Automation, not assumptions: How publishers are rethinking print production

Even as digital transformation reshapes the news business, print continues to generate meaningful revenue for many publishers. Yet producing print editions remains one of the most labor-intensive processes in the newsroom. During a recent webinar hosted by E&P Magazine industry leaders from ATEX and a veteran UK media executive examined how automation is changing the economics of print production—while preserving editorial quality and brand identity.

The discussion centered on a real-world case study: a large regional publisher in the United Kingdom that has automated the production of dozens of titles. The result, according to the panelists, is a dramatic shift in efficiency, allowing organizations to maintain print products without draining resources that could otherwise support journalism.

Reimagining the economics of print

For many publishers, the dilemma is familiar: print still pays the bills, but the workflow behind it has changed little over decades. Tim Robinson, a longtime newspaper executive who helped oversee the automation effort discussed in the webinar, said the challenge is balancing declining print audiences with the need to maintain high editorial standards.

“The pain point will be familiar to all publishers,” Robinson explained. “Print continues to be a labor-intensive, resource-heavy process when organizations really want to focus on growing a digital audience. Print audiences may be declining, but they still generate significant revenue, and readers still expect a high-quality product.”

Robinson described how the publisher he worked with automated production across approximately 75 titles each week, generating thousands of pages through an automated workflow managed by a small central team. The goal was not to replace journalism but to rethink how print is assembled.

“Print effectively becomes an efficient byproduct of the content creation process,” Robinson said. “Instead of writing content to fit into boxes on a page, journalists create digital-first content that can be repurposed. The automation system then assembles those stories and images into the print edition according to the publisher’s design standards.”

The shift allowed editors to focus on editorial priorities rather than page mechanics. Robinson noted that in some cases, editors could assemble a newspaper edition in about an hour once the content had been finalized.

“We’re talking about a newspaper being created comfortably within the space of an hour,” he said. “That’s a huge difference compared with several people spending the entire week assembling pages.”

Maintaining editorial identity

One of the most common concerns publishers express about automation is whether it compromises a newspaper’s visual identity. Robinson acknowledged that skepticism, particularly among editors accustomed to designing pages manually.

“As a former editor myself, I understand the concern,” he said. “Editors put their heart and soul into presentation, and they’re naturally skeptical about automation. But the process is built around the same typography, design rules and editorial standards that existed before automation.”

The system mirrors the visual parameters publishers already use, meaning that pages retain the same look and feel readers expect. “It produces the same kinds of presentations we had before—single pages, double-page spreads, pages with multiple images and columnists,” Robinson explained. “The difference is that it’s done automatically and much more efficiently.”

Perhaps the strongest validation, he added, came from readers themselves. “We’ve produced thousands of pages every week using automation, and no reader has ever written in to say their newspaper looks different,” Robinson said. “That’s the ultimate test.”

Automation versus Artificial Intelligence

During the webinar, panelists also addressed a common misconception: that automated layout systems rely heavily on artificial intelligence.

Stewart Bowley, who works closely with the technology behind ATEX’s automation platform, clarified that the page-building process itself is rules-based rather than AI-driven. “We do use AI across parts of our product ecosystem,” Bowley said. “But the actual process of laying out content on a print page is rules-based. That’s important because publishers need the output to look exactly like the publication they expect.”

Instead of designing pages independently, the system follows predefined editorial and design rules set by the publisher. “The rules determine how pages are laid out, the typography, and how content is adjusted to fit,” Bowley said. “Those rules ensure the final product looks like the newspaper your organization produces today.”

AI, he added, plays more of a supporting role in preparing content before it reaches the page-building stage. “AI can assist editors by improving how content is prepared,” Bowley explained. “For example, it can help rewrite a digital headline that was written for search engines into something more suitable for print. It’s a tool that assists editors rather than replacing them.”

Working within existing systems

Another concern for publishers evaluating automation is whether it requires replacing their existing technology infrastructure. According to Chris Freeman, who has spent nearly three decades working with media software systems, that fear is often misplaced.

“One of the unique factors about print automation is that it works alongside existing content management systems,” Freeman said. “You don’t have to rip out your current CMS or go through a long migration process.”

Instead, the system typically ingests content feeds directly from the CMS and integrates advertising placements based on the publisher’s ad system. “The barrier to entry is actually lower than many people realize,” Freeman said.

That flexibility allows publishers to adopt automation incrementally without disrupting other parts of their workflow.

When the economics make sense

Automation may not be necessary for every newsroom. Freeman noted that the strongest return on investment typically appears when publishers are producing significant page volumes.

“When the math really starts to make sense is when organizations are producing around 1,500 pages a month or more,” he said. “Once you get into that range, the conversation becomes very interesting very quickly.”

For smaller publishers with fewer pages, other optimization strategies may be more appropriate. But for larger groups producing multiple titles, automation can dramatically reduce operational costs. “The math is undeniable,” Freeman said. “When you’re talking about dozens of titles being produced by a small central team, it’s something publishers have to take seriously.”

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What happens to staff

Another issue frequently raised in conversations about automation is its impact on newsroom jobs. Robinson emphasized that automation doesn’t necessarily mean layoffs.

In the case he described, staff who had previously spent their time assembling pages were redeployed to editorial work. “Many of those people originally entered the industry as journalists,” Robinson said. “Over time they had moved away from reporting and were essentially pushing boxes around a page. Automation allowed them to return to content creation.”

That shift, he argued, ultimately strengthens journalism rather than weakening it. “Seeing people come back into the business of creating content is a really positive thing,” Robinson said.

Managing change in the newsroom

Adopting automation, like any technological shift, requires careful change management. Robinson said the key is transparency about the goals behind the transformation. “The starting point is sharing the mission and the objectives with staff,” he said. “Everyone understands the pressures facing newspaper publishing today. When people see that automation can free up time and resources for better journalism, it becomes easier to embrace.”

He also urged publishers to approach automation with a sense of opportunity rather than fear. “Like any technological innovation, once it’s embraced it can make life easier and better,” Robinson said. “It’s about gaining time and resources so you can focus on producing great content.”

Freeman agreed that the industry may be reaching a turning point in its willingness to adopt new technology. “In the last year, the level of interest has increased dramatically,” he said. “Publishers are starting to recognize that the economics are simply too compelling to ignore.”

As the panelists concluded, automation alone won’t solve the challenges facing news organizations. But by reducing operational friction, it may allow publishers to redirect their most valuable resources—time, talent and money—back to the core mission of journalism.

And in an industry constantly balancing tradition with transformation, that may be one of the most important efficiencies of all