When Welson Ang left the Navy in 2004, he was facing tough times, experiencing financial constraints during the SARS outbreak, a period when opportunities were scarce and the economy was uncertain. “I knew I needed to support my family, but I didn’t have much to start with,” he shares.
From these desperate straits came the idea that would lead to his success: to start a small printing business that focused on name cards. This sparked the birth, in 2004, of Expressprint, a printing solutions company that serves SMEs and corporate clients with both on-demand and bulk printing needs. Operational challenges led him to develop an in-house pricing tool that later became PriceCal, a solution that aims to empower the entire printing industry.
SMEhorizon speaks with Welson Ang, PrintBizGuru of Expressprint and Innovator of PriceCal, about the printing industry in Singapore, the development of his company’s in-house solution PriceCal, and turning this tool into a product that supports other printing businesses. He also shares on how traditional businesses can adapt and thrive in the digital age.
What have your years of experience taught you about Singapore’s printing industry?
My years in the industry have shown me that Singapore’s printing sector is both dynamic and demanding. Traditionally, the business has been very manual and heavily dependent on human input, especially from salespeople who handle quotations and customer communications. This reliance can slow things down, particularly when customers expect fast responses.
In Singapore, with its strong position as a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) hub, we often receive urgent print requests from overseas clients. These clients are frequently in different time zones, which can lead to delays in replying to quotation requests and sometimes even lost business opportunities.
The industry’s competitiveness means that if you can’t respond quickly, customers will simply move on to the next provider.
These experiences have taught me the importance of efficiency, automation, and being able to serve customers around the clock. Embracing technology is no longer optional—it’s essential for survival and growth in Singapore’s fast-paced printing landscape.
What were some of the pain points or company goals that led you to develop PriceCal?
In every business, when there is no pricing, there is no selling. If customers can’t get a price, they can’t make a decision or place an order. This was a fundamental issue I faced in the print business.
Our pricing process was complicated and heavily dependent on individual staff, especially experienced salespeople. Staff would often call me to ask, “Boss, how much to quote?” or rely on their own judgment, which led to inconsistencies and inefficiencies. This made me worry about what would happen if a key staff member resigned—not only would we lose their expertise, but there was also the risk of them taking valuable customer relationships with them.
Another challenge was that our staff spent a lot of time on repetitive, manual tasks like preparing quotations, instead of focusing on more meaningful work that could help grow the business or improve customer service.
I wanted to empower my team to concentrate on higher-value activities, such as building relationships and solving customer problems.
Every business needs marketing, and today, digital marketing is one of the most widely used channels for advertising. We spend a lot of money and effort to attract customers online, but if we don’t have a transactional ordering avenue—like instant pricing and online ordering—those marketing dollars are wasted.
In the printing industry, if a customer visits your website and can’t get a price or place an order immediately, they often resort to sending a WhatsApp or enquiry form. By the time you respond, they may have already found another supplier online who can serve them faster.
Additionally, our retail shop hours were limited, but I realised that if we could let our “shop”—our website—work 24/7, we could maximise sales opportunities without needing additional manpower. By enabling customers to self-generate their own pricing online at any time, we could capture business around the clock, including from overseas clients in different time zones.
That’s why I developed PriceCal—to automate and standardise our pricing, reduce dependency on individual staff, and enable customers to get instant, accurate quotes themselves, anytime and anywhere. This has made our business more resilient, efficient, and customer-friendly, while allowing our team to focus on what truly matters.
Was PriceCal developed and implemented with in-house expertise or in partnership with other companies? What was this process like?
PriceCal wasn’t built overnight, and in fact, it didn’t even have a name at the beginning—it was just an internal tool I started building out of necessity. I taught myself programming from scratch, often working late into the night after business hours, driven by the frustration of dealing with manual pricing and the desire to make things better for my team.
As the system grew more complex and my own skills reached their limits, I felt both excitement and anxiety. I wanted to keep improving, but I knew I couldn’t do it alone. That’s when I sought support and managed to secure a grant from NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i).
With that funding, I engaged third-party developers, which brought relief but also new challenges—communicating my vision and ensuring the system truly solved our real-world problems.
The process was far from smooth. There were many cycles of outsourcing, taking back control, and reworking the system myself. Sometimes it felt like two steps forward, one step back. There were moments of doubt, frustration, and even exhaustion, but also a deep sense of satisfaction every time we overcame a hurdle or saw the system make a real difference in our daily operations.
Then, in 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and it was a turning point. I saw many printing shops around Singapore struggling with low foot traffic and dwindling sales. Many of them didn’t even have a website, let alone an automated system to help them sell online or quote customers instantly.
It struck me how fortunate we were to have built this internal system, but I also realised that for most print shops, developing something similar would require a huge investment of money, knowledge, resources, and time—things that many small businesses simply didn’t have, especially during such a difficult period.
