Charlie Chan Printing is a company with a long history of serving clients. The company was founded in 1969 by Charlie Chan (no connection with the fictional character). His original store was located in L.A.’s Chinatown and housed an early Xerox black-and-white copier.
Today, Charlie Chan Printing has grown into a multi-million dollar printing company serving clients as large and diverse as the Westin hotel chain, Paramount Pictures, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and thousands of small businesses throughout Southern California.
Charlie Chan’s business was founded on the principle of customer service. Charlie believed that if every customer was treated with unbeatable prices, the quickest turnarounds, and a commitment to flexible and helpful service, clients would become clients for life. In fact, many of our clients today have been with the company for decades.
In 2002, Charlie’s son, Hamilton, left a career in the professional services sector in order to carry on the family business. Hamilton, a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, had worked as an investment banker for JP Morgan, an attorney for the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson, and a Business Affairs executive at MGM, when he decided that Charlie Chan Printing was where his heart is.
Combining Charlie's values with Hamilton's professionalism, Charlie Chan Printing has become the business printer of choice for organizations seeking unparalleled value and reliability.
STACCATO!
At Charlie Chan, we believe in acquiring the best technology in order to deliver the best quality. Our computer-to-plate system delivers 530 linescreen resolution – dubbed Staccato screening – when most printers print at 175 linescreen. Higher linescreen means sharper images and sharper type. For the highest resolution printing – up to 3 times sharper than the competition – come to Charlie Chan.
PROFESSIONALS TALKING TO PROFESSIONALS
We select our staff for their ability to interface effectively with professionals. Your Charlie Chan Project Manager is college-educated and friendly, understands the importance of deadlines, responsiveness in e-mails and reasonableness and flexibility in all matters. Our CEO, a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, has placed his stamp on our company by requiring the highest standards of professionalism in all our interactions with clients.
AVERAGE TENURE: 12 + years
Our typical staff member has been with Charlie Chan Printing for more than 12 years, with several having worked here for more than 30 years! This longevity creates stability for our clients, a manageable cost structure concerning our assets, and tremendous know-how and expertise in all printing matters.
CLIENT SERVICE (NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE)
We believe in doing what we can to please our clients. We refer to patrons as clients rather than customers, because we believe we are in the professional services industry. This perspective guides our actions, from the hiring of Project Managers to the ultimate professional treatment of all of our clients.
DESIGN YOU WILL LOVE
The power of something well-designed can be truly moving. Time and again, Charlie Chan has come through for its clients, designing anything from new logos to marketing collateral to items
for personal use. Because of our quick turnarounds, responsiveness, understanding of client needs, and affordable pricing, Charlie Chan serves as the designer for clients as large as Westin and Paramount or as small as a new business down the street.
“Your fine work at Charlie Chan Printing, Inc. has yielded a product that has exceeded my expectations.”
- Dr. Robert M.L. Baker, Jr., President, West Coast University
“[The students’] response to the publication was very favorable, but it paled in comparison to my own relief and wonderment that the books turned out so well. I can say without doubt that the special efforts of the ‘Charlie Chan team’ turned a difficult, potentially disastrous project into a success… Regardless of who or what was responsible for a given problem, they made it clear that they were committed to finding a workable solution. That reassuring approach gave me the impression that the project wasn’t just my problem, and that I had support in a difficult situation. Just wanted you to know what an exceptional job you and your staff did for us. Many Thanks!”
- Lizanne Fleming, Director of Public Information/Publications, Woodbury University
“We would like you to know how much we appreciate your ability to work within our budget, always delivery professional quality, and being sensitive to meeting our deadlines. We look forward to many more years of business together.”
