Yes, Staples faxes. Effectively every store with a Print & Marketing counter has a self-service fax machine at the Copy & Print desk, and staff can run the fax for you if the machine is finicky. The service is send and receive, domestic and international, during store hours.
Nothing about the brand has changed. Staples is still Staples, on the same sign, at the same counter. The chain has not been acquired, rebranded, or absorbed into another retailer in the past twenty years, which is no small feat in office-supply retail. The fax counter you remember is behind the same red logo today.
The short version
- Fax service is at the Print & Marketing counter in most Staples stores.
- Local domestic faxes typically run $1.79 for the first page and $1.59 each additional page. National long-distance is $2.39 first, $2.19 after. International is $5.99 first, $3.99 after.
- Receiving a fax runs about $1.00 per page, held at the counter with ID.
- Not every location has a working machine, and a handful of smaller-footprint stores skip the service entirely. Call ahead if the fax is time-sensitive.
- If you want to skip the trip, you can send the same fax from your phone in about two minutes for $2 (first 3 pages) and $0.75 each additional page.
What Staples fax service costs
Staples publishes fax pricing at the machine, and the rates hold up across most Copy & Print counters. Local domestic faxes are the cheapest tier at $1.79 for the first page and $1.59 for each additional page. National long-distance sits a step up: $2.39 for the first page, $2.19 after that. International routing costs the most and jumps the price for continuing pages, at $5.99 first and $3.99 each additional. Receiving a fax runs about $1.00 per page, and staff hold the pages at the counter for pickup with ID.
A three-page local fax works out to about $4.97 all-in. A three-page international fax runs closer to $13.97. Add the drive and the parking, and the total cost of a “quick fax at Staples” is closer to an hour of your afternoon than a five-minute errand.
Prices are set per location and can drift by a dime or two, so the number on the machine screen is the number you actually pay. If you are pricing a long document, ask at the counter before you feed it in.
Check the store first: not every Staples has a fax
Most standard Staples stores have Print & Marketing, and Print & Marketing has fax. The exceptions are worth knowing about before you drive.
Staples has been experimenting for years with a smaller-footprint “Staples Connect” concept aimed at community and small-business workspaces. Those stores are hit-or-miss on Print & Marketing services, and some of them do not offer public fax at all. A handful of older mall and downtown locations have also let the machine lapse without replacing it.
The Staples store locator lists which services each store carries. Pull up your local store, look for fax or Print & Marketing in the services list, and if it is not there, or if you cannot tell, call the number on the store page. Two minutes on the phone saves the trip.
How Staples compares to the other in-person options
If you are choosing between counters, the shape of the market is easy to summarize. Staples charges $1.79 for the first local domestic page and $1.59 each additional, with international jumping to $5.99 first and $3.99 after. FedEx Office (formerly Kinko’s) matches the shape almost exactly, with the first domestic page a dime higher at $1.89 and international identical. Public libraries are dramatically cheaper when they work, often $0.25 to $1.00 per page, but many branches limit you to local numbers and rarely route international. Target and other big-box general retailers do not fax at all, so keep driving.
Staples and FedEx Office are essentially the same in-person experience at nearly the same price. If both are on your route, pick whichever has parking.
Receiving a fax at Staples
Staples can receive faxes for you at most Print & Marketing counters, held for pickup with ID. Call the store you want the fax sent to, ask for the receiving fax number, and pass it to whoever is sending. Ask what the pickup window is: most stores hold received faxes for 24 to 48 hours, and receiving typically runs about $1.00 per page. Bring photo ID and rough details about the sender when you go to pick it up.
Not every location offers receiving, and the ones that do can be slow to answer the counter phone when a fax comes in. If the delivery is time-sensitive, an online fax number that emails you the PDF on arrival is a much shorter loop.
The option that skips the trip
The fax standard has not changed since Staples put the first machine at the counter. What has changed is that the machine no longer needs to be in the same building as you.
PayPerFax sends faxes over the same phone network as any storefront fax machine, from a browser on your phone or laptop. Upload a PDF, a DOCX, or a photo of your document, type the fax number, pay, and it goes.
Sending runs $2 for the first 3 pages and $0.75 for each additional page, and the service is open whenever you are, with no store hours to work around. There is no account to build; you upload, pay, and go. If the transmission fails, you are not charged, so the price is genuinely per successful delivery rather than per attempt. And the document stays on your device until you actually send it, so no clerk handles it in between.
For a three-page international fax, that is a small fraction of the Staples counter price, and you do it from the couch.
Frequently asked questions
Does every Staples fax?
Most do. The exceptions are some Staples Connect small-format stores and a handful of older locations where the machine was retired and not replaced. The store locator lists services per location; call ahead if the fax is time-sensitive.
Can Staples staff send the fax for me if I cannot work the machine?
Yes. The self-service machine is the default, but Print & Marketing staff will run it at the counter if you ask. There is no separate fee for that at most locations.
Can I fax to a Staples for someone else to pick up?
Yes. Call the store, ask for the receiving fax number, and give it to whoever is sending. Staples holds received faxes at the Print & Marketing counter for pickup with ID, at about $1.00 per page.
What file formats can I bring to fax at Staples?
Physical documents work at every counter. For digital files, most Print & Marketing stations read USB drives, SD cards, and cloud storage like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, and you can email documents to [email protected] for printing before you fax. PDFs render most reliably at fax resolution.
Are Staples fax machines private?
The transmission uses the phone network, the same as any fax machine, and is not encrypted end to end. More practically, the Print & Marketing counter is a shared public space, so anything on the machine screen or in the tray is visible to whoever is nearby. For sensitive documents, an online fax you send from your own device is the tighter privacy loop.
Why is it cheaper to fax online than at Staples?
The store has to pay for rent, staff, a self-service machine, phone lines, and paper. Online services pay for phone lines and servers. Fewer costs mean lower prices. That is most of the story.
Does Staples send international faxes from every location?
Most do, but not all. International routing is the first service smaller stores drop when the machine gets flaky. If your destination is abroad, confirm on the phone before you drive over.
Bottom line
Staples faxes at the Print & Marketing counter, at rates comparable to FedEx Office. If you would rather not drive, send it from your phone with PayPerFax instead. No subscription, no account, and you only pay when the fax actually goes through.