When you need something printed and you do not own a printer, the question is usually urgent and very local: "where can I print something near me?" In Dublin the answer is almost always a form of self-service printing — a machine somewhere that you operate yourself. Each option has its own rules, costs and catches. Here is how they compare, and when it is simpler to skip the machine altogether.

Public libraries

Dublin's public libraries — Dublin City Libraries and the county library services in Fingal, South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown — offer public computers and printing in their branches, usually for a small charge per page. It is a good option for a few pages if you are near a branch during opening hours. Check the library's own website for current prices, how to send a job to the printer, and whether you need a library card or a booked PC session.

Copy shops with self-service machines

Many copy and print shops have self-service stations where you print from a USB stick or by emailing the file, then pay at the counter. You get help if something goes wrong and the machines are usually well maintained. The limits are the obvious ones: opening hours, travel, and waiting when the shop is busy.

Campus and workplace printers

Students have printers on campus, paid from a print balance; our guide to printing on campus in Dublin explains how that works and when it gets awkward. Many people also print personal documents at work — convenient, but not always welcome, and not ideal for anything private.

What all self-service printing has in common

  • You have to go there. Travel time often costs more than the printing itself.
  • You do the work. Choosing settings, fixing jams, collating pages, carrying the stack home.
  • File trouble happens at the machine. A document that looked fine on your laptop can print with odd margins or missing fonts. Exporting to PDF first avoids most of it — see how to prepare a PDF for printing.
  • Privacy depends on the place. Shared computers and USB sticks are not where sensitive documents belong.

The option without a machine: online printing delivered to you

If what you need is the printed pages rather than a trip, you can skip the self-service part entirely. Upload your PDFs to Online Printing Dublin from your phone or computer, choose black & white or colour, single or double-sided and the paper, see the exact price, pay by card, and we post it anywhere in Ireland:

  • An Post Standard from €1.95 — free when your printing comes to €30 or more.
  • Posted the next working day and usually delivered the day after; tracked Express if it is urgent.

Black & white on standard 80g paper costs €0.08 per sheet single-sided or €0.13 double-sided, with a €2.95 minimum printing order and a €2.95 management fee per order. Files are deleted within 30 days.

Which one should you choose?

  • One or two pages, needed within the hour: a library or copy shop near you.
  • Dozens or hundreds of pages, or copies for several people: online, delivered — cheaper per page and no carrying.
  • Private paperwork: online, where only you handle the file — see confidential document printing.
  • Weekends, evenings, or when you simply cannot get out: online, delivered by An Post.

For a wider overview of every way to print in the city, read where to print documents in Dublin. And if the answer today is "I would rather not go anywhere", upload your file and see your price — it takes less time than finding the nearest machine.