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.
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.
ePS is a portfolio of 17+ bolted-together products. 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.
Why commercial printers switch from ePS to GelatoConnect.
Printers running on an ePS product today are weighing the same three questions before committing to another decade on the same stack. Here's how GelatoConnect Estimator answers them.
Quote in 15 seconds. Not via "AI-enhanced workflows".
ePS markets "AI-Enhanced Workflows" across its 17-product portfolioS1. GelatoConnect Estimator is the AI quoting engine itself — 15-second quotes with under 0.35% error. Hudson Printing offers their customers 24/7 self-serve quoting on it.
One platform. Not 17 you have to wire together.
Estimator, workflow, Apparel and Store Link in one Gelato platform. ePS publishes 17+ separate products: Pace, PrintSmith, Tharstern, Monarch, Avanti, PrintFlow 4D, Process Shipper, MarketDirect StoreFront, iQuote, and moreS1. Each is a separate licence and integration project.
ePS becomes a CAI business unit. Your roadmap moves.
October 2025: Print ePS becomes "the Graphic Communications business unit of CAI"M. STG (the lead investor) continues funding the combined company. Your roadmap, account team and contract are all in flight. GelatoConnect: one company, built by Gelato since 2007.
Side-by-side: GelatoConnect vs. ePS
Every claim about ePS below is sourced from ePS's own published material. Every claim about GelatoConnect is sourced from gelato.com. Sources at the end of the page.
Start with Estimator. Expand when you're ready.
Most printers come to GelatoConnect for AI quoting first. Run it alongside Pace, PrintSmith, Tharstern or any ePS product. Roll the rest of the Connect platform in on your timeline — not on a CAI integration roadmap.
- ✓Drop AI Estimator in next to your existing ePS product. Start quoting in 15 seconds without changing your MIS.
- ✓Roll the workflow engine, Apparel and Store Link in later — one vendor, one roadmap.
- ✓Stop paying the 17-product integration tax. One Gelato platform replaces the licensing, support and integration sprawl.
- ✓Skip the CAI integration roadmap entirely. Gelato's roadmap is set by Gelato, not by a portfolio merger.
GelatoConnect vs. ePS: frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to ePS for print MIS?+
GelatoConnect Estimator. ePS publishes 17+ products (Pace, PrintSmith, Tharstern, Monarch, Avanti, PrintFlow 4D, Process Shipper, MarketDirect StoreFront, iQuote and more), each a separate licenceS1. GelatoConnect ships Estimator, workflow, Apparel and Store Link as one platform from one vendor — with a 14-day free trial that runs alongside any ePS product today.
Can I run GelatoConnect Estimator alongside Pace, PrintSmith or Tharstern?+
Yes. GelatoConnect Estimator is a standalone AI quoting product. Adopt it this quarter without replacing any ePS product. When you're ready, the same platform extends into procurement, workflow and logistics — on your timeline.
How does GelatoConnect AI Estimator differ from iQuote?+
iQuote is the ePS estimating product, described as a rules-engine that generates "thousands of production paths in mere seconds"S2. GelatoConnect Estimator is AI-native — trained on real production data, 15-second quote time, <0.35% error rate. ESP Colour now processes 200+ estimates a day on the same headcount they used at 20.
What changed for ePS in October 2025?+
Per the October 2025 announcement on printepssw.com, Print ePS will become "the Graphic Communications business unit of CAI" with "a combined workforce of over 800 employees and offices across North America, Europe, and Asia"M. The ePS Packaging division will operate as an independent software companyM.
What is GelatoConnect priced at compared to ePS?+
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. ePS pricing is not published on printepssw.com as of May 2026.
Can I migrate from an ePS product to GelatoConnect?+
Yes. GelatoConnect Estimator is built to run alongside any existing MIS, including any ePS product. Once Estimator is generating value, the broader GelatoConnect platform (workflow, Apparel, Store Link) can be rolled in on your timeline. No rip-and-replace required to start.
Sources
- printepssw.com homepage and product listings — accessed May 2026 — "AI-Powered, Intelligent, and Scalable Print Management Software Solutions", "4500+ Customers globally", "30+ Years Of deep industry experience", and the 17-product portfolio (Pace, PrintSmith Vision, Tharstern, Monarch, Technique, Nubium, Avanti, EPMS, MarketDirect StoreFront/Fulfillment/Cross Media, PrintFlow 4D, Auto-Count 4D, Metrix, Process Shipper, iQuote, eCRM). [S1]
- printepssw.com/iquote-print-estimating-software — "thousands of possible production paths in mere seconds", "real-time API for pricing and job creation". [S2]
- 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", "combined workforce of over 800 employees". [M]
- gelato.com/connect/estimator — GelatoConnect AI Estimator product page. [G1, G2]
- BSG case study on gelato.com — 2× win rate, £750K tender, +11% margin. [G3]
- gelato.com/connect/why — the full GelatoConnect platform. [G4]
All third-party trademarks (ePS 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.
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