What Font Does Staples Use?
If you have ever stood in the office-supply aisle and wondered what the staples font actually is, the short version is that there is no single downloadable typeface behind the famous red logo. Staples uses custom-drawn lettering for its wordmark and a workhorse sans-serif family for everything else, from shelf labels to the legendary “Easy” button. This guide breaks down the logo, the broader brand type system, and the closest free fonts you can use to recreate the look. For more brand breakdowns, see our famous brand fonts hub.
What font is the Staples logo?
The Staples logo is set in bespoke, hand-tuned letterforms rather than an off-the-shelf font. The wordmark reads as a bold, slightly condensed sans-serif in that signature Staples red, and its most distinctive feature is the lowercase “l,” which bends back on itself to mimic the shape of an office staple. That small visual pun does a lot of branding work: it ties the company name directly to its core product. Because the lettering is trademarked and custom, you will not find a “Staples” font on any foundry site. The closest match in spirit is a heavy, clean sans with tight spacing and squared-off proportions.
What is Staples’ brand typeface?
Beyond the logo, Staples’ broader identity has leaned on practical, highly legible sans-serif type for signage, circulars, and its website. Over the years the brand has reportedly used neo-grotesque and humanist sans families that prioritize clarity at a glance, the kind of typeface that reads cleanly on a price tag from across a busy store. Exact font specifications for retail brands are rarely published and tend to shift between agencies and campaigns, so treat any single “official” name with caution. What is consistent is the design intent: bold weights for emphasis, regular weights for detail, and zero decorative flourish. It is type built to inform, not to dazzle.
Free fonts that look like the Staples font
You can get remarkably close to the Staples aesthetic using free, open-source fonts. The table below pairs each part of the brand system with a no-cost alternative you can download today.
| Use case | Staples uses | Free alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Logo / wordmark | Custom bold sans with bent-staple “L” | Archivo Bold or Inter Black |
| Headlines | Heavy neo-grotesque sans | Inter Bold / Arimo Bold |
| Body / packaging | Clean legible sans | Arimo or Inter Regular |
Inter is a free favorite for screen and print because it stays crisp at small sizes, while Archivo brings a slightly grotesque, retail-friendly tone that mirrors the logo’s confidence. For more options in this category, browse our roundup of the best sans-serif fonts.
Why does Staples use this kind of type?
Office-supply retail lives and dies on quick comprehension. A shopper scanning hundreds of products needs to read a price, a category, and a promotion in a fraction of a second, and bold sans-serif type delivers that instantly. The choice also signals reliability and value rather than luxury; nobody wants their printer paper to feel precious. The bent-staple “L” adds just enough personality to make the brand memorable without sacrificing that no-nonsense legibility. In short, the type does the same job as the famous “Easy” button: it removes friction and makes the experience feel simple.
Can I use the Staples font for my own project?
You cannot legally use the actual Staples wordmark or logo for your own brand, because both the name and the styled lettering are protected trademarks. That protection covers commercial use of the mark itself, not the general idea of a bold red sans-serif. So while you are free to design with similar fonts and colors, you should never reproduce the Staples logo or imply an affiliation. If you are unsure where the line sits between inspiration and infringement, read our font licensing guide before you publish anything commercial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Staples font free to download?
No. The lettering in the Staples logo is custom and trademarked, so it is not distributed as a font file anywhere. If you want the look without the legal risk, use a free bold sans such as Inter, Arimo, or Archivo and pair it with the brand’s recognizable red color in your own original design.
What font is the “Easy” button?
The “Easy” button uses a bold, rounded-feeling sans-serif that matches Staples’ simple, friendly tone. Like the main logo, it is custom lettering rather than a single named font. A free heavy sans such as Inter Black or Nunito Bold gets you a similar approachable, button-ready feel for personal mockups.
What color red does Staples use?
Staples is associated with a bright, saturated red that reads clearly on white backgrounds and store signage. Brands fine-tune their exact color values internally, so published hex codes vary. For your own work, choose a vivid pure red and keep your type bold so the two elements reinforce each other the way they do in the Staples identity.
What kind of font is best for a retail or office brand?
A clean, bold sans-serif is almost always the safest choice for retail and office-supply branding. It prioritizes legibility, scales well from tiny shelf tags to large banners, and conveys value and efficiency. Geometric or neo-grotesque families like Inter, Archivo, or Arimo give you that professional, dependable feel for free.
Does Staples use the same font as other office brands?
Not exactly, but many office and stationery brands gravitate toward similar bold sans-serif territory because the category rewards clarity. Each brand customizes its wordmark, so the details differ. You can compare related breakdowns like our BIC font guide to see how another supply brand handles its type.
