A copy shop is where you go when you have no copier, or when a job is too big for the printer at home or in the office: a few hundred exam packs, a thesis to bind, tender documents in several copies, A3 drawings or a box of papers to scan. They charge per copy, colour costs more than black, and bulk work is cheaper per page. Send one request and we pass it to independent copy and print shops near you, who quote you directly.
What a copy shop does
- Black and colour copies in A4 and A3
- Printing from a flash drive, email or phone
- Scanning paper files to PDF
- Comb, wire and thermal binding
- Laminating certificates, menus and charts
- Larger format copies for plans and drawings
Many also do bulk jobs on high speed copiers with finishers that staple and sort, which is far quicker than a desktop printer. Some offer a self service copier where you pay per copy and do the work yourself.
Pricing per copy
Copy shops price per page, with a lower rate for bulk orders. Colour pages cost a good deal more than black, A3 more than A4, and heavy card or special paper more again. Binding and laminating are priced per item. Ask for the price per copy at your quantity, whether double sided counts as one or two, and what extras like stapling or collating cost. If you copy a lot every month, compare it with renting a copier or a laser printer of your own.
Theses, tenders and big jobs
Students binding a thesis should check the university's rules on binding type and cover first: comb, wire and thermal binding all look different (see binding machines). Tender documents often need several identical sets, each bound and in order, by a fixed closing time, so book ahead and ask the shop to check page counts. Schools and churches printing booklets, orders of service or worksheets can save by giving the shop a clean original and a clear count. Faint or crooked originals copy badly, so bring the best version you have, or send the file itself rather than a printout.
Sending files ahead and turnaround
Send PDF files by email or upload ahead of time, so fonts and layout do not shift. Say the paper size, single or double sided, colour or black, the quantity and how you want it finished. Small jobs are often done while you wait; big runs and binding usually take longer, especially near exams and tender deadlines. Ask about turnaround when you order and keep a copy of your files. For confidential papers, ask the shop to delete your files once the job is done, and collect any spoiled copies rather than leaving them behind.
What to put in your request
- Number of pages and number of copies
- Black or colour, A4 or A3
- Single or double sided
- Binding, stapling or laminating
- When you need it ready
Copy Shops for offices, schools and home offices
- Home offices: a tutor copying worksheets in bulk instead of running a home printer hard
- Small businesses and shops: a shop printing price lists and laminating menus without buying a copier
- Corporate and head offices: an overflow job of training manuals copied and bound by a deadline
- Schools, colleges and universities: a small school copying exam papers when its own copier is down
- Medical practices, clinics and hospitals: a practice scanning a box of old patient files to PDF
- Law firms, accountants and agents: an architect's A3 drawings copied in colour for a client meeting
- Government and municipalities: tender document sets copied, bound and checked before a closing time
- Factories, mines and warehouses: a plant copying safety manuals and laminating instructions for the floor
- Churches, NGOs and community groups: orders of service and newsletters copied in bulk each week
Frequently asked questions
Are you a copy shop?
Can I print from my phone or a flash drive?
How much does a copy cost?
Should I use a copy shop or buy a printer?
Copy Shops by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg