Quill

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American business-to-business office-supplies retailer and distributor.

Last updated August 31, 2026

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Overview

Quill Corporation is a United States office-supplies retailer and business-to-business distributor headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Founded in Chicago in 1956 by Jack Miller, the company began as a small operation in the back room of a poultry shop and developed around direct, relationship-based selling to businesses. With help from Miller’s brother Harvey, Quill expanded into mail-order catalogs that combined discounted pricing with free shipping, making it an early specialist in nationwide office-products fulfillment. The company’s assortment has broadened substantially beyond basic stationery. Quill supplies paper, writing instruments, filing and organizational products, office furniture, printing consumables, technology equipment, cleaning products, breakroom supplies, safety items, school supplies, and products for specialist workplaces. Its Quill Healthcare business serves medical practices and other healthcare organizations with professional forms, filing products, patient communications materials, furnishings, promotional items, and general office supplies. The business has also incorporated brands and product portfolios associated with healthcare-practice marketing and front-office operations. Quill’s growth was driven first by catalogs and direct sales and later by electronic commerce. Its website, Quill.com, launched in 1996. More than 70 percent of sales were reported as coming through online channels, while mail-order and direct-sales activity remained part of the operating model. The company has served more than one million small and midsized business customers and has offered access to more than one million products across its categories. At its reported peak of distribution expansion, Quill operated twelve distribution centers and employed approximately 500 people. Staples agreed to acquire Quill in 1998 for approximately $685 million. Quill retained its name, Lincolnshire headquarters, and management structure after the transaction, while becoming a wholly owned Staples subsidiary. Staples’ ownership gave Quill broader access to corporate resources and strengthened Staples’ position in business-to-business office supplies. Medical Arts Press became a Quill subsidiary in 2002 following Staples’ acquisition of that company; Quill also obtained SmileMakers and Hayes Marketing Inc. in connection with its healthcare and practice-promotion activities. The brand has used customer-service, convenience, value, and assortment as recurring themes. Its digital programs have included coupons, the Cafe Quill business blog, Quill Ideas customer feedback, and the QuillPlus rewards program. Quill has also used community initiatives, including school-supply support and partnerships with sports and civic organizations. A notable entertainment licensing initiative introduced Dunder Mifflin-branded paper and later expanded into desk and storage products associated with NBC’s The Office. Today, Quill remains positioned as a one-stop supplier for small and midsized organizations, with additional relevance in education, healthcare, hospitality, foodservice, retail, and industrial workplaces.

History

Quill Corporation originated in Chicago in 1956 when Jack Miller used a $2,000 loan from his father-in-law to establish an office-supplies business in the rear of his father’s poultry shop. Miller initially relied on personal selling, but collaboration with his brother Harvey led to a scalable mail-order model. Quill’s catalogs promoted low prices and free shipping and helped the company reach organizations beyond its local market. The business moved into its first dedicated office and warehouse in 1957 and introduced a major mail-order catalog in 1963. By 1974, reported annual sales had reached $3.5 million. Revenue rose to $180 million in 1986, when Quill was distributing more than 40 million catalogs and flyers to approximately 600,000 business and organizational customers. Its catalog listed more than 9,000 office products. During the 1990s, Quill broadened its assortment, including school supplies, and began transitioning toward digital commerce. Quill.com launched in 1996. The site became the foundation of a growing online channel, while the company retained mail-order and direct-sales capabilities. In 1998, Staples agreed to acquire Quill for approximately $685 million. The transaction allowed Quill to keep its name, headquarters, and management while operating as a Staples subsidiary. Publicly reported revenue increased from approximately $500 million in 1998 to more than $1 billion in 2009. A significant legal event occurred in 1992, when the United States Supreme Court decided Quill Corp. v. North Dakota. The case concerned whether North Dakota could require Quill, which lacked the relevant physical presence in the state, to collect use tax from customers there. The decision limited state collection obligations under the constitutional commerce framework at that time. The broader rule was later superseded by the 2018 South Dakota v. Wayfair decision, although Quill’s case remains associated with the historical development of remote-sales taxation. Staples expanded Quill’s healthcare capabilities in 2002 when Medical Arts Press became a Quill subsidiary after Staples acquired the Minneapolis-based supplier. Quill also obtained SmileMakers and Hayes Marketing Inc., businesses associated with promotional and patient-loyalty materials. These additions complemented Quill’s general office range with healthcare-specific forms, filing systems, furnishings, patient communications, and practice-marketing products. During the 2000s, Quill emphasized service and fulfillment. It reported recognition from BizRate.com and J.D. Power and Associates, expanded to twelve distribution centers, and reported that online sales represented about 70 percent of total sales. The company launched the Green Scene initiative in 2008, refreshed its digital identity as Quill.com in 2009, and developed social and content channels including Facebook, Twitter, Cafe Quill, and Quill Ideas. Quill has also used branded campaigns and community partnerships to extend its identity. The 2006 “So fast, so simple” campaign and the Clips chicken mascot supported the company’s fiftieth anniversary. In 2011, a licensed Dunder Mifflin product line connected Quill with The Office and became one of its strongest-selling product initiatives. The company later introduced coupons, QuillPlus rewards, and a broader “A small part of your job is 100% of ours” positioning intended to emphasize support for the many operational needs of businesses. Community activity included participation in Chicago back-to-school events and educational support projects in Florida. In 2023, Quill introduced a redesigned website and a new rewarding-workplace campaign. It continues to operate as a Staples-owned U.S. supplier focused on business customers.

