Staples Print & Marketing Services Review (2026): Costs, What Local Businesses Get — and When Video Beats Print

If you run a local business, you've probably stood at a Staples counter (or scrolled their website at 11pm) wondering whether business cards, flyers, or a banner are worth it. This is an honest, practical review of what Staples Print & Marketing Services actually offers, how to think about the cost, and — just as important — when print is the right call versus when your money works harder on auto-posted social video. No hype, just what a busy owner needs to decide.

What Staples Print & Marketing Services Actually Offers

Staples has quietly grown from an office-supply store into a full print and marketing shop, both in-store and online at their print portal. For a local business owner, the catalog is broad. The core categories most owners use include:

• Business essentials: business cards, letterhead, envelopes, stamps, notepads.
• Marketing collateral: flyers, brochures, postcards, door hangers, rack cards, menus.
• Signage & displays: banners, yard signs, posters, window clings, retractable stands, table covers.
• Promotional & branded items: apparel, mugs, pens, tote bags, magnets, decals.
• Direct mail: EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) postcards and mailing services to hit specific neighborhoods.
• Design help: templates you can customize online, plus paid design assistance if you don't have a logo or layout.

The practical advantage is convenience: you can order online for shipping or store pickup, and many locations offer same-day or next-day turnaround on common items like business cards and basic flyers. For a plumber, salon, food truck, or boutique that needs something physical this week, that speed is genuinely useful.

How Much Does It Cost? (What to Actually Expect)

Here's the honest part: print pricing changes constantly based on quantity, paper stock, size, finish (matte vs. gloss), single vs. double-sided, and current promotions. Any specific dollar figure would be out of date fast, so instead here's how to think about cost rather than chase a number that won't hold.

Cost drops sharply with volume. This is the single most important pricing rule in print. Ordering 25 flyers is expensive per piece; ordering 500 or 1,000 brings the per-unit price way down. If you're going to print at all, print enough to get the volume break — as long as the design won't go stale.

Upgrades add up quietly. Heavier stock, gloss finish, rounded corners, and rush turnaround each nudge the price. Decide upfront which upgrades customers will actually notice (thick business cards, yes; premium finish on a throwaway flyer, probably not).

Design isn't free unless you DIY it. Using Staples' online templates keeps costs down. Hiring their design help is a separate line item — reasonable if you have no brand assets, unnecessary if you already have a logo and a decent eye.

Watch for promos and coupons. Staples runs frequent print discounts. Before you check out, search for a current code. It's a small habit that meaningfully lowers real spend.

Bottom line: budget by project, not by list price. Get a live quote for your exact quantity and specs, then compare it against what that same money could do elsewhere — which is where the next section comes in.

The Real Question: Cost Per Customer, Not Cost Per Piece

Owners obsess over the price of the print job. The number that actually matters is cost per customer acquired — how much you spent to get one paying person through the door. A cheap flyer that reaches nobody relevant is expensive. A slightly pricier sign in the perfect spot can be a bargain.

Print has one honest weakness: it's hard to measure. Unless you use a coupon code, a dedicated phone number, or literally ask 'how'd you hear about us?', you're guessing at what worked. Digital channels — including social video — tell you views, clicks, and engagement automatically. That doesn't make print bad; it makes print harder to optimize.

So the smart local strategy isn't 'print vs. digital.' It's matching the tool to the job.

When Print Still Wins for Local Businesses

Print is far from dead. There are specific situations where it clearly outperforms anything on a screen:

• Physical location & foot traffic: A great window sign, sidewalk A-frame, or banner converts people who are already walking by. No algorithm reaches them at that exact moment better than a sign does.
• The handoff moment: Business cards, loyalty punch cards, and menus that go from your hand to a customer's — these create a tangible reminder a post can't.
• Hyper-local geography: Direct mail (EDDM) is powerful when your customers live in a tight radius — think a new dentist, dry cleaner, or pizza shop targeting the surrounding blocks.
• Events & trade shows: Banners, table covers, and branded giveaways make you look established at a farmers market or expo.
• Trust signals: Licensed trades (electricians, contractors) benefit from professional-looking vehicle decals and yard signs that quietly advertise while you work a job.

If your goal is 'be visible and credible in a physical space,' print is often the most efficient dollar you'll spend.

When Auto-Posted Social Video Wins

The place print struggles is ongoing reach and repetition. You print a flyer once; it does its job and it's gone. Meanwhile, most of your local customers are spending hours a day on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube — and short video is what those platforms push hardest.

Video wins when you need to:

• Stay top-of-mind week after week. A one-time flyer can't remind people you exist every few days. A steady stream of short clips can.
• Show, not tell. A barber's fade, a baker's decorating, a mechanic's before/after — motion sells services that a static image flattens.
• Reach people you'll never mail. Social platforms surface your content to nearby users who follow local hashtags or engage with similar businesses — reach that scales without printing more.
• Measure and adjust. You see which videos land and which flop, then do more of what works. Print rarely gives you that feedback loop.

The catch — and every owner feels this — is that consistently creating and posting video is genuinely hard when you're also running the business. Filming, editing, captioning, choosing hashtags, and posting at the right time on multiple platforms is a part-time job by itself. That's the exact problem tools like wiam.ai are built to solve: it creates social videos for local businesses and auto-posts them for you, so the 'stay visible online' box gets checked without you living inside your phone.

A Simple Playbook: Use Both Without Overspending

You don't have to choose one channel. The best local marketing budgets do a few things well instead of everything poorly. Here's a lean approach:

1. Cover the physical basics with print. Business cards, one strong window/exterior sign, and (if you have a menu or service list) a clean handout. Order these from Staples in enough volume to get the price break. This is your foundation.
2. Use direct mail surgically, not constantly. If you're new or launching an offer, one well-targeted EDDM drop to your immediate neighborhood makes sense. Track it with a code so you know if it worked.
3. Make video your ongoing engine. Print is the one-time setup; video is the repeatable drumbeat that keeps you visible between print runs. This is where consistency beats production quality — showing up weekly matters more than perfect edits.
4. Measure what you can. Put a coupon code on the flyer, a call tracking line on the sign, and watch your video stats. Kill what doesn't work; fund what does.

Think of it this way: print makes you look established at the moment of contact. Video keeps you showing up in the weeks between those moments. Staples handles the first job well and conveniently. For the second, an auto-posting tool like wiam.ai lets a busy owner keep a steady social presence without hiring an agency or spending nights editing. You can start a free trial and see what a week of auto-posted video looks like for your business.

Frequently asked questions

Is Staples print worth it for a small local business?

For physical essentials — business cards, in-store and exterior signage, menus, and neighborhood direct mail — Staples is a convenient, fast option, especially with same-day or next-day turnaround on common items. Just order in enough volume to hit the price break, use current coupon codes, and skip finish upgrades customers won't notice. Where it falls short is ongoing, measurable reach, which is better served by a consistent social video presence.

How much do Staples marketing services cost?

There's no single answer because pricing depends on quantity, size, paper stock, finish, whether it's single- or double-sided, and current promotions. The reliable rule is that per-piece cost drops sharply with volume. Rather than trust any fixed figure, get a live quote for your exact specs and quantity, then judge it by cost per customer acquired, not cost per piece.

Should I do print or social video for my local business?

Both, for different jobs. Print wins at the physical, in-person moment — signage that catches foot traffic, cards you hand out, mail to your immediate neighborhood. Video wins at staying top-of-mind over time and reaching nearby people online, and it gives you measurable feedback. The efficient move is a small, solid print foundation plus a consistent stream of social video, which tools like wiam.ai can create and auto-post so it actually happens week after week.