What is your impression of the 13 Streets?
The historic 13 Streets area is home to many small shops that are full of local characters, including Howah Printing Company. The owner insists on printing with traditional methods and you can feel his passion from every single piece of paper he printed.
The printing shop stands like an exception on the streets packed with garages. When we first visited the shop, it appeared to be unattended, until we found out the over-80-year-old owner Mr. Lee was sitting in the loft. This humble little store ran by himself is filled with old-school printing equipment, including the screen printing exposure machine, offset printing machine, cutting machine, and piles of paper. Being in the business for years, Mr. Lee is well acknowledged about the advancement in printing technology. Yet he still has a strong preference on the traditional methods, such as offset printing and etching, even though they take a lot more time and effort to complete. Mr. Lee handles everything on his own with an aim to deliver the best quality. To newcomer’s disappointment, Mr. Lee now only accepts orders from old clients.
