To overcome numerous challenges in the construction industry, many novel approaches for formwork-free 3D concrete printing, generalized as digital construction (DC) have been introduced. CONPrint3D, developed at Technische Universität (TU) Dresden is an onsite DC technology in which a concrete boom pump is adapted to place fresh concrete with geometrical precision, is discussed. This new construction process inherently requires construction materials with good pumpability, extrudability, and adequate very-early-strength. In addition, fresh concrete rheological properties have to be optimized in conjunction with process parameters such as printing rate and print scenarios. The authors propose a holistic approach for testing and characterizing printability—as a combination of pumpability, extrudability and buildability—of cement-based composites using fresh concrete rheology as a tool with the objective of optimizing DC processes.