The online service, which is the result of a "significant investment", will give clients of both franchises 24-hour access to a website from which they can personalise pre-approved artwork templates, request quotes and place orders.

Kealan Lennon, chief executive of ODC, said: "We identified an opportunity in the marketplace for a web-to-print facility and our pilot received phenomenal feedback from franchisees who found it to be a useful sales tool and a great way to attract and retain high-value clients."

Lennon added that the service would enable Prontaprint and Kall Kwik franchisees to grow their businesses and "lock in" higher value clients by becoming an extension of the clients' existing marketing tools.

The web-to-print service was implemented by ODC chief technology officer Matthew Day, who was appointed in October 2008.

He said: "Centres adopting the web-to-print service can create a customer gateway, build a basic artwork template and have an online demonstration ready within just 15 minutes.

"The service provides numerous client benefits, such as job tracking, improved workflow for repeat orders and greater transparency on costs."

Day added that franchisees that the Kall Kwik and Prontaprint centres currently operating the service had experienced a "significant increase in demand" from customers.