Small Business Spotlight: WeFixPrinters.com

WeFixPrinters.com isn't just a website—it's a full-service printer and copier repair shop in Redondo Beach. Business owner Rob Cota answered five questions from Patch.

Patch: How did WeFixPrinters.com get started?
Rob Cota: We started in 1993 as strictly an on-site printer, fax, scanner and small copier repair business. It was just one guy and a van. In 20 years, we have grown to five employees and just moved into a larger 1,800 square foot facility.

Patch: What's WeFixPrinters.com known for?
Cota: I think we are known as a place that anybody who prints can come to for service or or even just get some helpful advice. We are also recognized as an Authorized Service and Warranty Center for Canon, Epson and Brother printers. We are also pretty good at supplying the printers with toner and ink too and can even locate hard to find or discontinued items.

When someone walks into our shop for the first time, their first response is often "WOW!" The place is filled with small point-of-sale receipt printers, laser printers, all the way up to the large format 60-inch color plotters. The other day a guy walked in with a broken printer that was hardly used, and he told me he wished he would have never gotten rid of that old reliable "HP tank" that he had. I took him into our warehouse, found one just like it, and we are rebuilding it for him now.  

Patch: What's unique about WeFixPrinters.com?
Cota: In this disposable society, the easy answer is to just throw something away when it is broken. Think of the waste in packaging, transportation, and resources that go to replace a printer that is tossed away when it can be pretty easily repaired. If a customer chooses not to fix a printer or parts are unavailable, we will offer to recycle it or keep it for parts. By law, these machines cannot just be thrown in the trash, we also offer a free electronic waste service and will make sure that these items get properly broken down and recycled. We are also a Cell Phones for Soldiers registered drop off location. Proceeds from this charity go to provide calling cards for deployed soldiers and their families to talk to each other.   

Patch: What's the best part about being located in the South Bay?
Cota: What we love about the South Bay is its proximity to downtown, Orange County, LAX, West L.A.—but is still far enough away to maintain the small town feel.   

Patch: If you could give your customers one piece of advice, what would it be?
Cota: I hear a lot of concerns about the cost of printing. Because color prints are up to 75 percent more expensive than monochrome black and white prints, I would suggest only printing on a color machine when you have to. Color lasers often use separate drums, toners and developers that are very expensive. If you are a business, make sure your employees know this, and if you are a small office or home with only one color printer, get a small compact black and white laser printer, and you'll see your printing costs plummet. Use compatible supplies as opposed to the original, and you'll see costs drop even more. There are plenty of quality alternatives to branded supplies at a fraction of the cost. 

WeFixPrinters.com is located at 2901 182nd St. in Redondo Beach. For more information, call 310-937-4588, email Info@WeFixPrinters.com, visit wefixprinters.com or check out Facebook.com/wefixprinters.

This article is part of our new Small Business Spotlight series, which runs Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays on Redondo Beach Patch. Get your business featured.