A step-by-step guide to building a compelling, data-driven business case for Managed Print Services — from first input to closing conversation.
The PrintManagementROI MPS ROI Calculator is a web-based financial modeling tool that quantifies — in hard numbers — the business value of moving a customer from unmanaged or under-managed printing to a full Managed Print Services (MPS) engagement.
Rather than telling a customer "MPS saves money," this tool shows exactly how much they save, how quickly they recoup the implementation cost, and what their total return is over the contract period. This transforms a qualitative sales conversation into a quantitative business case.
Before using the tool, align on these core concepts with your team and customers.
A click is a single printed page. The click cost (or CPP — Cost Per Page) is what the customer currently pays per page. Black & white clicks are cheaper than colour. One of the main levers in MPS is negotiating lower click rates through volume commitments and device optimisation.
The Average Monthly Volume is the total number of pages printed per month across the entire fleet. The Colour Ratio is the percentage of those pages that are printed in colour. Because colour clicks cost typically 5–10× more than mono clicks, even a small colour ratio has a large cost impact.
MPS doesn't just replace equipment — it changes behaviour. Policy rules are software-enforced or process-driven interventions that reduce waste: converting colour jobs to mono, routing jobs to cheaper devices, or eliminating jobs that are never collected from the printer.
Both the current and new monthly fleet lease fields are entered per device per month. The tool multiplies by the respective device count and 12 to produce the annual lease cost. This means if you enter the same rate in both fields with the same device count, the lease cost cancels out — no artificial saving is created.
The software platform cost is entered as an annual fee per device (€/device/year). The tool multiplies by the new fleet size to compute the total annual software cost. A zero value means no software is included, which also removes the +5 points from the Solution Coverage Indicator. If the provider quotes one bundled monthly fee for hardware and software, allocate that fee between the lease and software inputs without entering the same amount in both fields.
The one-time cost to deploy the MPS solution — including assessment, device deployment, software setup, user training, and project management. This is the customer's initial investment, and the Payback Period tells them how many months of savings it takes to recover it.
The total revenue generated by the MPS contract over its full term — clicks + lease + software × years + implementation. This is the partner revenue figure.
The calculator is organised into five visual zones, each serving a specific purpose in the sales workflow.
Figure 1 — Annotated tool layout with the five zones (A–E) you will use in every sales engagement
Contains the PrintManagementROI wordmark, public navigation, theme toggle (dark / light), reset button, and the Export to PDF button. Use Export to PDF to generate a branded, printable report for your customer.
Enter the customer's baseline data on the left — fleet size, monthly volume, current click rates. The right panel updates in real time with 11 key financial metrics. A cost comparison strip between the two panels shows current vs. direct MPS annual costs side by side.
A live cumulative cost chart shows when the MPS investment pays back (break-even point highlighted in orange). The indicator summarizes included capabilities from 0–28 points across the FOCUSED → EXPANDED → BROAD → COMPREHENSIVE coverage tiers. It does not measure solution quality, ROI, or organizational maturity.
Define the proposed contract (new click rates, device lease, software cost, contract duration) and set the print optimisation policy percentages (force mono, duplex, deletion, digitisation, routing).
Deal Information is included in the free calculator. Optional deeper cost modelling, currency/locale controls, and Your Fleet Report import require Pro access. Expand with the "Advanced Settings ▾" toggle.
Follow these steps in order during a discovery session or when preparing a proposal.
Enter Customer Name, Prepared By, and Reference Date. These appear in the PDF export footer so every printout is clearly attributed.
