Print Hustlers Recap: AI Tools, Industry Data, Licensing Truths & Social Media Strategies (2025)

This week on the Print Hustlers Podcast, Bruce and Steven break down every major moment from PrintHustlers Conf 2025 — live from Chicago. From AI tools that are reshaping production workflows, to Alex the Economist’s data-driven outlook for apparel decorators, to social media advertising insights that every shop needs… this episode is packed with takeaways you can apply immediately.

You’ll hear:
• The biggest new features announced across InkSoft/Printavo/GraphicsFlow
• Matt Marcotte’s AI tools for shops (gang sheet automation, label generators + more)
• Alex the Economist’s tariff predictions, retail indicators & what they mean for 2025–26
• How improv training at Second City helps leaders communicate better
• The real costs & commitments behind licensing — and why it’s not what most shops expect
• The future of social content & ads (according to a 20-year industry veteran)
• Why AI phone-answering tools might be the next big opportunity
• And plenty of behind-the-scenes moments from the conference

Whether you’re a print shop owner, apparel decorator, or promo distributor, this recap will help you better navigate 2025 with strategy, clarity, and smarter tools.

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00:00 – Intro
02:27 – Coffee, morning habits & phone addiction 
03:55 – Using Opal to control social media use 
07:32 – PrintHustlers Conf 2025 overview
08:22 – AI Tools: Matt Marcotte’s shop automations 
10:01 – How anyone can build no-code AI tools
10:29 – Rob Cressey: How to actually start using AI
12:01 – Getting your team to adopt AI
12:26 – Alex the Economist: Tariffs, data & market outlook
14:14 – What tariffs mean for print shops in 2025–26
17:09 – Improv training for shop leadership
19:19 – Perspective, empathy & team communication
19:50 – SanMar’s 3D embroidery visualizer
20:49 – Bella+Canvas: Branding and selling premium products
21:18 – Interview with Dan Frank (Silver Screen Printing)
22:01 – How Dan scaled from $2.5M to $13M
22:44 – Licensing Deep Dive (REAL talk)
25:01 – Why licensing is harder than it looks
26:10 – Mike Namechek: Social media advertising trends
27:10 – Why narrative content beats everything else
27:39 – How algorithms reward watch-time
28:03 – Users consume 300 feet of content per day
28:36 – Giordano’s dinner + Fabric breakfast meetup
29:20 – Deep work, roles & leadership reflection prompts
31:21 – What leaders SHOULD stop doing in 2026
32:37 – AI phone-answering for print shops
36:21 – Comcast story: AI voice agent done right
38:48 – Final thoughts & episode wrap

Bruce Ackerman
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Steven Farag
  / stevenfarag  
  / steven.ink_  

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