What happens when a print software company stops selling features and starts solving enterprise problems?
That’s the story of Racami, as told by COO Matt Mahoney in our recent Above the Treeline conversation. Racami has evolved into a platform company with a distinct position: not just as a software vendor, but as a systems integrator for a changing communications landscape.
We talked about everything from file transformation to private equity, AI, in-plant reinvention, and why the most valuable work often happens behind the scenes.
From Print to Platform
Racami was born out of a real-world service provider environment. Founder Hani Khalaf developed early software to solve the visibility and job management problems of multi-site operations. That foundational dashboard has since evolved into a robust automation and data management platform.
Integration as Differentiator
One of the strongest themes in our conversation was industry consolidation. Whether it’s PSPs acquiring other shops, or large enterprises consolidating internal operations, the net result is complexity. And complexity requires integration across MIS systems, storefronts, data pipelines, job types and production floors.
“When customers buy five companies, they come to us to merge them. That’s where we win. We’ve developed core competency and software specifically for integration in CCM space.”
In-plants are Evolving, Too
Racami recently re-engaged with the in-plant community, attending IPMA for the first time in years. What they found was a hunger for modernization and ways to provide value inside the enterprise.
At IPMA, Mahoney saw renewed urgency among in-plant managers to demonstrate value, improve visibility, and modernize workflows. One Racami in-plant client in the insurance space, went from Print Manager to VP of Customer Communications by rethinking the in-plant as a strategic internal service provider.
“They didn’t just produce print they became a communication resource. If someone needed something delivered across buildings, they handled it. If a business unit needed a new vendor, they helped find one.”
Consolidation, ROI, and Valuation
Racami’s enterprise software often costs as much, or sometimes more than high-end print hardware, but it delivers value that many PSPs overlook such as: long-term scalability, reduced manual work, market differentiation and improved valuation.
“Private equity is starting to see it: the software stack is what creates real, defensible value. But calculating ROI on workflow still isn’t easy as it requires a mindset shift.”
Where AI Makes Sense
Mahoney takes a practical view of AI. Racami has created an internal AI working group focused on real use cases like script generation, data extraction, and automation readiness. The goal isn’t to replace print operators, it’s to remove friction and prep files faster, with fewer errors.
Final Takeaway: Integration Is the Strategy. Print Is the Channel.
What Racami’s story and Matt Mahoney’s perspective make clear is that the conversation is no longer just about print versus digital. It’s about how well your business is integrated, how flexible your infrastructure is, and how ready you are to support a hybrid communications model.
The providers seeing the most success today are:
Investing in integration, not just adding capabilities.
Shifting from production output to strategic value, especially in in-plant environments.
Balancing physical and digital delivery in ways that meet compliance, personalization, and operational needs.
Treating workflow as infrastructure, not as an afterthought.
Print, in this context, is no longer the centerpiece, it’s one of the many important outputs supported by a much more complex, data-driven, and digitally enabled operation.
And yes, traditional transactional print volumes are declining, and consolidation is real. But this isn’t the end of the industry. It’s a reset. Those who adapt will find that the new challenges are matched by new opportunities: to serve as problem solvers, to create operational leverage, and to own a bigger share of customer experience.
As Mahoney said:
“Some forms of print are dying off. But others are growing. And we follow that growth.”
Whether you’re a print service provider navigating mergers, an in-plant modernizing your role in the enterprise, or a vendor enabling digital transformation you’re in the middle of a major industry shift. Integration is no longer optional. It’s the strategy that unlocks what’s next.
Learn more
Explore how modern production workflows are evolving check out Racami’s comprehensive whitepaper, The Future of Production Workflows. It’s a detailed resource that expands on the themes we covered, including:
The growing emphasis on customer experience across digital and print channels
The role of third-party PSPs in managing and tracking critical customer communications
Strategies for integration, security, and operational transformation
You can download the whitepaper directly from Racami’s site for a deeper dive into how CX-driven workflows are reshaping the industry
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