- Jill Katz, Resident Coordinator, Kaiser Permanente
“A simple ‘thank you’ just wouldn’t do, so I’m writing this letter to express my deepest appreciation for the beautiful printing job you did on my handbooks and calendars. When I presented my printing needs to you, it was obvious to me that you really listened to me and tried to accommodate me in the best way possible. You did this by making suggestions and recommendations while all the time being cognizant of my budgetary constraints. With my finances in mind, you made every effort to provide me with the quality and presentation that I wanted at a cost that was most reasonable. You knew that I wanted to coordinate my calendars and handbooks, but in the end I settled for a less expensive calendar cover due to my limited budget. Yesterday, when Henry delivered the calendars and handbooks, you gave me a most wonderful surprise and gift! You coordinated my calendars with the handbooks with the identical cover and quality at no additional cost! Mr. Chan, you indeed care about your customers and their satisfaction. Everyone who has seen the final product has been delighted with their appearance and quality. Thank you, Mr. Chan, for a job well done and for the professionalism and quality behind your work. My gratitude too to Henry and Kiu who so ably assisted me with the printing of these materials. You have my assurance that I will be back.”
- Sharon Morano, Principal, Loretto-Conaty High School
“Your quick turnaround, pricing and quality surely assisted in making the event successful.”
- Shigeki Kikkawa, President, LA County Asian American Employees Association
“Many people in the WCU community have expressed to me their opinion that this is the best WCU catalog yet produced. The quality of [your] printing greatly outshines that of any printer we have used to present. Thank you for your diligence, flexibility and haste in producing this catalog and in effecting the last minute changes to the copy and the blue insert page. [We all] agree that it has truly been a pleasure working with you … and your other associates at Charlie Chan Printing, Inc.”
- Dr. Robert M.L. Baker, Jr., President, West Coast University
“The dinner journal for the evening turned out beautifully and got great reviews! In fact, it was so popular that I may have to order additional copies for Mr. Travolta and the honorees!”
- Marta K. Hagen, Campaign Director, Museum of Flying
“The presentation is everything I had hoped for. I know the press conference tomorrow will go beautifully. Thank you all for the terrific, awesome, wonderful work! You made us look sooooo good…”
- Terri Villa McDowell, Manager, County of Los Angeles, Office of Human Resources
“I am writing this note to commend you and your entire staff for the service we received for all our printing needs for our annual gala dinner. I especially to single out Alex Yuchongtian for his professional approach, patience, hard work and service beyond all our expectations. We are so pleased with the quality and timeliness of your printing operation. We received so many positive comments about our tribute book, including from the honoree, Mrs. Nagel, who said it was the most beautiful book she has seen. This book was really designed by Alex, who has a great eye for what looks good on the page.”
- Ron Solomon, Executive Director, West Coast Friends of Bar-Ilan University in Israel
“I would like to take a few minutes to express my appreciation and gratitude for the superb work of you and your staff. The success of the Awards and Installation banquet couldn’t have been accomplished without you. I was extremely impressed with the quality of the invitations, programs and signage as well as the professionalism of your staff. The work that Charlie Chan Printing exhibited was highly regarded and I will personally recommend it to future clients.”
- Laura D. Brown, Executive Director, MPI, Inc.
“Since we do pride ourselves on providing high quality products to our clients, we appreciate your giving us the product we need to ensure client satisfaction.”
- Yem Ling Fong, Lennon Associates
“I just wanted to extend my thanks for the great job you did on the North American booklets. You truly went above your called duty and, as the rep here at American Direct Mail, I appreciate it greatly. Our client was thrilled to see their program, and we owe it all to you!”
- Linette Kaiser, Manager, American Direct Mail
“On Friday, Planning had a very important emergency copying job which had to be done quickly. Fortunately, Liz and I located Charlie Chan Printing… We were able to call them and ask if they could do this rush job. No problem they say, we’ll have a team ready. I was met at the door at 12:45. They had a team ready to go to work and the order was ready at 2:30. I made the deadline to L.A. City by 20 minutes. These people get a AAA+. They are full service and easy to work with… If you’re in a printing time jam and want the best service, I recommend them.”
- Gregory Woodell, Planning Specialist, County of Los Angeles, Department of Beaches and Harbors
“I would like to thank you for providing quick printer services for SIGGRAPH 2001 in Los Angeles. It was comforting to know that we could, once again, count on Charlie Chan Printing for our quick printer needs before and during the conference. It was very convenient to be able to send copy jobs in advance and have them ready upon arrival. And, on-site, the quick printer services were superior!”
