On July 16th 2025, ASAP Screen Printing will turn 39 years old.
ASAP SCREEN PRINTING was founded in July 1986 by Mohammad Shiekhy and his friend. At the time Mohammad was a system engineer at MCI Telecommunication and thus ASAP was more like an investment. Although Mohammad did help with the marketing, set up, and paper work of the ASAP, his main job was engineering.
In 1990 the partner of ASAP decided to leave, Mohammad bought his share, quit his engineering job and started running ASAP full time. Looking back, 30 years ago, when email was just coming in, portable computers were rare, modems were still used, and the cell phone did not exist. Pre-press work and printing were done with the help of light tables, paste ups, white outs, and straight edge. Copying was done by Xerox machines that took up a 20 x 20 foot space, folding newsletters was done by Bum folders 20 feet long, and cutting was done by all manual challenge machines. The printing industry was so different that even people in the industry don’t remember most of the things that were being done the way they were.
Originally ASAP opened at 3019 Clarendon Blvd (on the corner of Highland). Clarendon Blvd. ended at Highland Street. In 1990 ASAP expanded to 3018 Wilson Blvd., so it had a door in Clarendon and a door in Wilson Blvd. Clarendon Blvd. by then was opened up to connect with Highland Street. Sears was where Baja Fresh is now, Sears Hardware was where Whole Foods is now, and Sears Automotives was where the Gold Gym and all those high rises are now. And there were Vietnamese shops and restaurants from the Corner of Highland Street to Washington Blvd. A Leather Furniture store was where Whitlow’s on Wilson is, Virginia Hardware was a hopping business. A Funeral Home was where the New Direction School is now, NTB Tires was where Walgreens is now.
There were more than 1 dozen printing companies on Wilson Blvd. from Rosslyn to Glebe Road. Arlington Courier was the local Arlington Newspaper and was being printed in Arlington where the offices of Red Top Cab are now. From small to midsize printing companies in Arlington, on Glebe Road to Rosslyn you could find them all. Computers and designing and typesetting started in the early 90s, and Apple Computers became the graphic art tools of the printers.
Pagers became the toys for doctors and service people. Light tables slowly gave way, then came the Internet in the late 90s and the cell phones became mobile (car phones). Prior to that the cell phones were in cars and called car phones and were indeed as big as house phones. Having been in the telecommunication industry, I was noticing the changes faster than I could imagine. Nextel came up with the cell phones that replaced pagers, though it was one way communication. You would talk, wait for a response, and then talk again (walky talky).
The printing industry through this whole period was going through revolutionary changes until the 2000 Dot Com bust which broke the market all at once. Most of the big commercial printing went out of business within a very short time, and the effect started sprinkling down to the small ones. The printing franchises started closing and shrinking to bare bone. In 1997, after 11 years at 3018 Wilson Blvd. and 3019 Clarendon Blvd., ASAP moved to 2907 Wilson Blvd. The Clarendon area had already started to be another place altogether.
Whole Foods, originally Bread and Circus, replaced Sears Hardware, Baja Fresh replaced the clothing store of Sears, Gold’s Gym and the apartments replaced Sears Automotives. All the Vietnamese stores in Wilson Blvd. From Highland Street to Washington Blvd. started their departure, Wallgreens replaced NTB Tires, and new houses and condos, and indeed the Market Place came in.
Meanwhile the printing industry was in a battle for survival, especially in 2008’s economic depression.
Having a belief of indomitable Spirit, I felt I was the captain of the ASAP ship and I had to sink with it if I had to, and kept on sailing. The harsh waters and waves are calmer, the nights are more peaceful, and I don’t know after 30 years where ASAP may be in 30 more years. One thing is certain, I will not be the captain, but with the determination and faith I have, I truly believe, ASAP will live on much longer than I can ever imagine.
Mohammad Shiekhy
Owner, ASAP Screen Printing
In 1990 the partner of ASAP decided to leave, Mohammad bought his share, quit his engineering job and started running ASAP full time. Looking back, 30 years ago, when email was just coming in, portable computers were rare, modems were still used, and the cell phone did not exist. Pre-press work and printing were done with the help of light tables, paste ups, white outs, and straight edge. Copying was done by Xerox machines that took up a 20 x 20 foot space, folding newsletters was done by Bum folders 20 feet long, and cutting was done by all manual challenge machines. The printing industry was so different that even people in the industry don’t remember most of the things that were being done the way they were.
Originally ASAP opened at 3019 Clarendon Blvd (on the corner of Highland). Clarendon Blvd. ended at Highland Street. In 1990 ASAP expanded to 3018 Wilson Blvd., so it had a door in Clarendon and a door in Wilson Blvd. Clarendon Blvd. by then was opened up to connect with Highland Street. Sears was where Baja Fresh is now, Sears Hardware was where Whole Foods is now, and Sears Automotives was where the Gold Gym and all those high rises are now. And there were Vietnamese shops and restaurants from the Corner of Highland Street to Washington Blvd. A Leather Furniture store was where Whitlow’s on Wilson is, Virginia Hardware was a hopping business. A Funeral Home was where the New Direction School is now, NTB Tires was where Walgreens is now.
There were more than 1 dozen printing companies on Wilson Blvd. from Rosslyn to Glebe Road. Arlington Courier was the local Arlington Newspaper and was being printed in Arlington where the offices of Red Top Cab are now. From small to midsize printing companies in Arlington, on Glebe Road to Rosslyn you could find them all. Computers and designing and typesetting started in the early 90s, and Apple Computers became the graphic art tools of the printers.
Pagers became the toys for doctors and service people. Light tables slowly gave way, then came the Internet in the late 90s and the cell phones became mobile (car phones). Prior to that the cell phones were in cars and called car phones and were indeed as big as house phones. Having been in the telecommunication industry, I was noticing the changes faster than I could imagine. Nextel came up with the cell phones that replaced pagers, though it was one way communication. You would talk, wait for a response, and then talk again (walky talky).
The printing industry through this whole period was going through revolutionary changes until the 2000 Dot Com bust which broke the market all at once. Most of the big commercial printing went out of business within a very short time, and the effect started sprinkling down to the small ones. The printing franchises started closing and shrinking to bare bone. In 1997, after 11 years at 3018 Wilson Blvd. and 3019 Clarendon Blvd., ASAP moved to 2907 Wilson Blvd. The Clarendon area had already started to be another place altogether.
Whole Foods, originally Bread and Circus, replaced Sears Hardware, Baja Fresh replaced the clothing store of Sears, Gold’s Gym and the apartments replaced Sears Automotives. All the Vietnamese stores in Wilson Blvd. From Highland Street to Washington Blvd. started their departure, Wallgreens replaced NTB Tires, and new houses and condos, and indeed the Market Place came in.
Meanwhile the printing industry was in a battle for survival, especially in 2008’s economic depression.
Having a belief of indomitable Spirit, I felt I was the captain of the ASAP ship and I had to sink with it if I had to, and kept on sailing. The harsh waters and waves are calmer, the nights are more peaceful, and I don’t know after 30 years where ASAP may be in 30 more years. One thing is certain, I will not be the captain, but with the determination and faith I have, I truly believe, ASAP will live on much longer than I can ever imagine.
Mohammad Shiekhy
Owner, ASAP Screen Printing
