How Much Does It Cost To Print At Office Depot?
A lot of people use Office Depot for their office equipment needs, but did you know that Office Depot stores also provide professional printing services? Most of their locations will be able to print your important documents or project papers in bulk or by page, in black and white or color, and so on.
But how much does it cost to print at Office Depot? This article should give you a better idea of what you should expect in terms of the prices of the provided services.
How Much Does It Cost To Print At Office Depot?
The cost of printing at Office Depot is, in general, anywhere between $.20 and $1.10 per page, depending on several important factors like the size of the paper, the type of printing, and the used colors. Black and white prints will usually be cheaper than color prints, while smaller paper sizes will be cheaper than larger paper sizes.
According to a Quora Member, Office Depot charges around $.15 per black-and-white copy and $.71 per color. If you need to print a two-sided document, then this cost will be per impression, meaning for just one side. You can cut down on these prices if you use the self serve area. Printing your documents through self-serve will cost between $.12 and $.59.
Another member on the same forum stated that they needed to print a document that was a mix of color and black-and-white prints of about 14,000 individual pages, or about 7,000 sheets. The particular Office Depot store they went to tried to tell them that they weren’t eligible for a quantity discount as each page was different, so they were going to be charged 7,000 x the per-copy price.
That amounted to over $4,000 with a heavier stock and a hole punch, or about $.58 per page.
As the price seemed a little steep, they chose to rent a color copier instead, for 6 months. This included unlimited toner and service and cost $1,900. He then spent an additional $160 for 15 reams of 20# bright white paper and this enabled them to print one set for about $2,060.
They ended up printing 3 individual sets for a total cost of $2,380 plus electricity and his work hours of loading the machine and checking print quality from time to time.
In the end, they spent around $2,380 for something Office Depot would have charged at $12,000. The whole job took around two slow weeks. They were then left with a rented copier that they used for the next 5 months to print anything they wanted for free, excluding the cost of paper.
Factors Affecting Printing Price at Office Depot
Below, you will find some of the most important factors that influence the price when printing documents at Office Depot:
- Content: If you need to have big images or complex graphics printed, then this will surely impact the final bill.
- Paper Type: You will spend different amounts to print different types of paper, like recycled or glossy, for example.
- Number of Copies: You will usually spend less money per page to have multiple copies of the same document printed at once than printing single copies of a document
- Print Size: Larger page sizes will usually cost more than smaller page sizes.
- Printer Type: Inkjet printers will usually cost less than laser or color printers.
Office Depot Print and Copy versus Other Providers
You will usually find lower prices at Office Depot than you would at professional printing services. However, going to other providers might have its advantages as well. Like getting custom printing options like different paper types or special sizes, for example.
You might also like our articles about the cost of printing at UPS or Staples, or the cost of shredding.
Keep in mind that some providers might have additional costs or setup fees. To make sure you’re getting the best deal, make sure you do your research into the prices of different providers.
Photo Printing Service at Office Depot
You can print your photos at Office Depot in different standard sizes. The prices for these services will be between $.35 and $2.29 per print, depending on the type of paper and its size. If you need any additional features, like customized photo prints including greeting cards, business cards, larger prints, or canvas prints, these will be priced at higher rates.
Printing at Home versus Office Depot Prints
Although most people consider that getting the necessary equipment at home is the cheaper alternative, in the long run, it might be more economical for you to print in professional printing stores. This is because it can actually be less efficient to do common printing tasks like scanning or copying at home than it would at Office Depot stores.
Also, you might have fewer specialty paper types, or printing them at home might be more expensive, as Office Depot functions on a lot profit margin when it comes to these types of services and they take advantage of high bulk discounts when it comes to paper and equipment acquisition.
How can I save money?
If you have a lot of pages to print, it can easily become more expensive than you’d want it to be. Below, you will find some great tips to reduce the cost of printing at Office Depot:
- Printing double-sided: You will reduce costs per impression if you print on both sides instead of just one side of the paper.
- Buy your own supplies: You can save money by purchasing ink cartridges and your own paper and printing at home.
- Buy in bulk: You can save money if you take advantage of the bulk discounts offered by Office Depot and print larger copy quantities in one go.
- Use triple processing: You can save money on printing by using a combination of the physical printing service, the store’s website, and the mobile app, as each of them has individual discounts and gratuities.
- Look for print specials: As many other big brands, Office Depot offers regular print specials at reduced prices.
Final words
You can fulfill your printing needs without going overboard with spending by printing at Office Depot. Although the price of printing at Office Depot will depend on the size of the paper and the type of printer among other factors, you can expect a cost between $.20 and $1.10 per page. This cost can be further reduced by buying services in bulk, printing double-sided, and following some of the other tips and tricks we have laid out above.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!