Gretchen Keefner · GM & Chief Commercial Officer, Print & Communications · CAI
At PRINTING United 2026 in Las Vegas, Pat McGrew meets Gretchen Keefner from CAI Software to learn about a company name that may still be new to many in print — even though much of the technology behind it is extremely familiar.
Following the integration of CAI Software and Print ePS, the new CAI organization comprises three divisions: Graphic Communications, Process Manufacturing, and Discrete Manufacturing.
For printers, Graphic Communications is where familiar platforms such as Pace, Monarch, PrintSmith Vision, Tharstern, EPMS and others continue their journey.
And Gretchen has a very clear message for existing customers: nobody is being forced to abandon the systems they already depend on.
CAI will continue to support its established platforms while investing in technologies best positioned to leverage new capabilities. The objective is to make existing workflows increasingly connected, automated and intelligent rather than forcing customers into unnecessary migration projects.
That broader portfolio also enables CAI to have what Pat describes as an increasingly complete “order-to-cash” conversation — from estimating and order management through production, inventory, accounting and ultimately invoicing.
Partners remain important as well. Companies such as ECO3, PlanProphet and ISCorp extend that ecosystem, allowing CAI to connect MIS and business management with prepress, CRM, hosting and other specialist technologies rather than attempting to build everything itself.
And then there is AI.
Gretchen explains that CAI is already developing AI capabilities across multiple products, with estimating among the areas generating the greatest interest. Natural-language interaction could allow users to create, review, or approve estimates without needing to understand databases, SQL, Python, or the technical complexity beneath the surface.
That is important because most printers aren’t looking to employ AI engineers.
They want technology that helps their existing employees work faster and make better decisions.
But perhaps the larger challenge facing CAI customers is diversification. Commercial printers are expanding into packaging, signage, mailing, promotional products, and other applications, and software must be flexible enough to support businesses that no longer fit neatly into a single traditional print category.
For Gretchen, the future leaders in print will increasingly be companies capable of adapting quickly — and the software behind them needs to make that easier.
Keep what works.
Connect it better.
And use AI where it genuinely creates value.
Watch Pat McGrew’s conversation with Gretchen Keefner from CAI Software at PRINTING United 2026 in Las Vegas.
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Fri September 25th
Bonjour #3· Deborah Hutcheson/AGFA and Ford ...
On the third and final day of PRINTING United 2026 in Las Vegas, Morten B. Reitoft and Pat McGrew sit down with Ford Bowers, President & CEO of PRINTING United Alliance, and Deborah Hutcheson from Agfa to look back at three busy days — and forward to where the industry is heading. The newly completed Las Vegas Convention Center has given PRINTING United more room to bring the industry's different parts together. Commercial print, wide-format, apparel, promotional products, packaging, software, finishing, and automation increasingly exist side by side rather than as separate industries. And that convergence may be one of the most important takeaways from this year's show. PRINTING United 2026 brought together more than 800 exhibitors across approximately one million square feet, with equipment, software and applications representing almost every part of the print ecosystem. Deborah has experienced that convergence directly at Agfa's booth. Customers aren't simply asking about faster printing equipment anymore. They want flexible automation, fewer touchpoints and technology that can grow as their production requirements change. AI is becoming part of that conversation as well. The PRINTING AI Pavilion returned this year with presentations and discussions about how artificial intelligence can move beyond the hype and become part of real production, workflow, and business processes. Ford admits there was initial concern that printers might be hesitant about AI, but the response at the show suggests the opposite: companies increasingly want to understand how to use it rather than whether they should. But technology is only half of the challenge. PRINTING United Alliance is also investing heavily in education and career development. Student Day brought young people from very different disciplines into the exhibition — not only graphic communications students, but programmers, engineers, chemists and others discovering that print offers far more career opportunities than they may have imagined. Deborah describes conversations with students who were surprised by the variety of technologies and applications they encountered. And Pat overheard perhaps the best reaction possible from young visitors walking into another part of the show: “I didn't know you could do that.” That curiosity matters. As automation, software, robotics and AI become increasingly important, the printing industry needs an entirely new mix of skills — and attracting those people requires showing them just how broad and technologically advanced the industry has become. Now the work begins again. Ford explains that planning for PRINTING United 2027 is already underway, but the Alliance will first evaluate everything from education and Student Day to hall layouts, signage, AI programming and visitor flow to understand what worked and what can be improved. Because just like the companies exhibiting here, the show itself has to keep evolving. Print takes all of us. Watch Morten B. Reitoft and Pat McGrew's conversation with Ford Bowers from PRINTING United Alliance and Deborah Hutcheson from Agfa as they wrap up PRINTING United 2026 in Las Vegas.