The Average Cost Per Month for Office Supplies

Office supplies are used on a daily basis and can vary depending on the office type in question and the amount of employees working in the office, but some general supplies are common in almost every type of office environment. The average cost per month for office supplies depend on what office supplies you use, how many employees use them and how often the supplies are in use. To find your monthly costs, multiply the prices of each item with amount required by your office on a monthly basis.

An office will use a great deal of paper for printing, photocopying, faxing and general writing. If the business is running a store in the office, like a motel reception area or an office that needs to offer payment receipts, the office may also need receipt rolls of paper. Common inkjet paper usually comes in packages of 500 sheets of paper, which cost anywhere between $12 and $17 per package, depending on the manufacturer. You can expect to pay to up $45 per 100 sheets for glossy photo friendly paper. If you need ATM rolls for debit or credit purchases to provide receipts for customers, you would be spending around $90 to $100 per 50 rolls of 140 inches.

Writing utensils are important in any business, so you should have pens and markers readily available every day in your office. You can expect to pay around $2 to $4 per pen, depending on your choice of liquid or gel ink. The more you purchase in bulk, the cheaper each pen becomes. For example, you may end up only paying $1.50 or less per pen if you purchase 500 or more pens at once. For whiteboard markers for meeting, prices range between $4 and $6 per package. Each package usually contains four colors.

Additional business stationary, such as business cards and letterheads are also part of the office supplies list. You can expect to pay around $50 to $75 for 120 personally designed letterheads. The more you order, the cheaper each letterhead will become. Business cards are often ordered, so each employee in the business has a set. Business cards usually costs around $22 to $27 for 120 cards with a glossy UV finish. This is the most professional finish. At a large event, employees can expect to hand out many business cards, so have more on hand every month.

Ink and toner for printers, photocopiers and fax machines can be costly, especially if used on a daily basis. Printers usually need both black and color ink, but some offices choose to only use black and white prints to save on costs. A simple black ink toner can cost anywhere between $40 and $55, depending on the brand. The brand will be determined by the type of printer or equipment you have in your office. Color ink comes in yellow, magenta and cyan. Each color costs around $15 to $20, so multiply the costs by three if you need all three colors for your printer.