Fill in the four core fleet metrics. If exact numbers are unknown, use estimates and refine later.
| Field | Where to Find It | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Devices | IT asset register / fleet audit | 18 |
| Avg Monthly Volume | Printer management software, supplier invoices | 45,000 pages |
| Colour Page Ratio (%) | Print analytics or estimation from user survey | 20% |
| Number of Locations | Customer site list | 3 |
These are the rates the customer currently pays per page — typically found on their existing supply or service invoices. If they have a managed service already, toggle Currently Managed? to Yes.
| Field | Typical Range / Notes |
|---|---|
| Current B&W Click Cost | €0.005 – €0.015 / page |
| Current Colour Click Cost | €0.040 – €0.100 / page |
| Paper Cost per Sheet | €0.004 – €0.010 / sheet |
| Current Monthly Fleet Lease (€/device) | Per-device/month. Total = value × devices × 12. Enter €0 if owned outright |
Figure 2 — Customer Inputs panel fully completed with the sample scenario data
In the New Contract Terms panel, enter the proposed MPS offer details.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| New Number of Devices | New fleet size under MPS — may differ from current (right-sizing) |
| New B&W Click Rate | Should be lower than current — this is a key saving lever |
| New Colour Click Rate | Should be lower than current |
| New Monthly Fleet Lease (€/device) | Per-device/month rate for new MPS hardware. Total = rate × new devices × 12 |
| Software Allocation (€/device/year) | Annual software share per device, excluding any amount already entered as lease. Multiplied by new fleet size to give total annual software cost |
| Implementation Cost | One-time deployment fee — drives the payback calculation |
| Contract Duration | Typically 3–5 years; longer = better ROI % |
| Mobile Printing Included? | Adds +2 to the Solution Coverage Indicator. Unlocks Mobile Printing section in Advanced Settings |
| 24/7 Monitoring Included? | Adds +2 to the Solution Coverage Indicator |
| MFA Authentication (card reader + PIN)? | Adds +2 to the Solution Coverage Indicator — new in v2.1 |
These percentages model the behaviour change impact of MPS policies. Start with conservative defaults and adjust based on customer appetite and policy scope. See Section 6 for a detailed guide on each policy.
Expand Advanced Settings to include hidden costs that strengthen the business case: IT management labour, maintenance contracts, and downtime productivity loss. These are often costs the customer hasn't previously attributed to printing. See Section 7 for details.
Check the Results Panel and ROI Chart. Verify the numbers look credible. If warnings appear (red alerts), adjust inputs — common fixes are in Section 9. When satisfied, click Export to PDF to generate the customer report.
The Calculated Results Panel displays 11 output fields. Each is colour-coded to signal its business meaning.
| Output Field | What It Means | How to Use in a Sales Conversation |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated Annual Print Waste Cost | Click + paper cost of pages that would be eliminated entirely: user-deleted jobs, auto-expired jobs, digitisation, and other policy rules. Force mono, duplex, and job routing do not contribute — they reduce cost without removing pages from the count. | "You're currently spending €X/year on pages that are printed but never needed — pull-print, digitisation, and auto-expiry eliminate these entirely." |
| Projected Annual Saving | Current annual cost minus direct MPS annual cost, plus any positive validated routing, remote-management, and mobile-productivity benefits | "MPS saves you €X every single year — that's €Y over your 3-year contract." |
| Total Saving for Contract Period | Annual saving × contract duration in years. The cumulative customer benefit over the full term. | "Over your 3-year contract, that's €X in total savings — not just year-one." |
| Customer Payback Period | Implementation plus contract-total software investment divided by monthly benefit before the annual software amount is counted again | "Your initial investment pays back in X months — after that it's pure saving." |
| ROI Over Contract Period | ((Annual savings × years) − implementation cost) ÷ implementation cost × 100 | "That's a X% return on your MPS investment over the contract term." |
| Total Contract Value (Partner Revenue) | Total MPS fees + implementation, across full contract duration | Internal use — helps size the opportunity and forecast partner revenue. |
| Colour→Mono Pages Shifted | Volume of colour pages converted to B&W by force mono policy | "Automatically printing emails in mono instead of colour saves €X in click costs alone." |
| Pages Eliminated (Deleted Jobs) | Annual page volume removed through pull-print and deletion policies | "Pull-print alone eliminates X pages per year that are printed and never collected." |
| Paper Sheets Saved (Duplex) | Physical sheets saved by automatic double-sided printing | Use for sustainability/ESG reporting: "That's X fewer sheets consumed per year." |
| Downtime Cost Impact | Productivity lost to printer unavailability (requires Advanced Settings) | "Printer downtime is costing you €X/year in lost staff productivity — MPS SLAs eliminate this." |
| Mobile Productivity Saving | Shown when Mobile Printing = Yes. Calculated from mobile users × jobs/month × time saved × hourly rate × 12 | "Mobile printing saves your staff X hours per year — that's €Y in productivity." |
| Remote Site Management Saving | Shown when Number of Locations > 1. Value entered in Advanced Settings → Remote Site Management | "Centralised management across your X sites removes €Y in travel and coordination overhead." |
| Current Annual Print Cost | Total baseline: clicks + paper + hardware + IT + lease + maintenance + downtime | Show as the "before" number in your side-by-side comparison. |
| Direct MPS Annual Cost | New total: optimised clicks + paper + new lease (per new device count) + software (annualised) | Show as the direct "after" cost. The delta is direct operating-cost saving; populated benefits appear in the reconciliation below the strip. |
Figure 3 — Results panel with colour-coded outputs and the cost comparison strip below
The line chart shows cumulative costs over the contract period (in months). The dashed red line is what the customer pays if they do nothing. The solid green line is the MPS scenario (including the upfront implementation cost).
