PrintSmith. Start quoting in 15 seconds without changing your MIS.
  • Use the same engine Hudson Printing uses to give buyers 24/7 self-serve quoting.
  • Roll workflow, Apparel and Store Link in later — on your timeline, not on a CAI roadmap.
  • Stop maintaining the integrations between Pace, PrintSmith and the rest of the ePS stack. One Gelato platform, one support contract.

GelatoConnect vs. EFI Pace / PrintSmith: frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to EFI Pace or PrintSmith?+

GelatoConnect Estimator. Pace and PrintSmith are two legacy MIS products inside the ePS portfolioS1, with Print ePS mid-merger with CAI Software since October 2025M. GelatoConnect Estimator is AI quoting that runs alongside either Pace or PrintSmith from day one — 15-second quotes, 14-day free trial, no rip-and-replace.

Can I run GelatoConnect Estimator alongside Pace or PrintSmith?+

Yes. GelatoConnect Estimator is a standalone AI quoting product. Adopt it without replacing Pace, PrintSmith or any other ePS product. Once Estimator is generating value, the broader GelatoConnect platform can be rolled in on your timeline.

How does AI-native quoting differ from Pace or PrintSmith estimating?+

Pace and PrintSmith use traditional MIS estimating — rules and templates configured by your team. GelatoConnect Estimator is AI-native: trained on real production data, generating accurate quotes in 15 seconds with a published <0.35% error rateG2. BSG doubled their win rate and closed a £750K tender by being first to respond.

Who owns Pace and PrintSmith now?+

Both Pace and PrintSmith are products in the eProductivity Software (Print ePS) portfolioS1. In October 2025, Print ePS announced it would become "the Graphic Communications business unit of CAI"M. GelatoConnect is built and operated by Gelato — one company, one roadmap.

What is GelatoConnect priced at compared to Pace or PrintSmith?+

GelatoConnect Estimator includes a 14-day free trial — configured with your machines, substrates and pricing — with no credit card required. Beyond the trial, GelatoConnect is priced per producer. Pace and PrintSmith pricing is not published on printepssw.com as of May 2026.

Two ways to try it

See AI quoting on your own jobs.

Start the 14-day free trial yourself — configured with your machines, substrates and pricing. Or book 30 minutes with a Gelato production specialist to walk through your real jobs first.

Sources

  1. printepssw.com (Pace and PrintSmith product listings, Midmarket Print Suite page) — accessed May 2026 — "AI-Powered, Intelligent, and Scalable Print Management Software Solutions", Pace and PrintSmith sold as separate products inside the ePS portfolio. [S1]
  2. ePS-CAI merger press release — October 8, 2025 — "combined in a merger of equals", "Print ePS will become the Graphic Communications business unit of CAI". [M]
  3. gelato.com/connect/estimator — GelatoConnect AI Estimator. [G1, G2]
  4. BSG case study. [G3]
  5. gelato.com/connect/why — the full GelatoConnect platform. [G4]

All third-party trademarks (EFI Pace / PrintSmith and any others referenced) belong to their respective owners and are referenced for factual comparison only. Information was retrieved from public sources in May 2026 and may have changed since.