2023
Website redesign and workplace campaign
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Quill launches a redesigned website and a rewarding-workplace branding initiative.
2016
QuillPlus rewards launches
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Quill introduces Blue and Gold membership tiers for customer rewards.
2011
Dunder Mifflin product line
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Quill launches licensed paper and office products associated with The Office.
2008
Green Scene initiative
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Quill introduces an environmental-products and business-practices initiative.
2002
Medical Arts Press joins Quill
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Medical Arts Press becomes a Quill subsidiary, expanding the brand’s healthcare-practice offering.
1998
Staples acquires Quill
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Staples completes an approximately $685 million acquisition while retaining Quill’s name and headquarters.
1996
Quill.com launches
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Quill enters online commerce with the launch of its website.
1992
Quill Corp. v. North Dakota
[2]Quill Corp. v. North Dakotaen.wikipedia.org
The Supreme Court issues a decision concerning state sales-tax collection duties for remote sellers.
1986
Reported revenue reaches $180 million
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Quill reports $180 million in revenue and a catalog operation serving hundreds of thousands of organizations.
1974
Reported sales reach $3.5 million
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Quill reports annual sales of $3.5 million.
1963
First major mail-order catalog
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Quill introduces a large catalog, strengthening its national direct-sales model.
1957
First dedicated office and warehouse
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
The young company moves from its initial improvised premises into its first proper office and warehouse.
1956
Quill is founded in Chicago
[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Jack Miller establishes Quill with a $2,000 loan and begins operations in the back room of his father’s poultry shop.

Products and positioning

One-stop B2B workplace-supplies provider emphasizing broad assortment, convenience, delivery, and service for small and midsized organizations.

Stationery and organization · 1956
Office supplies
Quill’s core range includes paper, writing instruments, notebooks, folders, binders, filing products, labels, desktop accessories, and other consumables used in everyday administrative work. These products support the company’s traditional small-business customer base and are sold through online, catalog, and direct channels.
Workplace equipment
Office furniture and technology
The assortment includes desks, seating, storage, computer-related equipment, monitors, keyboards, and other technology or workplace hardware. This category supports Quill’s one-stop positioning by allowing organizations to purchase both consumables and durable workplace equipment from the same supplier.
Printer consumables
Printing supplies
Quill sells copy paper, printer paper, ink, toner, and related printing products for business and institutional users. The category has been central to Quill’s office-products heritage and also includes the licensed Dunder Mifflin paper line introduced in 2011.
Medical-office supplies · 2002
Quill Healthcare
Quill Healthcare supplies medical and professional practices with specialty filing and general office products, compliant forms, code books, furnishings, patient communication materials, promotional giveaways, ink and toner, and breakroom supplies. The unit’s capabilities were strengthened through Medical Arts Press and related acquisitions.
Facility and workplace supplies
Cleaning, breakroom, and safety supplies
Quill extends beyond desk supplies into janitorial and cleaning products, food and beverage service items, breakroom equipment, and workplace safety products. These lines help the company serve as a broader procurement partner for offices, schools, healthcare facilities, hospitality businesses, and other organizations.
Licensed office products · 2011
Dunder Mifflin products
Introduced in 2011 under a license connected with NBC’s The Office, the range began with Dunder Mifflin copy paper and expanded to sticky notes, notepads, and storage boxes. Some products incorporated humorous workplace features associated with the fictional paper company. The line became one of Quill’s top-selling product initiatives and experienced reported double-digit annual growth.