Figure 4 — ROI Chart showing cumulative costs; hover the orange break-even dot during a customer meeting to reveal the tooltip
Print policies are the behaviour change layer of MPS. Each policy reduces print volume or redirects it to lower-cost devices, compounding the click-rate savings. Together they define the Net Volume Reduction shown as a badge in the settings panel.
| Policy | Default | How It Saves | Evidence / Benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Force Mono Conversion | 20% | Converts colour pages to B&W. Reduces colour click cost (colour CPP → B&W CPP). Does not reduce page count. | Use customer print analytics or an agreed policy scope. Reduce the assumption when supporting evidence is limited. |
| Proposed Duplex Rate | 15% | Only the increase above current duplex reduces paper units. Click count is unchanged because each side remains a click. | Enter the target proposed rate here and the measured existing rate under Advanced Settings → Current Duplex Reference. The proposal cannot be lower than current. |
| User-Deleted Jobs (Pull Print) | 8% | Jobs released at device; uncollected jobs are deleted. Eliminates pages never actually needed. | Validate with print-server analytics or a controlled pilot. The Typical preset uses 8% only as a visible starting point. |
| Auto-Expired Jobs | 0% | Jobs that time out on the server and are automatically purged before reaching the device. Combined with User-Deleted rate (capped at 95% total). Eliminates pages that were never going to be collected. | Use when the customer has print server analytics showing a measurable auto-expire rate. Leave at 0 if unknown. |
| Digitisation / Reduce Copies | 0% | Paper workflows replaced by digital equivalents. Eliminates entire categories of print volume. | Keep at 0 unless an identified paper process will genuinely be digitized as part of the project. |
| Job Routing Optimisation | 10% | Redirects jobs from high-cost devices (colour laser, A3) to lower-cost devices. Reduces effective CPP. | Use "Precise Job Routing" in Advanced Settings for an exact page-redirect figure if available. |
| Other Validated Policy Savings | 0% | Customer-specific policies supported by a fleet assessment. | Keep at 0 unless evidence supports an additional saving not modeled elsewhere. |
Figure 5 — Policy Rules panel with all six policies active and the Net Volume Reduction badge showing 42%
After all policies are applied, the tool displays a Net Volume Reduction % badge. This is the total percentage of the customer's current print volume that will be eliminated or converted. This is not a target score. A credible result is one supported by actual fleet data and an achievable implementation plan.
Advanced settings refine cost categories that are often excluded from a customer's own estimate of print spend. Use them when you have real data to build a more representative total cost of ownership baseline.
If the customer owns their printers outright, enter the Average Printer Price and Device Lifespan. The tool annualises the hardware investment as a depreciation cost. This is often "invisible" to IT managers who don't attribute CapEx to print operations.
Enter the measured Current Duplex Rate when it is available. Current usage and charges are assumed to already include that behavior, so this field does not reduce current TCO. It becomes the minimum proposed rate. Only an increase above it reduces proposed paper units and estimated tree consumption.