That’s when the idea to commercialise our internal system really took hold. I felt a sense of responsibility to share what we had built, to help other print businesses not just survive, but adapt and thrive in a changing world.
So, in 2021, I officially formed my own dedicated team to focus on turning our internal tool into a solution that could empower the whole industry. Looking back, it was a journey filled with challenges, but also with purpose and hope for the future of print businesses everywhere.
How did PriceCal help you improve your business operations and achieve your company goals?
In the printing industry, price generation is often the biggest hurdle to going online. Every print job can be unique, with countless combinations of materials, sizes, finishes, and quantities. Traditionally, this complexity made it difficult to offer instant, accurate quotations online—something customers expect in today’s digital world.
Once we solved the challenge of automated price generation with PriceCal, the path to e-commerce became much easier and more natural for our business.
The advantages of this shift were significant. E-commerce allowed us to reach a much wider audience, including overseas customers and those who preferred the convenience of online ordering.
It also reduced our reliance on individual staff members for quoting, minimising the risk of errors and ensuring pricing consistency across all channels. Our team could now focus on higher-value tasks, such as customer service and business development, rather than repetitive manual calculations.
Operational efficiency improved dramatically. Automated workflows—from quotation to order confirmation—meant faster turnaround times and the ability to handle more orders without increasing manpower. The system also provided valuable data on customer preferences and buying trends, helping us make smarter business decisions and tailor our offerings.
During the pandemic, having a robust e-commerce platform became even more critical. With foot traffic down and many print shops struggling, our ability to offer contactless, online transactions gave us a competitive edge and kept our business resilient. Integrating e-commerce with our marketing efforts also allowed us to run targeted campaigns and convert online leads directly into sales.
In summary, once the barrier of price generation was removed, embracing e-commerce unlocked a host of benefits: expanded market reach, improved efficiency, enhanced customer experience, and greater business resilience.
What inspired you to provide PriceCal as a solution to other printing businesses?
Needless to say, I saw a unique opportunity. For years, I dreamed of expanding my print business overseas, but the reality of shipping physical print products—due to their weight and high delivery costs—made it impractical.
With PriceCal, I realised I could finally “sell print” globally, not as a physical product, but as a software solution. This allowed me to reach beyond geographical boundaries and offer real value to print businesses everywhere.
Of course, like any entrepreneur, I want to build a successful business and earn a living. But for me, it goes much deeper than that. The print industry gave me my career and livelihood, and I feel a strong sense of gratitude and responsibility to give back.
It’s heartbreaking to see so many printers struggling or closing down simply because they can’t modernise or bring their business online. I know firsthand how challenging it is to keep up with technology, and I wanted to make it easier for others to adapt and thrive.
Bluntly put, I want to leave a legacy. I want to be a force for positive change in the print industry—almost like a “revivalist.” My hope is that PriceCal can be the tool that breathes new life into traditional print businesses, helping them survive, grow, and even flourish in the digital age. If I can help even a few printers transform and secure their future, I’ll feel that I’ve truly repaid the industry that has given me so much.
What are some adjustments and adaptations that other traditional print shops have to make when digitalising? How can these hurdles be overcome?
Traditional print shops need to make a few key adjustments when moving towards digitalisation. The first is a mindset shift—being open to change and willing to learn new things.
Many business owners and staff are comfortable with the old ways, but today’s customers expect fast responses, online access, and convenience. If you don’t adapt, you risk losing customers to competitors who are already online.
Another big adjustment is making your pricing accessible and transparent. In the past, pricing was often kept in the heads of experienced staff or hidden in complicated spreadsheets. To succeed online, you need to make it easy for customers to get instant, accurate quotes.
There will always be some fear and resistance—staff may worry about learning new systems or losing their jobs. The best way to overcome this is to start small, involve your team in the process, and show them how digital tools can actually make their work easier and more meaningful.
Training and support are important, but so is choosing solutions that are designed for the print industry, so your team won’t feel lost.
Finally, remember that digitalisation is not about replacing people, but about empowering your business to serve customers better and stay competitive. Change is the only constant, and taking the first step—especially with the right tools and mindset—will help your print shop not just survive, but thrive in the digital age.
What is your advice for other small businesses, especially traditional ones, for digitalising?
Many traditional businesses get stuck in their comfort zones. Staff may resist learning new technology, and some believe printing is a sunset industry, even though statistics show there’s still strong demand. But the reality is, if you don’t reach out to customers through digital channels, you risk losing them to competitors who do.
Today, customers expect convenience, speed, and the ability to get information or place orders online—if you’re not there, they will simply go elsewhere.
My advice is to start with pricing, because it’s the foundation of every sale. Don’t let fear hold you back. The first step is always the hardest, but with the right tools—especially those made by people who understand your challenges—you can move forward without worry.
Start small, and you’ll quickly see how much easier and more efficient your business can become. Change is the only constant, and embracing it is the best way to keep your business strong and connected to your customers.
