What your venue spends printing maps for guests every year — and what you could save by switching to NFC wayfinding.
Published self-service rates at nationwide print centers, compared to per-copy cost on a managed copier lease.[1][2][3]
Multiply the per-copy rate by the number of maps your venue distributes annually.[4]
| Annual Volume | Staples | Office Depot | Lease Copier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 maps | $1,300 | $1,200 | $200 |
| 50,000 maps | $6,500 | $6,000 | $1,000 |
| 100,000 maps | $13,000 | $12,000 | $2,000 |
| Annual Volume | Staples | Office Depot | Lease Copier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 maps | $5,500 | $4,900 | $800 |
| 50,000 maps | $27,500 | $24,500 | $4,000 |
| 100,000 maps | $55,000 | $49,000 | $8,000 |
One standard pulpwood tree produces approximately 8,333 sheets of copy paper.[5] Here’s how many trees your venue consumes printing maps.
The tree calculation covers paper only. The full environmental footprint of printing includes petroleum-based inks, energy for printing and transportation, water used in paper manufacturing, and the waste processing of discarded maps. For a complete paper footprint analysis, see the Environmental Paper Network’s Paper Calculator at environmentalpaper.org.
Tell your visitors what you did
Switching from paper maps to NFC wayfinding isn't just a cost decision — it's a story your venue can tell. Add a line to your sustainability report, your annual review, or your entrance signage:
"This venue eliminated [X] thousand printed maps this year by switching to tap-to-phone wayfinding."
Your guests, your donors, and your board notice when you can put a number on environmental impact. This is especially meaningful for publicly funded venues — zoos, botanical gardens, museums — where sustainability reporting is part of institutional life.
No paper. No ink. No copier lease. No staff time ordering, stocking, folding, and cleaning up discarded maps. One NFC sticker replaces an unlimited number of printed maps — forever.
The printing bill is just the start. Paper maps carry operational costs that don’t appear on any invoice.
Someone has to order the print run, pick it up or receive delivery, fold the maps, stock the racks, and pick discarded maps off the ground at closing. Every day. All season.
Printed maps can’t be updated. A new exhibit opens, a path closes for construction, a seasonal attraction moves — and thousands of maps in the rack are now wrong.
Most paper maps are used once and discarded. Many are taken, glanced at, and stuffed in a pocket. Some are never unfolded at all. Every single one cost money to print.
We’ll build a free demo map for your venue so you can see exactly how TapTheMap replaces paper maps before you commit to anything.
Prices verified May 2026. Confirm current rates before citing in proposals.