IT teams spend time managing printer fleets: ordering consumables, troubleshooting, updating drivers, handling helpdesk calls. Capture this as IT Hours/Month × IT Hourly Rate. Also include the Annual Maintenance Cost for service contracts and consumables not covered by click agreements.
Printer downtime has a direct productivity cost. Enter Downtime Hours per Device per Year and a Cost per Downtime Hour (staff hourly rate × average affected users). This is a powerful "hidden cost" argument — customers often don't quantify it until asked.
If you know exactly how many pages per year will be redirected from high-cost to low-cost devices (e.g. from a colour A3 MFP to a mono A4 device), enter those figures here. This overrides the percentage-based routing policy and gives a more precise saving calculation.
The User-Deleted Jobs (pull-print) and Auto-Expired Jobs fields are both found in the main Print Policy Rules panel. The Advanced Settings "Deleted Jobs Detail" section simply shows the combined deletion rate (User-Deleted + Auto-Expired), capped at 95%, as a single confirmation figure. Use the Auto-Expired field when your customer has print server analytics showing a measurable auto-expire rate; leave it at 0 if the data is unavailable.
Select from 40+ currencies (EUR, GBP, USD, ZAR, SAR, CHF, ILS, and many more) and choose a number format locale (English, French, or system default). All outputs — including the chart — update instantly.
This is the only free Advanced Settings section. Found inside Advanced Settings → Deal Information, these fields do not affect the calculation but are printed in the PDF footer, so the exported report is clearly attributed to a specific customer and salesperson.
| Field | Description | Default | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer / Company Name | Appears in the print footer as "Prepared for: [Name]". Helps identify the PDF after export. | — | Optional |
| Prepared By | Partner or salesperson name. Personalises the exported report. | — | Optional |
| Reference Date | Date picker for the proposal date. Today's date is used in the footer if left blank. | Today | Optional |
Found inside Advanced Settings → Your Fleet Report. Pro users can drop a compatible fleet workbook onto the import zone (or click to browse). The tool reads the file and automatically populates Number of Devices, Avg Monthly Volume, Color Ratio, and the observed Current Duplex Rate. That observed rate becomes the proposed-rate minimum; an existing proposal is raised only if it falls below the imported baseline.
When Mobile Printing solution included? is set to Yes in the New Contract Terms panel, the Mobile Printing section appears in Advanced Settings. It calculates the productivity saving from enabling staff to print from mobile devices without walking to a shared printer.
| Field | Description | Default | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Mobile Users | Staff who will use mobile printing. Start with knowledge workers and field staff. | 0 | Required |
| Avg. Mobile Jobs per User / Month | How many times per month each mobile user prints from a device. | 0 | Required |
| Avg. Time Saved per Mobile Job (min) | Minutes saved vs. walking to a shared printer. Typically 3–8 min per job. | 5 | Optional |
| Staff Hourly Rate (€/hr) | Average fully-loaded staff cost. Leave at 0 to reuse the IT Hourly Rate from the IT & Operations section. | 0 (IT rate) | Optional |
When the customer has more than one location, a Remote Site Management section appears in Advanced Settings. Enter the annual saving from centralising fleet management — this covers avoided travel, reduced on-site IT visits, and consolidated consumables ordering.
The Solution Coverage Indicator is a 0–28 point indicator that summarizes which modeled MPS features and policies are present. It is not a certification or guaranteed maturity rating.
The gauge on screen animates to show the score, and the breakdown table lists all 11 dimensions with the points earned and a colour-coded indicator.
| Dimension | Points | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Software Solution | +5 | Software cost > 0 in contract terms |
| Digitisation Policy | +4 | Digitisation % > 0 in policy rules |
| Job Routing | +3 | Routing % > 0 OR precise routing pages > 0 |
| Pull-Print / Deletion | +3 | User-deleted jobs % > 0 |
| Unmanaged → MPS | +2 | Currently Managed = No |
| 24/7 Monitoring | +2 | Monitoring = Yes in contract terms |
| MFA Authentication | +2 | MFA (card reader + PIN) = Yes in contract terms |
| Mobile Printing | +2 | Mobile printing = Yes in contract terms |
| Proposed Duplex | +2 | Proposed duplex % > current duplex % |
| Force Mono | +2 | Force mono % > 0 AND colour volume > 0 |
| Other Validated Policy Savings | +1 | Other validated policy % > 0 |
Figure 6 — Solution Coverage Indicator gauge at 27/28 (COMPREHENSIVE tier); new max is 28 with MFA authentication added
The tool highlights three scenarios with red alert messages. These are flags to investigate assumptions, not to ignore.
