Personalization Mall has made a major upgrade to its customization experience with the rollout of a new AI-powered design platform that allows shoppers to create personalized products faster and more intuitively.
The tool, called AI Print Studio, gives customers the ability to design items such as apparel, mugs, phone cases, and photo books directly on Personalization Mall. The addition of AI makes the experience quick and easy for users while allowing even more detail with their customizations.
“We wanted to make the process as fun and user-friendly as possible,” says Maggie Berousek, a product developer at Personalization Mall. “It helps the customer personalize their design and product in more depth than ever before.”
A more intuitive way to customize
The AI Print Studio replaces much of the manual work once required in Personalization Mall’s design tools. Shoppers can now start with a blank product template and either upload their own image or describe what they’d like to see — letting the AI generate designs on the spot. While the AI experience won’t replace customizing for all items on the site, it will make certain gifts (mugs, apparel, etc) easier to personalize in any way a shopper would like.
The interface provides progress bars and time estimates, while dynamic pricing updates in real time as customers add features like text, custom designs, or colors. “Everything is dynamic, so while you’re customizing your item, the price changes based on the product,” Berousek says.
From there, users can tweak details like font, color, and placement, or experiment with design suggestions provided by AI. The process, according to Berousek, aims to blend professional-level results with the ease of a guided online experience.
Expanding into photo books
Among the most anticipated features are AI-generated photo books, a new product category for Personalization Mall. Customers can upload photos and let the system automatically organize them into layouts, complete with themes and captions.
“Photo books are hugely exciting — they were one of the main pillars of this entire program,” Berousek says. “They make it easier than ever for people to create something meaningful, like a family album or a gift for a reunion.”
The process of creating a photo book with the new technology is easy. The site offers several templates to choose from: Travel, wedding, celebrations, etc. or customers can create their own design from scratch. Once the template is chosen, the user can upload all their photos, and the program will automatically populate the photo album before taking customers to the “editor” page, where they can change the order of the images. Or users can jump straight to the “editor” step and drop in photos where they fit best.
Customers can personalize their photo albums with text, colored background pages, photo size, and more! Include funny quotes from a family vacation on one page with photos from a day at the beach on the other. The options seem almost endless, and every book is unique to the person who makes it.
Behind the scenes and future plans
The transition to AI required months of cross-team coordination to integrate the AI software into Personalization Mall’s existing systems and to ensure the platform could support complex image rendering and order processing at scale.
While only select product lines currently use the new tool, including apparel and photo books, the company plans to extend AI-driven customization to additional categories in the coming months.
“Our goal is to make personalization accessible to everyone,” Berousek says. “AI allows us to offer more creative flexibility without adding complexity for the customer.”
Q: What is the new AI technology that Personalization Mall is using?
A: Personalization Mall has introduced a new AI-powered design tool called “AI Studio,” which is part of its broader “photo first” initiative. This technology is built on a third-party software platform called Printbox, which enables customers to create and personalize a wide range of products — such as apparel, tech accessories, mugs, and photo books — directly on the Personalization Mall website.
Q: How does the AI Studio work for customers?
A: Customers start by selecting from eight different product categories, each offering blank templates for customization. When a customer chooses a product, they’re taken into the Printbox software, where they can design their item using AI-driven tools. The interface guides users through the process, showing progress bars and estimated completion times. Customers can add images, edit designs (including removing backgrounds or adding text), and personalize details like color, size, and style. The system is designed to be user-friendly, catering to both tech-savvy users and those new to customization.
Q: What makes this technology different from Personalization Mall’s previous personalization tools?
A: The new AI Studio is a significant upgrade from Personalization Mall’s original, more manual personalization process. Previously, customers had to manually upload and arrange photos or text on products. With the new AI tool, much of the design work is automated, making it faster and easier to create unique products. The AI can handle complex edits, offer instant previews, and streamline the entire customization experience. This is especially noticeable in new product categories like photo books, which were not available before the AI upgrade.
Q: What types of products can be customized with the AI Studio?
A: The AI Studio supports a variety of products, including different styles of apparel (men’s, women’s, various colors and sizes), tech accessories, mugs, and—most notably—photo books. Each product category offers its own set of customization options, and the AI adapts to the specifics of each item. For example, customers can choose different mug sizes and colors or select from various photo book formats and cover types.
Q: How does the new technology benefit users?
A: The main benefits for users are speed, ease of use, and creative flexibility. The AI Studio allows even non-technical users to design professional-looking products quickly. Features like automatic image placement, background removal, and dynamic previews reduce the time and effort needed to create personalized items. The platform also helps users navigate Personalization Mall’s extensive product catalog by suggesting options and streamlining the design process.
Q: Are all Personalization Mall products now using this AI technology?
A: Not all products have transitioned to the new AI system. The AI Studio is currently used for select product lines, especially those that benefit most from advanced customization, like apparel and photo books. Other products, such as ornaments or simple personalized items, still use Personalization Mall’s original in-house tools. The company plans to expand AI integration where it adds value, but some products will remain on the existing platform for now.
Q: What challenges did Personalization Mall face in implementing this technology?
A: Integrating a third-party AI platform with Personalization Mall’s proprietary systems was a major challenge. The project required collaboration across multiple teams over several months, starting with planning in March 2025 and launching the updated site in July 2025. Technical hurdles included aligning software systems, troubleshooting integration issues, and ensuring a seamless user experience. Despite these challenges, the team successfully launched the new platform and even rebranded the site and logo during the process.
Q: What’s next for Personalization Mall’s AI-powered customization?
A: Personalization Mall plans to continue expanding the use of AI technology to more product categories, especially where it can enhance the customer experience. The company is also exploring new features, such as QR code products with audio or video integration, and further improvements to the design interface. The goal is to offer customers even more creative options and make personalized products accessible to everyone.
