Ask around any print business and you will usually find at least one workflow tool that was bought with great plans and now does very little. A Switch licence running two flows. A preflight server checking one product. An automation module nobody has opened since the installer left.
The software was rarely the problem. What went wrong was everything after the sale.
Unused software is the norm, not the exception
This is not unique to print. Pendo's Feature Adoption Report found that 80% of features in the average software product are rarely or never used. Print workflow tools are powerful precisely because they can do so much, which also makes them easy to under use.
And more spending is on the way. In GelatoConnect's State of Intelligent Print Production 2026 report, 83% of printers said they plan to invest in workflow automation this year. The question is how much of that investment will be in use a year from now.
Why good tools end up gathering dust
- Configured for the demo, not for your jobs. The setup worked on sample files, not on the awkward products and customers you actually have.
- Nobody owns it. The one person who understood it leaves, or is too busy running production to improve it.
- Training stopped at go live. Staff learned enough to get by and never saw what else it could do.
- Nothing was measured. Without a before and after, nobody can prove it is working, so it never gets the time to grow.
- The seller moved on. Support became a ticket queue, and improvements became a new quote.
Questions to ask before you buy anything else
- Who will configure it, and will they use our real jobs and files?
- Who supports it after go live, and how well do they know print production?
- What will we measure to know it is working?
- Are we already paying for something that could do this?
That last question matters more than people think. Many printers already own Enfocus Switch, PitStop or callas pdfToolbox and use a fraction of what they can do. Getting value from licences you have already paid for is often the quickest win available.
How we work
We are vendor neutral and we are also a callas software channel partner, so we will always tell you when that is relevant. Our job is not to sell you another licence. It is to make the workflow you have actually work, and to stay around while it does.
// how we can help
Hands on training and ongoing support for Enfocus Switch, PitStop and callas pdfToolbox, built around your own jobs.
Also useful: Independent technology advice
Sources: Pendo 2019 Feature Adoption Report; Print service providers say they must modernise (GelatoConnect, State of Intelligent Print Production 2026).