Marketing campaigns

2023The rewarding workplace
United States
A brand initiative launched alongside a redesigned website and an updated rewards proposition.
Outcome. Refreshed Quill’s digital customer experience and loyalty positioning.
Source
2014A small part of your job is 100% of ours
United States
A campaign positioned Quill as a supplier capable of handling the many specialized product needs of businesses across sectors including education, foodservice, retail, industrial, and hospitality.
Outcome. Reinforced Quill’s broader assortment and one-stop B2B proposition.
Source
2011Dunder Mifflin
United States
A licensed product campaign based on the fictional company from NBC’s The Office, beginning with copy paper and later extending to desk and storage items.
Outcome. The product line ranked among Quill’s top five products in 2012 and was reported to achieve double-digit growth in subsequent years.
Source
2008Green Scene
United States
An initiative highlighting environmentally friendly products and business practices.
Outcome. Expanded Quill’s sustainability-oriented product and brand messaging.
Source
2006So fast, so simple
United States
A branding campaign presenting Quill as a convenient and easy-to-use source for office products. The campaign ran during the company’s fiftieth-anniversary period, which also featured the Clips chicken mascot.
Outcome. Supported anniversary branding and the company’s convenience-focused identity.
Source

Brand decisions

2023
Website redesign and rewards repositioningStrategy
Background
Quill continued shifting its customer experience toward digital ordering and workplace-wide procurement support.
Action taken
The company launched a redesigned website and the rewarding-workplace campaign alongside a new rewards program.
Aftermath
The initiative refreshed Quill’s digital interface and loyalty-focused brand positioning.
Source
2016
Launch of QuillPlus loyalty programStrategy
Background
Quill was developing digital tools and loyalty benefits to deepen relationships with business customers.
Action taken
The company introduced QuillPlus with Blue and Gold membership tiers.
Aftermath
The program added a formal rewards layer to Quill’s online customer proposition.
Source
2011
Launch of Dunder Mifflin office productsProduct launch
Background
Quill sought to create distinctive products and use the popularity of The Office to increase engagement with office-supplies customers.
Action taken
Quill introduced licensed Dunder Mifflin copy paper and later added notebooks, sticky notes, and storage products.
Aftermath
The line became a leading seller and was reported to have achieved double-digit year-over-year growth.
Source
2002
Medical Arts Press becomes a Quill subsidiaryM&A
Background
Staples acquired Medical Arts Press to expand access to products designed for healthcare practices.
Action taken
Medical Arts Press was placed within Quill’s subsidiary structure, alongside related healthcare and practice-promotion capabilities.
Aftermath
Quill broadened its reach into medical-office supplies, compliant forms, patient communications, and practice marketing.
Acquisition consideration. $385 million (July 2002 acquisition)
Source
1998
Staples acquisition of QuillM&A
Background
Staples sought to increase its presence in business-to-business office products, an area that represented a comparatively limited portion of its revenue before the transaction.
Action taken
Staples agreed to acquire Quill for approximately $685 million in a combination of fixed and variable-priced shares. Quill retained its name, headquarters, and management.
Aftermath
Quill became a wholly owned Staples subsidiary and continued operating as a specialist business-supplies brand.
Acquisition consideration. Approximately $685 million (1998 transaction announcement)
Source

Recent events

2023
Quill refreshes website and launches workplace-rewards campaign[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Campaign · Product launch
Quill introduced a redesigned website and promoted a new rewarding-workplace campaign and rewards proposition.
2016
Quill introduces QuillPlus rewards program[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Product launch
The company launched a two-tier customer rewards program with Blue and Gold membership levels.
2011
Quill launches Dunder Mifflin office-products line[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
Product launch · Campaign
Quill introduced licensed Dunder Mifflin copy paper and later extended the range to notes, pads, and storage products inspired by The Office.
1998
Staples agrees to acquire Quill Corporation[1]Quill Corporationen.wikipedia.org
M&A
Staples announced an approximately $685 million transaction to acquire Quill and expand its business-to-business office-products presence.

Sources15 sources

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