Staples Print and Marketing Services Review: Fast Holiday Gifts

Staples 打印与营销服务评测：节日礼物的快捷之选

I print all the time, and not just because I test printers, but because I like paper. It doesn’t matter if they’re documents, photos, posters, or banners; I like artifacts—everything is better in physical form. And it’s not just dinosaurs like me; while eschewing digital media, Gen Z is embracing printed matter, too (see, the kids are alright).

我经常打印东西，这不仅是因为我需要测试打印机，更是因为我喜欢纸质媒介。无论是文档、照片、海报还是横幅，我都喜欢这些实物——一切事物以实体形式呈现时都会更好。而且，这不仅仅是我这种“老古董”的偏好；尽管数字媒体盛行，Z世代也开始拥抱印刷品了（看吧，现在的年轻人还是很有品味的）。

I’ve lost track of how many photo books I’ve printed over the years—mostly one-offs of little projects, fun things for friends, and maybe five copies at most. I’m not a photographer anymore, but old habits die hard, especially when you see the way people react to paper books. The response to a book, versus showing someone your latest Instagram post, is not even comparable.

这些年来，我打印过多少相册已经数不清了——大多是为一些小项目制作的单本，或是送给朋友的有趣纪念品，最多也就印个五本左右。虽然我不再从事摄影工作，但旧习难改，尤其是当你看到人们对纸质书的反应时。那种反应与给别人看你最新的 Instagram 帖子完全不可同日而语。

With the holiday season kicking off, it seems apropos to point out that photo books make great gifts, as do mugs, prints, and my personal favorite for kids: photo puzzles. I’ve tested dozens of printing services over the years, and one of my favorites for holiday gifts is Staples.

随着节日季的到来，我想指出相册是非常棒的礼物，马克杯、照片打印和我也最喜欢送给孩子的照片拼图也是如此。多年来我测试过几十种打印服务，而 Staples 是我心目中制作节日礼物的首选之一。

You can order Staples prints online through the company’s website, which features a variety of tools to help you design your photo gift, be it a mug, print, or puzzle. The print quality is great, and the online tools are well done and easy to use. But while ordering online is convenient, it’s not why I like Staples for printing. It’s because I can go to my local store and talk to actual human beings about my printing needs.

你可以通过 Staples 官网在线下单，网站提供了多种工具来帮助你设计照片礼物，无论是马克杯、照片还是拼图。其打印质量非常出色，在线工具也做得很好且易于使用。但虽然在线订购很方便，这并不是我喜欢 Staples 的主要原因。我喜欢它是因为我可以走进当地的门店，与真人面对面沟通我的打印需求。

Printing can be tricky, and preparing your digital files exactly how the printer wants them isn’t always easy. Best practice is to provide a high-res, flattened PDF file in CMYK color, but if you don’t know what that means or how to get your file into the right format, fear not. The best way to print, even if you do know how to format it accurately, is to bring the file to your local Staples and talk to the print and marketing specialists there. They can catch potential issues before you print, and in most cases they can print a proof (sometimes at a reduced size, but still a proof) so you can see what you’re getting beforehand. This is one advantage over online-only services.

打印有时很棘手，要将数字文件准备成打印机要求的格式并不容易。最佳做法是提供高分辨率、已拼合的 CMYK 格式 PDF 文件，但如果你不知道这意味着什么，或者不知道如何转换格式，也不必担心。最好的打印方式——即使你已经知道如何准确排版——依然是带着文件去当地的 Staples，与那里的打印和营销专家沟通。他们可以在打印前发现潜在问题，而且在大多数情况下，他们可以为你打印一份样稿（有时尺寸会缩小，但依然是样稿），让你提前看到成品效果。这是相比纯在线服务的一大优势。

Another big advantage is that you can get your gifts the same day if you pick up in-store. If you’re in a rush this holiday season, remember that tip. You can even order online and pick up in-store to save yourself a trip, just be sure the place your order before noon.

另一个巨大的优势是，如果你选择到店自取，当天就能拿到礼物。如果你在这个节日季时间紧迫，请记住这个小贴士。你甚至可以在线订购后到店自取以节省时间，只需确保在中午之前下单即可。

Want to really step up your game? Here’s my pro tip. Head to your local Staples to place your order, but have them print it at a Staples production center. Tell the store to have the production center send proofs for you to approve in person. This eliminates the same-day advantage, as it will likely take several days—sometimes as much as two weeks—but the printing quality will be better.

想要追求更高品质？这是我的专业建议：前往当地的 Staples 下单，但要求他们将订单发送到 Staples 生产中心进行打印。告诉门店让生产中心寄送样稿，以便你亲自确认。这虽然牺牲了“当天取货”的优势，可能需要几天甚至两周的时间，但打印质量会更好。

What’s the quality like? I printed a couple of 11-ounce mugs—other options include a 15-ounce mug and a 17-ounce travel mug—and the results were on par with other services I’ve tested. I happen to like the shape of the Staples mugs a little more than what I got from others, but that’s more personal preference than anything. For the design, you can choose a premade template and upload a photo of your choice, or you can start from scratch and design your own mug. As with all Staples printing services, you can choose same-day pickup if you want five or fewer. For larger orders, you’ll need to get them delivered.

质量如何？我打印了几个 11 盎司的马克杯（其他选项还包括 15 盎司马克杯和 17 盎司旅行杯），效果与我测试过的其他服务不相上下。我个人更喜欢 Staples 马克杯的形状，但这更多是个人偏好。在设计方面，你可以选择预设模板并上传照片，也可以从零开始设计自己的马克杯。和所有 Staples 打印服务一样，如果你订购的数量在五个以内，可以选择当天自取。如果是大批量订单，则需要选择配送。

The photo options, like mounted prints, are nice. The print quality here lags behind dedicated photo services like our top picks, Mpix and Printique, but for the price it’s quite good (both Mpix and Printique are more expensive). They offer canvas prints, metal prints, foam-backed prints, and posters up to 36 by 48 inches.

照片打印选项（如装裱打印）也很不错。虽然其打印质量略逊于 Mpix 和 Printique 等专业照片服务（我们的首选推荐），但考虑到价格，它已经相当出色了（Mpix 和 Printique 的价格都更贵）。他们提供油画打印、金属打印、泡沫背板打印以及最大 36x48 英寸的海报打印。

Staples is also a great place for business printing. I’m in the process of transitioning back to running a business, and the first thing I did wasn’t setting up an Instagram account or doing anything with social media. The first thing I did was print business cards. Staples online business card maker is fantastic. And if I had a physical presence for my business, I’d have printed banners and posters and signs and everything else. Because we live in the real world, and if you want your business to succeed offline, you’re going to need to print.

Staples 也是商务打印的好去处。我目前正在转型重新经营业务，我做的第一件事不是注册 Instagram 账号或搞社交媒体，而是打印名片。Staples 的在线名片制作工具非常棒。如果我的业务有实体店面，我一定会打印横幅、海报、招牌以及其他所有东西。因为我们生活在现实世界中，如果你想让业务在线下取得成功，你就离不开打印。