East Coast Blueprints vs Staples for blueprint printing
| East Coast Blueprints | Staples | |
|---|---|---|
| ARCH D (24×36) B&W, per sheet | $2.00 | ~$4.50 (published; varies by store) |
| 24-sheet ARCH D set | $48.00 | ~$108.00 |
| ARCH E (36×48) | $3.50 | Limited availability by store |
| Same-day cutoff | Noon ET, ships same day | Store-dependent; often next day for wide format |
| Delivery | UPS Ground next-day NJ/NY/PA/DE/MD; $15 flat, free over $100 | In-store pickup; shipping on some online orders |
| Folding / stapling / binding | Yes — accordion fold, staple, punch, coil | Basic; large-format finishing limited |
| Multi-set bid distribution | Yes, to multiple addresses | Not a standard service |
| Volume discount | 10% at 25+ sheets, automatic | None published |
| Files saved for reorder | Yes, with a free account | No |
Where Staples wins
It’s close and it’s open. Most suburbs have a Staples. Walk in with a USB stick, walk out with a sheet. For a single 24×36 you need this afternoon, that convenience is worth the premium.
Office supplies in the same trip. If you’re buying toner and paper anyway, tacking on two engineering prints is efficient.
Where we win
Half the price, or better. Published Staples pricing for a 24×36 engineering print was around $4.50 when we checked in September 2026. Ours is $2.00 for the same B&W 20# sheet. A 24-sheet set: about $108 there, $48 here.
Plan-set services Staples doesn’t offer. Accordion fold to 8.5×11 with the title block out. Coil-bound spec books. Ten stapled sets banded separately and shipped to two job-site addresses. One-click reprints of a field set when the trailer copy gets destroyed. These aren’t “add-ons” for us — they’re the job.
Same-day ship with a tracking number. Order by noon ET. It’s on the UPS truck that afternoon and in NJ, NY, PA, DE, or most of MD the next business day. No driving, no waiting at the counter behind a poster-printing job.
ARCH E and 30×42 without the “let me check if our machine does that.” Full-size architectural and engineering sheets are standard inventory here.
Reorders in one click. Your PDFs stay attached to your account. Staples starts from zero every time.
Who should still use Staples
Homeowners printing a single sheet for a permit application. Anyone with a genuine same-hour emergency. People who value one errand over the cost difference on a small job. That’s a real segment and Staples serves it fine.
If you print plan sets more than a couple of times a year, send us a sheet and compare.
Competitor pricing and policies are as published on their public websites or in-store as of September 2026. They change; verify before you decide. Staples is a trademark of its owner. East Coast Blueprints is not affiliated with Staples.
Frequently asked questions
Does Staples print blueprints?
Yes — Staples offers 'engineering prints' in black-and-white at 18×24, 24×36, and sometimes 36×48 depending on the store's equipment. Published 24×36 pricing we verified in September 2026 was around $4.50 per sheet. Availability of the larger sizes and of finishing varies by location.
Is Staples cheaper than East Coast Blueprints?
No. At roughly $4.50 per ARCH D sheet versus our $2.00, Staples is a little more than double. On a 24-sheet set that's about $108 versus $48. Staples has the edge only if you need the print in the next hour and there's a store next door.
Can Staples fold or bind a plan set?
Basic stapling, usually. Accordion-folding large format to 8.5×11, coil-binding spec books, and banding multi-set distributions are not standard print-counter services. We do all of those in-house.
Try us side by side
Send the same file to both. We'll print one ARCH D sheet free — compare scale, linework, and paper in your own hands.
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