AMSTELVEEN, June 9, 2008 – New research, commissioned by Canon Europe, world leader in digital imaging technology into the cost and management of print, has found that print related issues cost European businesses EUR 17,000 a year each, amounting to a total annual cost of EUR 663 billion to Europe’s businesses as a whole.

• Businesses affected as problems go unreported

• IT and support staff spend an average of 120 hours a year on print related issues

• New Managed Service offering from Canon removes the pain of printer downtime leading to increased productivity

The survey, conducted by ICM Research, looked at the cost and management of print among European businesses of all sizes in 19 European countries, examining the attitudes of more than 3,000 individuals responsible for their organisation’s print function.

In 72% of European businesses, employees were unable to print at least once a month. One of the reasons for this was staff failing to report a printer problem. This was particularly prevalent with larger companies, with a staggering 43% of respondents from businesses with over 250 employees claiming that staff are slow to report printer faults.

IT Managers or technical support staff spend, on average, three and a half weeks a year on fixing printer problems. This equates to a staggering 10,000 hours wasted annually across Europe.

Adam Gillbe, European Solutions Marketing Manager, Canon Europe, said: “At an annual cost of EUR 17,000 per business, printer downtime is a very serious issue. In the age of the credit crunch, businesses can’t afford to bury their heads in the sand. Cost-savings through streamlining and effective print management are now more important than ever.”

The study also estimated that poor print management costs an average company more than EUR 82,000 every year. For larger companies of more than 250 people, this is figure is as high as EUR 695,000. Common issues which prevent employees from printing included paper jams and printer toner running low.

Third parties hold the key
Over a quarter of respondents from businesses of all sizes felt that having their print function managed by a third-party company could be of benefit to their business. For larger companies employing more than 20 people, as many as a third could see a benefit from outsourcing the management of their print function.

The study is released as Canon launches its Managed Services offering throughout Europe. Managed Services sees Canon take control of part or all of a customer’s print fleet to help the company optimise its document input and output.

“Through our new Managed Services offering, Canon provides scalable expert print consultancy, management, maintenance and end-user support services that helps companies manage their print costs, and improve efficiency, productivity and security,” states Adam Gillbe.

Nearly two thirds of businesses (63%) do not have a defined print strategy; ranging from 57% in France, Spain and Portugal, to 71% in Norway and 73% in the UK.

“Businesses must establish a print strategy that builds in contingencies for those moments when the printer is offline or out of action,” says Gillbe. “Canon has the expertise to design, implement a print strategy and manage a business’s print function. While companies think they could save an average of a sixth of their total print budget through more efficient print strategies, we know the true saving from adopting Managed Services is nearer twice that figure.”

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