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| American Speedy Printing Center | |
| Cheng-Hai Chen, franchise owner Weili Chen, son |
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| Torrance, CA | |
When customers bring printing jobs to the Torrance, CA, shop of American speedy, they are bound to be greeted by one of the Chen family. Cheng-Hai Chen, father o the family, established the print shop with his wife 12 years ago. When son Weili Chen graduated from college in 1991, he joined his parents in their printing business. "The franchise’s corporate policy is fast turnaround at competitive prices," says Cheng-Hai Chen. "We follow that policy. If it’s a rush job, we can do it. Our company continues to grow because our clients rely on our service and capabilities." Though usually open only five days a week, this quick printer often works on Saturdays and Sundays to fulfill rush orders. |
The franchise offers complete prepress to bindery services, including Macintosh computers for typesetting and scanners, as well as cutters, folders and a stapler. Half of its customers bring their jobs on a disk and the other half bring rough designs sketched on a paper. For the Chens, upgrading their existing Itek press with the second color head was the most economical solution for getting more work through their shop. All of the T-head register adjustments- vertical, horizontal and twist- can be made with the press running and feeding sheets of paper. The resulting productivity boost and faster turnaround has helped the Chen family remain competitive. |
| It’s been this commitment to family and clients that has helped this American Speedy grow. |  |
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"We used to print two colors by running the job through the press two times," explains Cheng-Hai Chen. "Now we can print two-color by running it through once. It allows us to deliver our jobs on time and that gives us additional time to print more jobs." Weili agrees, "The new T-head has given us the ability to print more quality in house. It has cut down on our turnaround time and allows us to print with higher quality and close registration. We’ve had a few jobs that would have been difficult without the T-head." |
| With guidance and help from the franchise’s corporate office, the Chens located a 1,800-sq.-ft. space in a one-story office park for their business. Local businesses, both mid-sized and large, send the Chens their letterheads, business cards, flyers, brochures, labels, invitations and other one- and two-color jobs. Typical run length is 500-1,000. From the firm’s inception, its main press has been a one-color Itek Graphix 975. This past year, the Chens added a Townsend T-51 Anniversary Edition (AE) color head to it. Weili was chosen to run the press and the T-head, and went to American Speedy’s Troy, MI, headquarters for two weeks of training. |
For example, the Chens received a business card job with a drop shadow, featuring orange letters and a black shadow. The job simply required Weile Chen to prepare the press for tight registration. "We’ve had some brochures with three-colors," says Cheng-Hai Chen. "The press couldn’t do a good job even when we ran it through three times. We couldn’t achieve tight registration. But with a T-head, we can print two colors easily. It’s very convenient." This American Speedy has grown because of its dedication to quality and job timeliness. Loyal customers spread the firm’s service and quality through word of mouth. The Chens also have placed advertisements in the Yellow Pages promoting their increases color capabilities. "I’m glad I joined my parents in their business," says Weili. "The job is interesting and I still learn something every day." |
| Reprinted from November 1999 American Printer. copyright, 2000, Intertec Publishing Corporation. All Rights Reserved. | |