Company Culture

Copy General strives to attract the best. Our staff is the best. We thrive in a stressful, deadline-oriented environment that always leaves time for fun.

Our customers are the best. They realize that we are not their suppliers, but rather a part of their team. In an era of stretched budgets and tighter deadlines, we work with our clients in a way that makes us look good by making them look good. That's why we can point to long-term clients who have been with Copy General for three decades.

Company History

Copy General, with locations in downtown Washington and suburban Virginia, is a leader in bringing the latest technology to the reprographics industry. Now celebrating its 32nd year, Copy General operates one of the premier, high-tech electronic printing facilities anywhere. It was one of the first companies to eschew printing presses and adopt a totally xerographic approach. But this was to be expected from a company whose founders came from a computer background and a dedication to service that remains uncompromised.

It started back in 1979 when two business associates—one a recent MBA and the other an attorney—realized that the Washington-area market was ready for a copy service that would provide superior quality and service with a previously unheard of level of professionalism. They were right.

In 1991, Copy General joined in a venture to open copy centers in Central Europe. Now there are more than 20 locations outside of the U.S. There are eight locations in Hungary—seven in Budapest and one in Székesfehérvár. In the Czech Republic, we now have five stores and a production center in Prague, one in Pilsn and one in Brno. Warsaw, Poland has three full-service locations. We also operate a retail location and a production center in Moscow, Russia. See the related links for details of this truly international network of copy centers.

Of course, all Copy General stores offer a full range of copying and finishing services, but that's to be expected. What really sets Copy General apart is its attention to detail, production organization and a startling ability to remain focused on the needs of the customer.

Attention to detail means reviewing a job before it goes into production, making sure we have everything and that any answers needed from the customer are obtained before we proceed. It means catching a missing page or a bad original, it means making sure the originals are in order and having everything necessary to complete the job available. In short, it means making sure that the job is done right the first time and done right on time.

Production organization means having the appropriate equipment for the job, properly trained and motivated employees to complete the job and being prepared for the unexpected.

Remaining focused on the needs of the customer entails more than just copying and binding. It means doing whatever it takes to make our customers successful. Sometimes this means sitting in a car so a lawyer can take something to the airport and not have to worry about parking. Other times it might be lending a GBC binder to a client so he can finish off a small job at his office.

Copy General's duplicating experience coupled with more than thirty years experience with computers led the company to incorporate Print-on-Demand, high-speed electronic printing into our copying operations. Copy General was one of the first two firms in the country to test the Xerox DocuTech 6180, and more recently we participated in beta testing of the DocuColor iGen3, which is now in full production generating spectacular color at prices that represent a new level of value.

We feature a wide variety of related services, all under one roof for quick turnaround while maintaining the highest quality. We also offer an innovative and full-featured, e-commerce solution—Brightdoc®—for you and/or your customers to order publications via the web.

Finally, we have compatible systems in our domestic and international locations. This allows the preparation and proofing of your job locally and transmission of ready-to-print files around the world for printing and distribution.