“We are at a point where online print is not simply being optimized, but in many areas needs to be rethought. That is why the Online Print Summit 2026 is bringing people to the stage who provide exactly that impulse: how we can use artificial intelligence, print and mass customization in such a way that we are not disrupted by others, but instead succeed in further developing our business models ourselves,” says Bernd Zipper, founder of zipcon consulting and co-organizer of OPS. “What this requires is quite a challenge for traditional companies: absolute self-reflection, absolute openness, and the right strategy for working with AI.”

Who is disrupting whom? And what does AI have to do with an orchestra?

That is exactly what the keynote by Ruppert Bodmeier is built around, the founder of the AI platform “Disrooptive.com”. For years, Bodmeier has been exploring how companies can truly master digital innovation and AI, rather than only testing individual applications. In his keynote at the Online Print Summit, he challenges the assumption that a new tool alone already brings change. His thesis is that it is not the model that disrupts the market, but the company that orchestrates the models. Bodmeier sees AI as an orchestra made up of many intelligent systems, and the real competitive advantage emerges where customer decisions are made. For online printers, this does not mean “Which AI tool do we use?” but rather “How do we orchestrate data, models and processes into an experience that others cannot offer?”

A Look into The Customization Group’s Playbook

One important tool for creating an experience that others cannot offer in the same way is mass customization. Because it turns standard products into individual, personal items. Someone who recognized the importance of mass customization early on is Philipp Mühlbauer, founder and co-CEO of what is now The Customization Group (TCG). In his OPS presentation “Execution at Scale: The Playbook behind TCG’s global Momentum”, he offers a behind the scenes look and shows how the idea of personalized products became a successful, scalable business with multiple locations in Europe and the United States, as well as numerous well-known brands. A key focus is the question of how millions of individualized products per day can be translated into robust processes, from B2C and B2B shops to API based models that integrate seamlessly into other platforms as “Customization as a Service”. The example of TCG, which since 2025 has also included orwo.de and sendmoments, raises an important question: if others are running mass customization at this scale, how long can you afford to treat personalization as a niche experiment?

Textile Printing, Transformation, TikTok

Someone who has made personalization the core of their business and is currently scaling rapidly is Michał Tracz, CEO of Print Logistics in Poland. As the next generation leading a family business that is more than 30 years old, he and his brother launched a smart factory in 2018 for the on-demand production of apparel, textiles and home decor products, and have continuously expanded it. Today, Print Logistics is one of the major players in the market, with production sites in Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as its own POD platform called Snapwear. In his OPS presentation “POD Transformation: From Single Orders to High Volume Production, from E-Commerce to Social Commerce”, Michał Tracz will speak about the role that efficient fulfillment structures and social commerce integrations play in the next stage of the textile POD business.

When Print Launches a Counterattack

French online print expert Ludovic Martin brings a thesis to Munich with his presentation “Print counter attacks – how to reinvent your business in the new world?” that may seem too naive to some in the face of an apparently overwhelming digital dominance. Because a digitally overdriven world, he says, is vulnerable, and it is precisely for that reason that print is gaining new relevance again. Geopolitical tensions, cyber risks and the environmental costs of digital infrastructures are forcing brands to reassess their channels. In this context, Ludovic Martin speaks of the “quest for tangible”, a trend in which people are increasingly seeking physical touchpoints again that build trust and have a longer lasting impact than a swipe. In this logic, print shifts from a byproduct to a strategic pillar, embedded in customer journeys shaped by conversational AI, AI commerce and agentic commerce.

What Will Remain of Online Print as We Know It Today?

“In view of the disruptive power of AI developments in recent years, business as usual is no longer an option. At the Online Print Summit 2026, we are not discussing whether AI, platforms and creator ecosystems are changing the rules of the game, but how fast, and what that means for strategies, processes and people within companies,” explains Jens Meyer, Managing Director of Verband Druck und Medien Beratung GmbH and OPS co-organizer, in clear terms.

In 2026, the program of the Online Print Summit connects the conference with new dialogue-oriented formats such as the Executive Briefings and the C Level Classrooms into a program that deliberately asks uncomfortable questions, while always providing context and guidance. Because when AI takes over workflows, creators build brands and platforms control access, it is not enough to refine existing product lists. Anyone looking for impulses for new business ideas, answers to current developments, or partners for implementing innovative business models should not miss OPS.

Tickets can be ordered on the website www.online-print-summit.com. With their booking, participants also receive access to the online print community within the OPS app. Incidentally, seats for the Executive Briefings and C Level Classrooms can also be booked there.

The organisers

zipcon consulting GmbH is a global consulting company for the communications, print and media industry with a focus on online print and digital transformation. The company sees itself as an independent and comprehensive technology and strategy consultant. zipcon also produces market studies and various case studies for e-business print, mass customization and multichannel publishing. Leading companies in the online print industry rely on the expertise of this company. www.zipcon.de

Verband Druck und Medien Beratung GmbH is the consulting company of the Printing and Media Associations. With in-depth industry expertise in management, controlling, environmental issues, sustainability, as well as production and processes, it supports the industry and positions itself as a driver of innovation and business success. Backed by the regional associations and the German Printing and Media Industries Federation, it consolidates expertise and future perspectives for the industry under the umbrella brand “Verband Druck und Medien.” www.vdm-beratung.de