- Sara Haukap, Convention Associate, SIGGRAPH
“Words could never and will never express our appreciation and gratitude for helping us with this journal.”
- Cheryl Scarinci, Executive Director, Desert Samaritans for the Elderly
“It was never a question that in the midst of what seemed to be a crisis, Charlie Chan Printing, Inc. was willing and able to stand up to the challenge in preparing 1,000 copies of various items, on top of directional signs, poster size boards, and to have it done within a brief time frame.”
- Cathy Hubbard, Long-Term Family Self-Sufficiency Division, LA Department of Public Social Services
ENTERTAINMENT
Paramount Pictures
William Morris Agency
Capital Records
Castle Rock Pictures
HBO
Raleigh Studios
Jim Henson Company
Ticketmaster
Time Warner Cable
KFWB
FOOD
Gaucho Grill
PERIODICALS
The Daily News
Los Angeles Times
HOSPITALITY
Westin
Hotel Sofitel
Harrah’s Entertainment
Hyatt
ACADEMIA
Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Southern California
Harvard Business School Association of Southern California
UCLA
USC
ARTS
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
HEALTHCARE
Kaiser Permanente
Cedars-Sinai
ENERGY
Southern California Edison
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Wedbush
NON-PROFIT
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
American Red Cross
LA Mission
Habitat for Humanity
Boy Scouts of America
REAL ESTATE
Sotheby’s
Keller Williams
Coldwell Banker
FASHION
7 Jeans
Frederick’s of Hollywood
Bindery
There are an infinite number of ways to finish your job once it’s been printed. Would you like to seal it with a satin varnish, foil it, emboss it, fold it or perfect bind it? At Charlie Chan, our decades of experience enable us to make solid recommendations for you regarding binding type, cost, speed and effectiveness. To learn more, please call us and ask to speak to a technical consultant.
Divine Design
We sincerely believe in the transformative power of graphic design for any brand image or any personal needs. We love selling our graphic design because our clients, time and again, shower us with praise (and even tears!) when they see the results.
Our award-winning design staff was carefully recruited from the design field (not the print industry), and has even earned prestigious assignments from Fortune 500 companies.
Conventional Offset Printing
In our opinion, there are 3 key ingredients to the highest quality commercial printing: a skilled pressperson, fine resolution plates, and best-of-breed press equipment.
In February of 2006, Charlie Chan Printing became the first printer in California to invest in the top-of-the-line Creo Magnus 400 Quantum with MCU platesetter. This plating machine enables us to surpass our competition by leaps and bounds. Whereas most commercial printers print at 150 to 200 lines per inch, we are able to print in excess of 500 lines per inch, which results in the sharpest and most crisp printing you’ve ever seen. In addition, our printing plant includes 7 presses, graced with the best name brands in the business: Heidelberg, Komori, AB Dick, Hamada and Ryobi.
Perhaps most important, we take great pride in the skill of our print staff, which includes some pressmen who have been with Charlie Chan Printing for more than 35 years!
Print on Demand
At Charlie Chan, we carefully monitor the cutting edge of technology, making sure we deliver the most reliable and effective technologies for our clients. As such, we have invested in a digital press that is delivering incredible offset quality to our clients, one unique image at a time. For more information about our digital printing press, including variable data printing and versioning capabilities, please call us and ask to speak to a sales representative.
Services
Having been in business for more than 38 years, we have seen it all. Bring us a printed sample, and we can deconstruct it like a CSI detective. Bring us a concept, and we’ll help you bring it to life. From design to print to finishing, we either have the machinery in-house or we have the relationships with trade finishers to complete your project. Our main value to you is our know-how, and we will leverage it to complete your project beautifully, affordably and quickly.
Reasonably-priced print and design consultants with professional backgrounds and degrees from top colleges
Small to medium-sized businesses seeking a top flight image in print
Reinvent your corporate brand with original and appealing design
Respond to your needs with professional, intelligent and flexible solutions
Bring reliability, speed and quality to your printing experience