Figure 7 — The three warning states shown in context; each clearly describes the problem and implicitly points to the fix
Use these talk tracks when walking a customer through the calculator output.
"Before we look at the proposed MPS environment, I want to make sure we're looking at your total print cost — not just click invoices. Where evidence is available, this model can also include IT labour, hardware depreciation, maintenance contracts and the productivity cost of printer downtime."
"This figure here — the Annual Print Waste Cost — represents money you're spending today on pages that with the right policies simply wouldn't be printed. Pull-print alone eliminates jobs that are queued but never collected. We've used a visible 8% starting assumption here; we should replace it with print-server analytics or pilot evidence before relying on the result."
"This chart tells the whole story. The red line is what you spend if you do nothing. The green line includes the implementation cost upfront — that's why it starts higher. But look at month X — that's your break-even point. After that, every single month you're saving money compared to today. By the end of your 3-year contract, you're €Y ahead."
"I want to be clear that these numbers are scenario estimates. The fleet volumes and costs come from your data, while each policy percentage remains an assumption until it is supported by analytics, a pilot or an agreed implementation plan. We can lower any assumption and review the effect together."
"The Solution Coverage Indicator summarizes which MPS features and policies are included. Your scenario scores X out of 28 — that's the EXPANDED coverage tier. Two additional capabilities may be relevant to your requirements. Adding the print management software platform adds 5 coverage points, but it also adds a real contract cost. We should model and validate the enabled policy benefits before deciding whether it improves the financial case."
Use this worked example as a reference during training. Walk through each input and verify the outputs match before using the tool with a real customer.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of Devices | 25 |
| Monthly Volume | 60,000 pages |
| Colour Ratio | 25% |
| Current B&W CPP | €0.009 |
| Current Colour CPP | €0.070 |
| Paper Cost/Sheet | €0.006 |
| Current Monthly Fleet Lease | €0/device |
| Number of Locations | 4 |
| Currently Managed? | No |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| New Number of Devices | 25 |
| New B&W CPP | €0.006 |
| New Colour CPP | €0.050 |
| New Monthly Fleet Lease | €100/device |
| Software Solution | €320/device/year (≈€8,000/yr total, 25 devices) |
| Implementation Cost | €25,000 |
| Contract Duration | 3 years |
| Mobile Printing | Yes |
| 24/7 Monitoring | Yes |
| MFA Authentication | Yes |
| Policy | Rate |
|---|---|
| Force Mono | 25% |
| Proposed Duplex | 20% |
| User-Deleted Jobs | 10% |
| Digitisation | 15% |
| Job Routing | 12% |
| Other Validated Policies | 0% |
| Advanced Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| IT Hours/Month | 5 hrs @ €75/hr |
| Annual Maintenance | €6,000 |
| Downtime Hrs/Device/Yr | 4 hrs @ €60/hr |
Print or bookmark this page as a desk reference during customer meetings.
| Score | Coverage | Illustrative scope review |
|---|---|---|
| 0–7 | FOCUSED | Add software, digitisation, pull-print |
| 8–14 | EXPANDED | Add routing, monitoring, MFA, mobile |
| 15–20 | BROAD | Review remaining unchecked dimensions |
| 21–28 | COMPREHENSIVE | Max 28 pts — MFA unlocks last +2 |
This exercise simulates a real discovery-to-proposal workflow. Work through it individually or in pairs. You will enter real data into the calculator, interpret the outputs, and practice the key talking points. Estimated time: 30–45 minutes.
You have just completed a discovery call with GlobalShip Logistics, a mid-size freight company with offices across 5 locations. Their IT manager has shared the following information. Your task is to build their MPS ROI business case using the calculator.
