FedEx Office vs. Staples: A Side-by-Side Comparison for Business Printing

When I first started managing vendor relationships in 2020, I assumed the lowest quote was always the best choice. Three budget overruns later, I learned about total cost of ownership—and realized comparing print vendors isn't as straightforward as it looks.

If you're trying to decide between FedEx Office and Staples for your business printing, you've probably noticed they seem pretty similar on the surface. Both have retail locations. Both print business cards, posters, brochures, you name it. Both will take your money.

But here's what I've learned after processing 60-80 print orders annually for a 45-person company: the differences show up in the details. And those details affect your budget, your timeline, and honestly, whether you look competent to your VP when materials arrive.

I'm going to break this down across four dimensions that actually matter for business buyers: location and convenience, turnaround speed, custom brochure quality, and total cost. No wishy-washy "both have pros and cons" conclusions—I'll tell you what I'd actually choose in each scenario.

The Comparison Framework

Before diving in, let me be clear about what I'm comparing:

• FedEx Office print and ship centers — the retail locations where you can walk in, email files to print, and ship from the same counter
• Staples print centers — their in-store Copy & Print services

I'm not comparing online-only ordering (both offer it, and it changes the calculus). I'm talking about when you need retail locations—because sometimes you need to see a proof in person or pick something up in two hours.

Dimension 1: Location Convenience

FedEx Office

FedEx Office has roughly 2,000 locations across the U.S. (Source: FedEx investor relations, 2024). What makes them different is the print-and-ship integration. You're not just dropping off a print order—you can print materials and ship them to clients, your satellite office, or an event venue from the same counter.

I've used FedEx Office print and ship centers in Houston, Chicago, and New York when traveling for conferences. The consistency is... basically reliable. File formats work the same way. The FedEx Office email to print feature (you literally email your file to a specific address) saved me once when I needed same-day business cards in Dallas and forgot my USB drive.

Staples

Staples has approximately 1,000 U.S. retail locations (Source: Staples corporate website, January 2025). Fewer locations, but if you're searching "staples poster printing near me," there's a decent chance one exists within 15 minutes.

The experience varies more by location, in my experience. Some Staples print centers feel like a well-run operation; others feel like printing is an afterthought behind office supply sales.

My Take

Winner: FedEx Office for coverage and consistency.

If you travel or have multiple office locations, FedEx Office's nationwide footprint matters. If you're only ever ordering from one location and there's a Staples closer, the math changes. But for my needs—coordinating print orders across 3 locations—the FedEx network is legitimately more convenient.

Dimension 2: Turnaround Time

This is where it gets interesting. And honestly, where I had to correct my own assumptions.

FedEx Office

FedEx Office offers same-day printing for many products, including same day business cards. I've tested this multiple times. The catch—and here's something vendors won't tell you—"same day" often means "by end of business day" not "in two hours." If I remember correctly, their standard turnaround for business cards is 2-3 business days; same-day is a rush option.

For custom brochure printing, expect 3-5 business days standard. Same-day isn't available for everything.

Staples

Staples also offers same-day for many products—business cards, posters, basic flyers. Their standard turnaround is similar: 2-5 business days depending on complexity.

What most people don't realize is that "standard turnaround" often includes buffer time that vendors use to manage their production queue. It's not necessarily how long YOUR order takes—it's how long they promise so they have flexibility.

My Take

Winner: Tie, with a caveat.

For same-day needs, both can deliver. The real question is what happens when same-day isn't available. FedEx Office's shipping integration means if they can't print it today at your local store, they can potentially expedite it from another location and ship overnight. Staples doesn't have that logistics backbone.

Saved $80 once by skipping expedited shipping on a Staples order. Ended up spending $400 on rush reorder when the standard delivery missed our deadline. Now I factor in the shipping flexibility as part of turnaround time.

Dimension 3: Custom Brochure Quality

Here's where I expected a clear winner and didn't get one.

FedEx Office

Custom brochure printing at FedEx Office is solid for business-grade materials. Paper stock options are reasonable—they'll do 100lb gloss text, 80lb matte cover, that sort of thing. Folding is accurate. Color consistency is good enough for marketing materials, though I wouldn't use them for brand-critical pieces where Pantone matching matters.

They handle standard sizes well. What is the normal size for a poster, by the way? Industry standard is 18x24 or 24x36 for most business uses (Source: PRINTING United Alliance guidelines). FedEx Office handles both without issue.

Staples

Staples poster printing quality is... actually pretty good for the price. I wasn't expecting much, but they delivered. Their brochure printing is comparable to FedEx Office for standard jobs.

The difference I've noticed: Staples sometimes has fewer paper stock options in-store. If you want something specific, you might need to order it rather than walk in.

My Take

Winner: Tie for standard business printing. FedEx Office edge for complex jobs.

When I compared our Q1 and Q2 results side by side—same brochure design, one printed at FedEx Office, one at Staples—I couldn't tell a meaningful difference. For premium work, neither is where I'd go. For "we need 500 brochures for next week's trade show," both work fine.

(Should mention: we'd used the same PDF file, same specifications. Your mileage may vary with different file quality.)

Dimension 4: Total Cost of Ownership

This is where my total-cost-thinking obsession kicks in. Single-price comparisons are basically useless.

The Obvious Costs

For 500 standard business cards (14pt cardstock, full color both sides):

• FedEx Office: approximately $45-65 (based on fedexoffice.com quotes, January 2025; verify current pricing)
• Staples: approximately $40-60 (based on staples.com quotes, January 2025; verify current pricing)

Similar range. Not a meaningful difference.

The Hidden Costs

Here's what actually affects TCO:

Shipping costs: FedEx Office often bundles printing with FedEx shipping rates, which can be competitive. Staples shipping is through their own logistics, which I've found slightly more expensive for multi-location delivery.

Revision fees: Both charge for reprints if you approved a proof with errors. But FedEx Office's online proofing system is cleaner, which reduces my error rate. That $500 quote turned into $800 at Staples once after shipping, setup, and revision fees. The $650 FedEx Office quote was actually cheaper because revisions were included.

Time costs: The vendor who couldn't provide proper invoicing cost us $2,400 in rejected expenses one year. Both FedEx Office and Staples provide proper invoicing, but FedEx Office's business account system generates cleaner reports for expense tracking.

My Take

Winner: FedEx Office for business accounts doing volume. Staples for one-off small orders.

I now calculate TCO before comparing any vendor quotes. For our company—roughly $8,000 annually across print vendors—the FedEx Office business account saves us about 15% compared to ad-hoc Staples orders, primarily through bundled shipping and fewer ordering errors.

For a one-time poster or 100 business cards? Staples is fine. Go with whoever's closer.

So Which Should You Choose?

After 5 years of managing these relationships, here's my decision framework:

Choose FedEx Office if:

• You need print AND ship from the same vendor (events, client mailings, multi-location distribution)
• You travel and need consistency across cities
• You have a business account and do volume ordering
• Same-day turnaround is frequently critical

Choose Staples if:

• There's one closer to your office and you do pickup only
• You're doing one-off small jobs (under $100)
• You need office supplies anyway and want one trip
• You're price-shopping a simple job with no shipping complexity

Choose neither if:

• You need Pantone-matched brand materials (go to a commercial printer)
• You're doing 5,000+ quantity runs (online printers will be cheaper)
• Turnaround time is flexible and cost is primary concern (online options win)

It's tempting to think you can just compare unit prices. But identical specs from different vendors can result in wildly different total costs. Trust me on this one—I learned it the expensive way.

Prices as of January 2025; verify current rates. Your experience may vary based on location and specific requirements.