How to print a large March Madness bracket (easy and cheap)!

Want to print a large March Madness bracket? It’s easy to use your local office store printing services to order a larger-than-life March Madness bracket using their Blueprints or Architectural Prints services. Read on for detailed instructions on how to print print a large March Madness bracket using a downloadable digital files for parties or just fun to track the tournament at home!

Sports are a big deal in our house. Each year, when March rolls around, we have regular discussions about which of the many sporting events to watch with the boys. The NCAA College Basketball tournament (i.e March Madness) is always high on the list and has been a staple in my husband’s social calendar for nearly twenty years.

A few years ago, I printed a gigantic March Madness bracket for him to track the outcomes of the games. He had several brackets filled out for pools with friends and coworkers, but this took the bracket game to a new level.

At the time, I paid a decent sum to print the bracket so large. I later discovered you can print the digital image as a Blueprint or Architectural print for just a few dollars at most major office stores with printing services (live and learn… and save a few bucks).

This year, I printed two large NCAA March Madness basketball brackets so each of the boys could have their own. At less than $8 a pop, the excitement over their individual brackets was well worth the investment.

Let’s dive in to show you how you can print a large March Madness bracket to amp up the tournament energy in your home (with minimal cost or environmental footprint).

Where To Print Large Blueprints & Architectural Prints

Many large office supply stores have print shops and can print large posters or coloring pages. Staples and Office Depot call these documents “Blueprints” while FedEx calls them “Architecture, Engineering & Construction Prints”.

I use Staples to print these pages because they offer larger sizes that are available for free in-store pick-up. Office Depot limits certain larger print sizes to Delivery, and FedEx has slightly more expensive pricing. However, any of them will work depending on what you have available in your area. Depending on which store works for you, I’ve included the links to the respective print services pages for large prints below.

Print via Staples | Print via Office Depot | Print via FedEx

Note: Links to each of the office stores are affiliate links. If you use these links to purchase your prints, I earn a small commission, which helps cover the costs of providing free content. Thank you in advance for supporting the blog! I truly appreciate it.

How To Print Blueprint Pages to make a large March Madness bracket

If you have a printable file, it’s pretty easy to upload the file and select your desired print services. I’ve walked you through the process at Staples with screenshot images to help you if you have questions. Ordering through Office Depot or FedEx should be similar.

Download the March Madness bracket

First, of course, download the March Madness bracket (men’s bracket and women’s bracket). There are several sites online that offer it, though I typically use the NCAA website – go straight to the source.

We prefer waiting until after Selection Sunday to download the file so all the teams are filled in on the bracket. Then we make a quick trip midweek to pick up the bracket from our office supply store after ordering it online.

Choose the local office supply store where you want to print

Start by visiting your preferred office store website or printing services homepage. The screenshots below are for FedEx printing services. You can see the Staples options in this post when I used Staples a couple of years ago.

Work through their online portal to upload and choose options to print a large March Madness bracket

1. Select Printing Services –> Blueprints (or Architecture, Engineering & Construction Prints)

2. Choose to Start Your Project

3. Select the configurations of your file. Our choices are below. We choose Black/White, 36in x 48in, Horizontal, with no binding on standing paper.

4. Follow the website instructions to Upload your printable digital image/file of the March Madness bracket

5. Confirm your selections in your cart. Choose how many copies you would like. And then place your order. I like to use In-Store pick up.

6. Select your store and where you would like to pick up your prints (or have them delivered if that’s your preference).

7. Complete your order and pick it up when it’s ready. Most orders are ready within a few hours or no more than a day.

How to dispose of your large March Madness bracket

One of the great things about this project is it’s low carbon footprint (without really even trying!). It’s just paper and ink, so remove any tape you may have used to adhere it to the wall and add this March Madness bracket to your compost bin. You can crumble it, tear it into pieces, or shred it. The smaller the pieces, the faster it will break down (it’s a science-surface area equation).

If you don’t have access to a compost bin, you can also recycle it! Definitely don’t put it in the trash can if you can avoid it. Paper in the landfills is such a bummer.

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Jen Panaro

Jen Panaro, founder and editor-in-chief of Honestly Modern, is a self-proclaimed composting nerd and advocate for sustainable living for modern families. To find her latest work, subscribe to her newsletter, Sage Neighbor.

In her spare time, she’s a serial library book borrower, a messy gardener, and a mom of two boys who spends a lot of time in hockey rinks and on baseball fields.

You can find more of her work at Raising Global Kidizens, an online space to help parents and caregivers raise the next generation of responsible global citizens.