Quick answer: Staples self-service color copies commonly run 59 to 69 cents per letter page, with full-service color at roughly 89 cents to $1.09, based on 2026 rates checked in July 2026. Prices vary by store. For comparison, 100 color copies ordered online at 55printing cost $20.23 (20.2 cents each) and 500 cost $60.08 (12.0 cents each), as of July 13, 2026.
Danielle coaches a youth soccer league and needed 250 color schedules before opening weekend. At the self-service rate her local Staples posted, the run penciled out near $150. She uploaded the same file to 55printing and paid $27.56, about 11 cents per page, with $15.56 ground shipping on top. Total delivered: $43.12, less than a third of the counter estimate, and the proof caught a cropped sponsor logo before a single page printed. She still uses Staples for the handful of pages she needs the same day.
Staples color copy cost: the quick answer
Pricing roundups current for 2026, checked in July 2026, put Staples self-service color copies around 59 to 69 cents per page and full-service color printing at roughly 89 cents to $1.09 per page. Black and white self-service typically runs 10 to 15 cents. Staples does not publish one national per-page price, so the machine or the print counter at your store is the final word. Bulk runs quoted through the print department can come in lower than machine rates, which is why asking for a quote on anything over a few hundred pages is worth two minutes.
Staples price table by quantity (2026)
| Quantity | Staples self-service (59-69¢) | Staples full-service (89¢-$1.09) | 55printing online (July 13, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 pages | $14.75 – $17.25 | $22.25 – $27.25 | $7.53 + $7.56 shipping |
| 100 pages | $59 – $69 | $89 – $109 | $20.23 + $9.98 shipping |
| 500 pages | $295 – $345 | $445 – $545 | $60.08 + $19.67 shipping |
| 1,000 pages | $590 – $690 | $890 – $1,090 | $91.39 + $24.96 shipping |
Staples columns are July 2026 researched ranges, not quotes; your store sets the real rate. Online figures are live 55printing cart totals for single-sided full color, letter size, 28lb bond, standard production, checked July 13, 2026. Retail ranges follow how we check these prices.
What $20 buys you at Staples vs online
A $20 bill at the Staples self-service machine buys roughly 29 to 33 color pages at the checked 2026 range. Online, $20 nearly covers the print total for 100 letter color pages ($20.23), before shipping. Delivered to your door, 100 pages lands at $30.21 with $9.98 ground shipping, as of July 13, 2026. Tiny same-day jobs still favor the counter: 25 pages online print for $7.53 but shipping makes the trip worthwhile when you need them tonight. Past about 100 pages with a few days of runway, the online tier pulls ahead fast.
Add-ons that change the per-page price
- Paper stock: the base rate assumes standard copy paper. Cardstock, gloss, and presentation papers step the price up per page at the counter. Online, the deltas are listed before checkout: at 55printing, 32lb bond adds 1.5 cents and 100lb gloss text adds 5 cents per page, as of July 2026.
- Double-sided: each printed side bills separately at the counter, so duplex roughly doubles the machine total. Online, the second color side adds 80 percent of the base page price rather than 100. A 1,000-sheet duplex job totals $164.51 instead of twice the single-sided print ($182.78), checked July 13, 2026.
- Full-service handling: collating, cutting, stapling, and binding are staff services layered on top of the color rate.
- Rush: same-day turnaround through the print department can carry a premium; the machines are first come, first served.
The same copies ordered online: the math
Online pricing works on volume tiers, and the tiers are steep. As of July 13, 2026, the 55printing cart prices letter color copies at 20.2 cents each for 100, about 11.0 cents for 250, 12.0 cents for 500, and 9.1 cents for 1,000. A 1,000-page job lands at $91.39 plus $24.96 ground shipping: $116.35 delivered, or 11.6 cents per page all-in. Every order includes a PDF proof before production, and the 5 percent copies coupon above trims the total further. The honest catch: standard production takes a few business days plus transit, so this math only works when you have runway.
When the Staples counter is worth it
Staples earns its rate in three situations. You need pages in the next hour. The job is small, under about 50 pages, where shipping erases much of the online edge. Or you want to see one physical test page on a specific paper before committing, something a walk-in counter does better than any website. For repeat runs, planned marketing, and anything in the hundreds of pages, the table above is the whole argument.
Staples color copy FAQ
How much does Staples charge per color copy in 2026?
Rates checked in July 2026 put self-service color at roughly 59 to 69 cents per letter page and full-service color at about 89 cents to $1.09, varying by store and paper. Staples sets prices locally, so the machine in your store is the final authority on the exact figure.
What do 100 color copies cost at Staples?
At the checked July 2026 self-service range of 59 to 69 cents per page, 100 letter color copies run about $59 to $69 before tax. The same 100 pages ordered at 55printing cost $20.23 plus $9.98 ground shipping, $30.21 delivered, when you can wait for standard production and transit, checked July 13, 2026.
How much are double-sided color copies at Staples?
Duplex jobs bill each printed side, so a double-sided color sheet at the checked 2026 self-service range costs roughly $1.18 to $1.38. Online at 55printing, color on both sides adds 80 percent of the base page price for the second side, so a 1,000-sheet duplex job costs $164.51 instead of $182.78 for two separate single-sided runs of the same count, as of July 13, 2026.
How much are black and white copies at Staples compared to color?
Self-service black and white commonly runs 10 to 15 cents per page at rates checked in July 2026, roughly a quarter of the color rate. For bulk black and white, 1,000 pages at 55printing cost $41.39, about 4.1 cents each, as of July 13, 2026, which undercuts counter rates once quantity passes a few hundred.
Is a photocopy the same thing as a color copy at Staples?
At the counter the machine treats them identically: a color copy is a photocopy printed with color toner, billed at the color rate even if the original is mostly text. That is why printing a color-logo letterhead page costs 59 cents and not 15. Converting mostly-text documents to black and white before copying saves the difference.
Does Staples give bulk discounts on color copies?
The print department can quote volume runs below machine rates, and promotions rotate through the year, so a 500-plus page job is always worth a quote request. Even discounted counter runs rarely reach online tier prices: 500 pages at 12.0 cents ($60.08) and 1,000 at 9.1 cents ($91.39) at 55printing, checked July 13, 2026.
Is it cheaper to print in color at home or at Staples?
Standard-yield inkjet cartridges commonly work out to roughly 20 to 40 cents per color page in ink alone at prices checked in July 2026, so home printing sits between the online tier and the counter for small runs. Past 100 pages, cartridge changes and reprints usually push home costs above the 20.2-cent online print tier checked July 13, 2026.
Staples or online: the 30-second call
- Same-day, small batch: Staples self-service, budget 59 to 69 cents per page.
- 100 to 1,000 pages, a few days of runway: order color copies online at about 9 to 20 cents per page before shipping.
- Comparing chains first: read the four-chain color copy price comparison.
- Staples vs FedEx head to head: see which chain wins for color copies, or the deeper Staples vs 55printing breakdown.
FedEx shopper instead? Start with FedEx (Kinkos) color copy prices. All retail ranges here were checked July 2026 and vary by store; cart totals were re-checked July 13, 2026 and are live quotes you can reproduce in two minutes.