Where to Get a Printer Repaired in the US: Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot or Mail-In?

Best Buy's Geek Squad, Staples and Office Depot mostly offer printer setup and software troubleshooting rather than bench repair, and what each store does varies by location, so ask before you carry a printer in. For a printer under warranty, go to the manufacturer. For an out-of-warranty business laser, use an independent repair shop or an authorized service provider. For a cheap inkjet, repair rarely pays.

First, check that it actually needs a repair

Many printers that end up on a service counter are not broken. Print a test or configuration page from the printer's own control panel. If it prints cleanly, the mechanism, ink and paper path all work, and the fault is in the computer, the phone or the network. Our repair shop vs remote support comparison walks through the full five-minute test.

These faults look like hardware failures but are almost always software or network problems that no repair shop needs to see:

• Offline or "not responding" in Windows or macOS. See printer offline fixes.
• Dropped off Wi-Fi after a new router or a provider swap, such as a new Xfinity or Spectrum gateway. See printer won't connect to Wi-Fi.
• "Driver is unavailable" or a printer that vanished after a Windows update. See driver is unavailable.
• Jobs stuck in the queue or a print spooler that keeps stopping.
• Scanner missing on the computer while copying still works. See scanner not working.
• Phone can't find the printer, which is usually a network band or app permission issue.

All of these can be fixed remotely without the printer leaving your desk, which saves both a bench fee and a trip.

Your US printer repair options at a glance

Does Best Buy repair printers?

Sometimes, but not in the way most people picture. Geek Squad, Best Buy's service arm, sells printer setup and a remote printer troubleshooting service, and it handles claims on Geek Squad protection plans for printers bought at Best Buy. Hands-on hardware repair of printers is far less common. Where it is offered, the store may send the printer to a central repair facility rather than fix it at the counter, and some stores will simply point you to the manufacturer.

Before you drive over, check with your local Geek Squad desk, in person or through the Best Buy website, and ask four things:

1. Do you do hardware repair on this brand and model, or only setup and software?
2. Is the work done in the store or sent out, and how long does that take?
3. What is the diagnostic fee, and is it credited toward the repair?
4. If I have a protection plan, does it cover this fault, and is the outcome a repair, a replacement or store credit?

If the printer is still inside Best Buy's return window, a return or exchange is usually faster than any repair. Check the current return policy for printers on your receipt.

Does Staples or Office Depot fix printers?

Staples and Office Depot/OfficeMax both run tech services counters, and both advertise printer help. In practice that help is mostly setup: unboxing, installing software and drivers, connecting the printer to Wi-Fi and a computer, and in some areas an on-site visit to a home office. Bench repair of a jammed or broken mechanism is a different skill, and few store counters take it on.

What these stores are good for:

• Returns and exchanges inside the store's return window for a printer bought there.
• Protection plan claims if you bought the store's plan at checkout. These plans are often run by a third-party administrator, so the claim may go to that company rather than the store.
• Setup, if the real problem is getting a new printer connected in the first place.

Service names, prices and availability change and vary by store, so check your store's tech services page or ask at the counter before you bring the printer in. Walmart, Costco and Amazon.com generally don't repair printers; their value is the return window and any protection plan you bought with the printer.

Manufacturer warranty repair and authorized service

If the printer is under warranty, start with the manufacturer. HP, Canon, Epson and Brother usually handle consumer printer faults by exchange rather than repair: a support agent runs diagnostics with you, then the brand ships a replacement, often refurbished, and you send the faulty unit back. You will need the serial number and proof of purchase. Our printer warranty guide explains how to check coverage for each brand.

Always begin at the brand's official support site, such as support.hp.com, usa.canon.com, epson.com/support or support.brother.com, rather than a search ad or a pop-up. Fake "printer support" contacts are a common scam; see how to find the real support contact.

For business machines, manufacturers also work through authorized service providers: independent companies trained and supplied by the brand to repair its lasers, office multifunction printers and wide-format printers, often on-site. They are the right choice for an HP LaserJet Enterprise, a Canon imageRUNNER, a Brother or Lexmark office laser, or an Epson SureColor. Find them through the manufacturer's support or partner locator rather than a map listing, and confirm they service your exact model. Leased copiers and office multifunction printers are normally covered by the dealer's service contract, so contact the dealer before anyone else.

Independent printer repair shops: when they're worth it

An independent printer repair shop earns its bench fee on machines that are worth fixing: mono and color business lasers, office all-in-ones with a document feeder, and wide-format or pro photo printers. These have replaceable parts such as pickup rollers, separation pads, fusers and transfer belts, and a good shop keeps common parts in stock for popular HP LaserJet, Brother, Lexmark and Kyocera models.

They are rarely worth it for a consumer inkjet under about $200. The assessment alone can approach the price of a new printer, and parts for short-lived consumer models dry up quickly.

When you search for a "printer repair shop near me", read reviews for mentions of printers specifically, because many listings are general computer repair shops that send printers elsewhere. Shops that also service office copiers usually know lasers well, and many offer maintenance contracts for small offices.

Mail-in printer repair

Mail-in, or depot, repair makes sense when nobody local services your printer: a pro photo printer, a thermal label printer or a less common business model. Some manufacturers run depot repair for out-of-warranty business products, and independent specialists accept shipped printers too.

1. Get a written estimate, including the diagnostic fee and return shipping, before you ship anything.
2. Follow the manufacturer's shipping instructions for your model. Many inkjets should travel with the printhead parked and cartridges installed, ink-tank printers need the transport lock set, and lasers usually ship with the toner cartridge removed and bagged.
3. Use the original box, or double-box with plenty of padding, and tape the doors and trays shut.
4. Photograph the printer and the serial label, and use tracked, insured shipping.
5. Ask what warranty the repair carries and whether the parts are new or refurbished.

Which repair route fits your printer?

For the Epson message specifically, our guide to the Epson end-of-service-life message explains what it means and what each option costs.

What does printer repair cost?

Independent shops typically charge a bench or diagnostic fee of roughly $60 to $120, usually credited if you go ahead, then parts and labor on top. On-site visits add a call-out charge. Store services price setup and troubleshooting per visit or through a membership, and out-of-warranty manufacturer repair on consumer models is often a flat rate close to the cost of a replacement. Check current pricing with whoever you use.

The rule that saves the most money: if a quote is more than half the price of an equivalent new printer, replace it. Our guide on whether a printer is worth repairing has the full cost breakdown and the faults that are, and are not, worth paying for.

What to ask before you hand over a printer

• What is the diagnostic fee, and what happens if the repair is not economical?
• Will I get a written quote before any work starts?
• Are the parts new, refurbished or salvaged?
• What warranty does the repair carry, and for how long?
• How long will it take, including waiting for parts?
• For a laser: what is the total page count? A machine far beyond its rated duty cycle will likely fail again somewhere else.

Bring the model and serial number, the exact wording of any error, and a note of what changed just before the fault started. If the printer turns out to be fine and the fault is on your computer or network, remote printer support is usually the quicker and cheaper route.

If you would rather not work through the software side yourself, our independent remote printer support plan covers every printer in your home or office for $79 a year, and if the fault turns out to be mechanical and not worth repairing, we will tell you so.