1985

Copy-Rite opened in 1985 in Altoona at 1904 Union Avenue. It is the same location you can find us today. In 1995 we also opened shop in Hollidaysburg, and in 1997 we opened in Roaring Spring. Copy-Rite has been owned by the same local family since 1995.

ABOUT OUR STAFF – We believe well trained, friendly and consistent staffing is key to serving our customers best. With over 86 years in combined experience among our staff, you can count on us!

FREE CUTTING – Copy-Rite obtained its first cutter in 1985. At first not being sure of how to charge for cutting, we offered the service at no charge until we became accustomed to all aspects of cutting ream size stacks of copies. The customer response to having their copies cut down at no charge was so extremely positive that we decided that year to continue offering the service for free (when we produce the copies.) We have been told many times that it is one of the reasons our customers choose Copy-Rite Banner Zone.

One of the first pieces of equipment added in 1985 was a small ‘pouch’ laminator that could laminate up to 11 x 17. In 1997 a large 40″ wide laminator was purchased to meet customer demand of laminating oversized documents, posters & blue prints. All three of our locations now offer lamination from business card size up to 40″ wide. These laminators heat the lamination to produce crystal clear protection for all documents, big & small.

By 1990 we purchased our first desktop computer and began offering design services for business cards, letterheads, flyers, booklets, and so much more. Being able to create a set up for business cards along with the cutter we already had allowed us to begin making business cards on site.

We have offered custom made rubber stamps to our customers since aprox 1987. At first we were a dealer for a rubber stamp company and did not produce them ourselves. In the 1992 a small apparatus was purchased to make the image part of the rubber stamp, that was then adhered to either a special wood mount or a self-inking case that contained a very small stamp pad inside the case that allowed the stamp to rotate and hit the ink pad before making its impression. This process allowed us to offer both self-inking and non-self inking stampers. Years later as technology became more advanced, and wood mounted stampers that required a stamp pad were no longer in demand, we upgraded our rubber stamp making process. We now produce rubber stamps on-site in our Hollidaysburg location. These stampers are a made by a process that precisely burns the image into a membrane and allows the ink to flow through the image to make a very clear impression.

In 1987 Copy-Rite purchased an apparatus called a ‘Paddy Wagon’. This apparatus aids in the production of notepads, as well as carbonless copy sets. In a time when carbon paper was still being used to make on the spot duplicates, this was a clean high volume way to have instant copies of invoices and receipts for customers such as contractors and small retail businesses. We still use the same basic process to produce notepads and carbonless sets as we did in 1987. Also We charge a fee to turn your copies into notepads. Since all notepads are custom made, you can decide on the size of the notepad and how many sheets in each notepad.

In 2000 we added cut vinyl to our services. Customers were requesting bigger and more durable sign options and we responded by purchasing our first vinyl cutter. We began making yard signs, banners, and decaling vehicles.

When we opened in 1985 large format copies were not available at Copy-Rite. Many architects and engineers produced their own large copies with an ammonia based system that produced blue line copies. Large format copies are still referred to as ‘Blue Prints’ even though that technology has mostly been abandoned. In the 1990’s Copy-Rite purchased their first Large Format copier and began making oversized black print copies up to 36″ wide. Due to customer demand, in 2000 we purchased our first large format machine that could also reduce and enlarge oversized prints. Like most of our copying equipment, our large format copiers are also connected to our computer systems to allow us to print from a customer’s computer file.

When we first opened, all copy folding was done by hand. In 1989 we purchased our first electric folder and were able to offer high speed folding. Now we not only have stand alone folders, but copiers that will fold and staple to make booklets. Though most copies that require folding can be done by machine, we still offer hand folding when needed.

In 1990 Copy-Rite purchased its first Full Color Copier! This copier worked on a dye sublimation process and was the newest technology at the time in small run color production. The first copy of each run took 2 minutes to produce, then 2 copies per minute after that. The very reasonable price for copies in 1990 was $1.25 each. What a contrast to today’s standards. Now our machines produce 60 copies per minute at a charge of only 38 cents each. The lowest regular price available in our area.

Full Color Posters & Banners. Our first wide format full color printer was located in our Hollidaysburg store in 1997. This very nice, but very slow machine fulfilled the need for large full color posters and banners. Paired with our large format laminator we were able to laminate these posters and banners for great durability. Today we have modern, fast printing, fast drying full color large format printers that print on a variety of medias including glossy paper, matte paper, canvas, fabric, and added in 2014 – Tyvek. Tyvek offers a low cost alternative for outdoor full color banners. With vivid reproduction and quick printing, many posters and banners are able to be printed the same day. We can design for you or you can send us a file ready to print!

We have been here since 1985 with a consistent, experienced staff providing personal service for you.