First of all, team DesignNBuy wishes you all a very Happy New Year!
2025 was a transition year for the print and packaging industry.
We saw growing demand for personalization, more complex packaging products, and a stronger push toward automation. At the same time, many print businesses were still operating with fragmented tools that struggled to scale with this complexity.
That gap became impossible to ignore.
At DesignNBuy, we treated 2025 as a year of preparation — not quick wins. Instead of adding disconnected features, we focused on strengthening the platform itself.
The goal was simple: build web to print solution that supports higher order volumes, deeper personalization, and real production workflows without adding operational friction.
This approach shaped everything we did in 2025, from product releases and partnerships to education, community efforts, and customer success.
This blog isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a reflection of how the industry evolved this year, how we responded, and how we’re preparing print businesses for what comes next.
Product Innovation & Platform Evolution
In 2025, our product roadmap followed one clear rule: performance over volume.
We didn’t measure progress by how many features we shipped. We measured it by how reliably the platform could handle real-world print complexity, higher traffic, heavier personalization, deeper integrations, and global use cases.
Every release this year was designed to strengthen the system underneath, helping successful print businesses without adding friction.
Let’s break that down.
A. DesignO v2.5 – Performance, Intelligence & Platform Maturity
DesignO v2.5 marked a shift toward smarter execution behind the scenes.
Instead of pushing visible UI changes, we focused on how the platform behaves under load — especially for high-volume, highly personalized products.
What improvements were included?
- Conditional API execution to prevent unnecessary system calls
- Faster PDP performance for personalized products
- Intelligent validation logic that reduced system load
- Shareable Design Links for instant team and client collaboration
- White Label Configuration to fully brand the DesignO admin interface
- Copy Editor Code for one-click embedding of the Design Editor anywhere
- User Profile Data Sharing controls for better privacy and governance
These changes may seem invisible, but they directly impact day-to-day operations.
Here’s why it matters.
Most print businesses don’t struggle because of missing features. They struggle when systems slow down, validations fail late, or performance drops during peak order volumes.
With version 2.5, we optimized how DesignO thinks and reacts, so orders move faster, errors surface earlier, and infrastructure stays stable as volumes grow.
This release wasn’t about adding more.
It was about making what already exists work better at scale.
B. DesignO v2.4 – Expanding Personalization Depth
DesignO v2.4 focused on one core challenge we see across packaging and photo product businesses: selling complex products online without breaking the print workflow.
This release strengthened how products are visualized, configured, and prepared for production.
Which were the key updates?
- PDP enhancements for custom packaging products
- 3D previews for photobooks and custom books
- Improved webhooks to support automation and integrations
- Added layflat and hardcover features in the photobook software
- Spine thickness can be calculated automatically based on the photobook size
- Multi side part previews for signage products
These upgrades helped bridge the gap between what customers see online and what production teams need downstream.
For example, better visualization reduces back-and-forth approvals. Stronger webhook support ensures order data flows cleanly into MIS, prepress, or fulfillment systems.
Version 2.4 wasn’t just about better previews. It was about readiness, making sure complex orders don’t stall once they leave the storefront.
C. DesignO v2.3 – Strengthening the Workflow Foundation
DesignO v2.3 laid the groundwork for much of what followed later in the year.
This release focused on stabilizing and strengthening core workflows, especially around personalization logic and system consistency.
What version 2.3 delivered
- Core workflow enhancements
- Improved personalization handling
- A more reliable base for integrations and automation
Why does this matter?
Because scalable platforms aren’t built in one release. They’re built layer by layer.
Version 2.3 became the stability baseline that allowed us to roll out deeper integrations, run product webinars, and support more complex use cases with confidence later in the year.
D. Platform Capability Enhancements for Global Markets
As our customer base expanded globally, platform flexibility became non-negotiable.
In 2025, we introduced enhancements that support both product diversity and market localization, including:
- End-to-end support for paper bag products
- RTL language support for Arabic and Hebrew markets
These weren’t regional add-ons. They were platform-level capabilities.
Packaging products are getting more complex. Markets are becoming more specialized.