Open the MPS ROI Calculator and enter GlobalShip's current fleet data. With Pro access, use the Advanced Settings panel for IT labour, maintenance, and downtime.
| Field | Value to Enter | Your Entry ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Devices | 32 | |
| Avg Monthly Volume | 75,000 | |
| Color Page Ratio | 30% | |
| Current B&W Click Cost | €0.010 | |
| Current Color Click Cost | €0.080 | |
| Paper Cost/Sheet | €0.007 | |
| Number of Locations | 5 | |
| Currently Managed? | No | |
| Current Monthly Fleet Lease (€/device) | €0 (owned outright) | |
| IT Hours/Month (Advanced) | 6 hrs @ €80/hr | |
| Annual Maintenance (Advanced) | €7,500 | |
| Downtime Hrs/Device/Year (Adv.) | 3 hrs @ €60/hr |
You are proposing the following MPS contract. Enter the Contract Terms and enable the key add-ons. These are the deal parameters you will model.
| Field | Value to Enter | Your Entry ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| New Number of Devices | 32 (same fleet size) | |
| New B&W Click Rate | €0.007 | |
| New Color Click Rate | €0.055 | |
| New Monthly Fleet Lease (€/device) | €100/device | |
| Software Solution (€/device/year) | €313/device/year (≈€10,000/yr total, 32 devices) | |
| Implementation Cost | €30,000 | |
| Contract Duration | 3 years | |
| Mobile Printing Included? | Yes | |
| 24/7 Monitoring Included? | Yes | |
| MFA Authentication? | Yes |
Based on your discovery call, GlobalShip's IT manager is open to pull-print and mono enforcement, and has identified a small document-digitization workstream, but relies heavily on paper manifests. Enter the following validated policy rates.
| Policy | Rate to Enter | Your Entry ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Force Mono | 30% | |
| Proposed Duplex | 20% | |
| User-Deleted Jobs (Pull-Print) | 12% | |
| Digitisation | 8% (conservative) | |
| Job Routing Optimisation | 10% | |
| Other Validated Policy Savings | 0% |
After entering the policies, record the Net Volume Reduction badge:
With all inputs entered, read the Calculated Results panel and fill in your findings below.
| Metric | Your Result | Expected Range |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated Annual Print Waste Cost | €40k – €60k | |
| Projected Annual Saving | €80k – €95k | |
| Customer Payback Period | 3 – 5 months | |
| ROI Over Contract Period | 700% – 850% | |
| Total Contract Value (Partner) | €680k – €750k | |
| Current Annual Print Cost | €290k – €340k | |
| Direct MPS Annual Cost | €210k – €245k | |
| Solution Coverage Indicator | 26 – 27 / 28 | |
| Coverage Tier | COMPREHENSIVE |
During the proposal presentation, GlobalShip's procurement director pushes back: "€30,000 implementation is too high — our budget cap is €20,000. Can we make this work?"
Without changing any other values, adjust the implementation cost to €20,000 and answer:
Imagine a simpler version of this deal: no software, no monitoring, no mobile printing, and no job routing. Set those fields to zero / No now. Check the new Solution Coverage Indicator.
In pairs, one person plays the partner/salesperson and one plays the GlobalShip IT Manager. The salesperson has 5 minutes to walk through the calculator output using the talk tracks from Section 10. The IT Manager should use the objections below.
| Objection | |
|---|---|
| 💬 | "How do you know our staff will actually use pull-print? They hate change." |
| 💬 | "Our finance team will ask why the green line starts above the red line on the chart — what do I tell them?" |
| 💬 | "853% ROI sounds too good to be true. What are you assuming to get there?" |
| 💬 | "We have a branch in France — can the report show numbers in euros with French formatting?" |
After the role-play, export the PDF and review it together. Does it tell the story you intended?
Slight variations are normal due to rounding. Results should be within 5% of these values. Key formula changes vs. old version: current lease = €0 (owned outright) so no lease delta; new fleet lease = €100/device × 32 × 12 = €38,400/yr; software = €313/device/year × 32 devices = €10,016/yr.