Canon has launched a new tool designed to help printers demonstrate the value of print, using findings from its latest Insight Report and independent market research. The calculator will help determine the return on investment of customer campaigns, the company says.

Canon's most recent Insight Report highlighted a gap between the 87 percent of print buyers who say print is important in their communications strategy, and the ten percent that have a formal process for evaluating its effectiveness. Those that had no evaluation process in place cited difficulties in quantifying the ROI as the reason, and Canon has developed the tool as a solution to the problem.

"We believe this is the first tool of its kind in measuring the ROI of these specific print applications," says Andy Harris, European and UK graphic arts customer marketing, Professional Print Solutions, Canon Europe. "We will continue to refine and adapt the tool in response to the requirements of printers and their customers.

The Microsoft Excel-based calculator allows users to profile the customer and their planned campaign, with clear objectives, and determine the best applications for the customer to use in order to achieve their goals.