Localization is no longer optional for print businesses looking to grow internationally.
By building these capabilities into the core platform, we ensured DesignO could support diverse business models without custom workarounds.
Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Expansion
Print technology can’t work alone. Your business uses multiple systems, and they need to connect smoothly.
This year we made it clear: we’re building connections, not walls.
Our partnership with Enfocus was a big step.
“No single platform should try to replace everything a print business already relies on. Our responsibility is to integrate cleanly, reduce friction, and make existing systems work better together.“
— Nidhi Agrawal, Founder & CEO at DesignNBuy
Enfocus is well known for prepress and automation. By integrating Enfocus PitStop with DesignO, print files are now checked automatically before they reach production.
This means common printing problems like missing fonts, low-quality images, or wrong colors, are caught and fixed early. Files move from design to print with fewer errors and less manual work.
No single platform can do everything on its own. But the right partnerships create a setup that actually works in real life.
That’s what modern print businesses need and that’s exactly what we’re building.
Industry Thought Leadership Through Webinars
We don’t sell software by making big promises. We help print businesses understand their challenges and the solutions available.
That’s why we ran educational webinars throughout 2025.
We covered DesignO 2.3 features, showed how the DesignO + Enfocus integration works, shared winning strategies for print businesses, and explored how AI fits into web to pack solution.
Along with that we also invited expert like Roma Maheshwari to share her immense knowledge of marketing, and in this webinar she shared amazing marketing strategies to boost holiday sales for print businesses.
In one of our webinar we also helped our print business owners with winning marketing strategies, with which business owners can easily scale their businesses.
These weren’t theory sessions. They were practical guides for businesses dealing with real production and marketing challenges.
Teaching builds trust. Trust builds long-term relationships.
We’d rather be your partner than just another software company.
Podcasts Hosted by DesignNBuy
Print, packaging, and eCommerce don’t operate in isolation. The strongest ideas come from conversations that connect different perspectives.
In 2025, we used our Printgyan podcast series to bring those voices together.
Each episode added external expertise to the DesignNBuy ecosystem.
- With Cary Sherburne, we discussed how AI is impacting print businesses today — what’s useful, what’s noise, and what leaders need to understand now.
- Michael Dorner explored Visual Card Studio and how browser-based 3D visualization helps close proofing gaps while enabling realistic previews and personalization at scale.
- Our conversation with Sandy Hubbard focused on what it really takes to align sales, marketing, and technology — and why that alignment is essential for sustainable growth.
- Begum Walji shared how Agentic AI is reshaping print workflows, from automation to error-free proofreading and more personalized customer experiences.
- With Chloe Thomas, we shared the current eCommerce transformation and how print businesses must rethink online selling as expectations change.
These weren’t promotional discussions. They were open, expert-led conversations that broadened perspective beyond software and reinforced our role as a platform for industry dialogue.
DesignNBuy’s CEO & Founder, Nidhi Agrawal Invited to Speak on Other Podcasts
Apart from these podcasts, Nidhi Agrawal was also invited by Joanne Gore to her podcast, one of the top marketer who has helped multiple print businesses scale their businesses.
The podcast explored why many print businesses still hesitate to adopt Web-to-Print technology despite clear market demand and practical benefits, and offered insights on overcoming mindset, integration, and customer-experience challenges to drive broader adoption in 2025.
Nidhi was also invited on The Lighthouse podcast with Richard Askam, in which they discussed how AI-driven automation and advanced web-to-print personalization are reshaping the print industry, shifting the focus from basic customization and heavy machinery to smarter workflows, richer customer experiences, and human-led creativity shaping the future of print.
Watch here all our PrintGyan podcasts and others.
Podcasts & Speaking Engagements Featuring DesignNBuy’s CEO
Leadership isn’t just about running your own company. It’s about helping the whole industry move forward and making room for voices that haven’t always been heard.
Our Founder and CEO, Nidhi Agrawal joined several important conversations this year. One of them was Agile Ahmedabad 2025, in which she walked everyone through her aspiring entrepreneurial journey till now.
