Full-service shop offers printing an copying
Open less than two months, X Press Printing is the newest
printing shop in Hollister.
”
You typically will find a shop of this size will be copying or
printing,
”
said Larry Luna, co-owner of the store.
”
We do both. That’s why I call it full service. We can do pretty
much anything.
”
Full-service shop offers printing an copying
Open less than two months, X Press Printing is the newest printing shop in Hollister.
“You typically will find a shop of this size will be copying or printing,” said Larry Luna, co-owner of the store. “We do both. That’s why I call it full service. We can do pretty much anything.”
They print business cards, stationery, envelopes, engineer drawings, manuals and other jobs, Luna said. Prices vary based on the order.
“We can design anything,” said Carlita Bowdish, co-owner of the shop. “It’s not just for businesses.”
They handle jobs for volunteer groups and other organizations, such as printing newsletters, she said.
“There’s three things that we want to focus on: color, engineering drawings and on-demand printing,” Luna said.
Typical of an on-demand job would be instruction manuals, he said.
Their current hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. In mid-October, they will open an hour earlier, at 8 a.m.
“We really become partners with our customers,” Luna said. “If he says, ‘I need these done but I can’t get them ’till 6 p.m.,’ I’ll wait for them. Those are the kinds of things we do for our customers. It builds loyalty.”
Although prices between shops do not vary that much, they said customer service is what sets them apart.
“You have to be sure to spend the time with them,” Luna said. “A lot of customers do not understand the printing process. You have to be sure they understand, this is the best process.”
A small facility, the front room of X Press is occupied by a copier, a child-size table and chairs and the customer service desk. The back room is filled with printing supplies.
After 40 years in the industry, Luna has a network of printing shops across the state that he works with.
“Years ago, you did everything in house,” Luna said. “Then you realized, you’re not always the cheapest. A lot of times it’s more cost efficient to send it out.”
Technology has changed tremendously over the years, Luna said.
“There’s electronic files rather than glue and pasting up,” Luna said. “We no longer have dark rooms, developing and that kind of thing. Now you go from a computer right to a plate, so there’s no chemicals involved and it’s environmentally friendly.”
Even the inks have changed.
“The inks that we use today, they’re vegetable based rather than oil, so that’s another plus for the environment,” Luna said.
Despite the many changes, his business is still mostly based on word of mouth.
“The way I built my other business was word of mouth,” Luna said. “That buys you more than anything.”
Co-workers for more than a decade, Luna and Bowdish complement each other, they said.
“I typically handle the printing press part of it and Carlita deals with the copying, which is the business end of it,” Luna said.
She is great with customers, Luna said.
Luna asked Bowdish to set up shop with him in Hollister.
“It was time for me to move on from my other shop,” Luna said. “We both attend church here, and we were both thinking of moving down here.”
Both live in Morgan Hill.
“We both love Hollister,” Luna said. “It kind of reminds me of what Morgan Hill used to be. It’s quiet. It’s friendly. I also see Hollister as the next one to start [booming].”
X Press Printing is located at 321 San Felipe Road, Ste. 13. It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information, call 634-1400.