Rather than self-promotion, the session focused on lessons and perspectives that inspired women entrepreneurs and print businesses to pursue growth with confidence.
Media Coverage & Industry Recognition
When people outside your company notice what you’re doing, it means something. It means your work matters beyond your own walls.
Nidhi Agrawal, the founder and CEO of DesignNBuy was featured in WhatPackaging’s “Women to Watch” and interviewed by PrintWeek. She was named Business Leader of the Year at the Women to Watch Awards 2025.
This recognition isn’t just about individual success. It validates our vision and shows that customers, partners, and industry observers trust our approach.
“Recognition only matters if it strengthens responsibility. For me, it’s a reminder that leadership in print means helping the industry think differently about scale, inclusion, and long-term resilience.”
— Nidhi Agrawal, Founder & CEO, DesignNBuy
Customer Success Stories
Technology only matters if it works in real life. We shared success stories from.
Rydin and PackhHub shared their amazing success stories and showed how DesignNBuy’s solutions perform in the business growth.
Rydin’ Success Story
With 65+ years in specialized hang tags and access permits, Rydin relied on manual workflows. DesignNBuy helped them move online with a custom product designer, automated number sequencing, and print-ready PDFs, cutting production time and simplifying complex orders.
PackHub’ Success Story
is into full-cycle print production, handling everything from small orders to large-format banners. DesignNBuy’s Web2Print All-in-One system unified order management, file checks, and production tracking—helping the team process more orders faster while maintaining control across every stage.
These stories aren’t about companies just using our software. They’re about real improvements: better efficiency, smoother operations, and actual value over time.
Success stories tell us how essential our software has turned out for print businesses and also encourage us to make everything possible in every way.
Global Events & Industry Participation
Print technology doesn’t improve in an office. It improves when you talk to people solving real problems every day.
Nidhi Agrawal, Founder & CEO, DesignNBuy represented Girls Who Print India at PrintExpo. This gave us an amazing opportunity to connect with other industry experts and print businesses.
She also joined the Girls Who Print Global Advisory Board for India.
Being in the industry means listening more than talking. We’re committed to staying connected.
“The future of print won’t be built on disconnected tools. It will be built on platforms that stay fast under pressure, integrate without friction, and earn trust over time. That’s the direction we’re committed to.”
— Abhishek Agrawal, CMO, DesignNBuy
Team Growth, Reviews & Business Momentum
You can’t build better technology without better people.
2025 was a great start as we welcomed over 20 new team members across different departments, growing our firm, and platform.
We received lots of appreciation and love from our customers on G2 and Capterra. These reviews matter because they’re honest feedback from real users, not marketing talk.
This growth isn’t just about numbers. It’s about building a team that can handle complex customer needs and keep our momentum going.
Culture, Community & Values in Action
Companies talk about culture all the time, but culture is what you do, not what you say. In 2025, we showed our values through action.
We organized a tree planting drive, celebrated Navratri, Diwali, and many festivals together as a team and enjoyed our Do-it-Day activities to the fullest.
These activities show our commitment to the environment, community, and creating a workplace where people feel they belong.
Culture isn’t a bonus. It’s the foundation of how we work together and how we make decisions.
Become a part of our team, and give a boost to your career.
“A strong culture creates space for people to contribute fully — not just as employees, but as individuals. That sense of belonging directly reflects in how thoughtfully technology gets built.”
— Abhishek Agarwal, CMO, DesignNBuy
What 2025 Taught Us
2025 showed us that print technology isn’t about individual tools anymore. It’s about complete platforms that connect, stay fast under pressure, and grow with your business.
Performance, automation, and the ability to scale aren’t optional anymore. They’re essential. Businesses that ignore this will struggle. Businesses that build on solid foundations will succeed.
Our 2025 wasn’t about reacting to trends. It was about preparing for what’s next.
We built strong foundations, created meaningful partnerships, invested in teaching, and grew our team. We did this because we know what print businesses will need next.
This wasn’t a year of hype. It was a year of building the right things. And that’s exactly what the industry needed.
