What Scharlau does

SCHARLAU GmbH is a Hamburg-based, family-owned technical service provider specializing in professional reproduction, printing, and advertising technology. Founded in 1895 by Gustav Friedrich Scharlau and now in its 4th generation of family ownership under managing director Frank Scharlau (Dipl.-Kfm.) and co-owner Nicola Scharlau (M.Sc.), the company operates three (and, per its website, four) retail branches across the Hamburg metropolitan area — City (Hüchnerposten 14), Altona (Bahrenfelder Straße 40), Winterhude (Winterhuder Weg 88), and Poppenbüttel — supported by an in-house courier fleet of 9 cars and 4 e-bikes offering free pickup and delivery across the city.

The company's core technology stack centers on digital printing (small format up to 32x69 cm and large format up to 150 cm width), large-format CAD plotting, document scanning and digitization with a four-eyes-principle quality control department, copying, and data management including audit-secure archive solutions and digital data rooms. Adjacent advertising technology services cover printing and installation on fabric, canvas, aluminum composite, acrylic/plexiglass, and film substrates for shop windows, vehicles, and trade show booths. Supporting infrastructure includes 12 trained media designers, EN ISO 9001 quality and EN ISO 14001 environmental management certifications, and digital submission tools such as the Express-Uploader (up to 3 GB file transfer) and SCHARLAU-Easy-Plot file preparation tool.

Scharlau's revenue model is predominantly transactional, with quote-based pricing for business customers (configured via an online inquiry shop) and unit pricing for walk-in retail customers. Core revenue streams include printing services, scanning and digitization, advertising technology, and design services as an add-on. Customer segments span wedding stationery (25% package discount), students and academics (40% discount, 20% on poster printing), small and medium Hamburg businesses, plus secondary exposure to architecture/construction (CAD plotting) and retail/events (signage and trade show systems). The company employs approximately 90 staff across all Hamburg locations and is a member of the Hamburg Environmental Partnership (Umweltpartnerschaft Hamburg) for over 20 years.

Name

Scharlau

Legal name

SCHARLAU GmbH

Website

https://scharlau.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SCHARLAU GmbH is a Hamburg-based, family-owned printing, scanning, and advertising technology service provider operating 3–4 retail locations, serving SMBs, students, wedding customers, and architects across the Hamburg metro since 1895.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Printing Services

NAICS

Printing and Related Support Activities (3231), Printing (32311)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Commercial Printing (2750)

akta.pro primary industry

Printing & Business Forms (continuous forms, checks, tickets) (IMAMAHAH)

Keywords

• Digital printing services
• Document scanning services
• Large format plotting
• Advertising technology printing
• Commercial copying services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Printing Services: One-time transaction-based revenue from digital printing, plotting, and copying services. Includes various print formats from small format business cards to large format posters.
2. Scanning and Digitalization Services: Document scanning and digitalization services including archiving solutions.
3. Advertising Technology: Custom solutions for shop windows, vehicles, and trade show booths including printing on fabric, canvas, aluminum composite, and films with installation services.
4. Design Services: Graphic design services for print materials, available as add-on to printing services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Scharlau is a technical service provider for professional reproduction offering a comprehensive portfolio of digital printing (small and large format), document scanning and digitization, CAD plotting, copying, data management and archiving, advertising technology, and graphic design services. The company serves both businesses and private customers from three retail locations in Hamburg, supported by an in-house courier delivery service, online inquiry tools, and quick-turnaround production capabilities.

Product overview

SCHARLAU is a technical service provider for professional reproduction offering a comprehensive print, scan, and advertising technology portfolio. The company operates three locations in Hamburg (City, Altona, Winterhude) and provides services from consulting through planning to execution. Core offerings include digital printing (small format up to 32x69cm and large format up to 150cm width), document digitization/scanning, CAD plotting, copying, data management/archive solutions, and advertising technology. The product range encompasses printed materials (business cards, flyers, brochures, books, calendars, posters), gallery/art prints (canvas, aluminum composite, acrylic/plexiglass, Kapafix), and advertising technology (signs, banners, trade show systems with installation). Supporting services include in-house courier delivery, student discounts (40%), wedding stationery packages (25% discount), and online file upload tools. Founded in 1895, the company is in its 4th generation of family ownership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Printing (Digitaldruck) High-quality digital printing of business cards, flyers, brochures, posters and other materials in small and large format, with finishing and refinement options such as foil lamination, cellophane finishing, and Sleeking. Available to both business customers (quote-based) and walk-in retail customers.
• Scanning and Digitization (Digitalisieren) Scanning and digitization service for documents of all formats and quantities, including drawings, reports, contracts, file folders, and entire archives, operated under a four-eyes quality control principle.
• Large Format Plotting (Plotten / Großformatdruck) High-quality printing of technical drawings, CAD plots, color architectural drawings, and line drawings, available in small or large quantities, with widths up to 150cm and nearly unlimited length.
• Copying (Kopieren) Fast and reliable copying service for documents of all formats and quantities, including drawings, reports, contracts, and file folders.
• Data Management and Archiving (Datenverwaltung) Archive solutions for scanned documents, project rooms for active construction projects, data rooms for digitized documents, and audit-secure archive solutions for tax-relevant data.
• Advertising Technology (Werbetechnik) Customized solutions for shop windows, vehicles, and trade show booths, including printing on fabric, canvas, aluminum composite, and films, with installation services.
• Graphic Design Service (Gestaltung / Grafikservice) Professional graphic design services including layout, template creation, photo editing, and digital restoration of old photos, offered as add-on to printing services.
• Business Cards (Visitenkarten) Business cards in standard 85x55mm on 350g/m² ColorCopy, single or double-sided, with foil lamination options (glossy, matte, soft-touch, structured) and various finishing options.
• Flyers and Cards (Flyer & Karten) Printed flyers and cards in DIN A3-A7 and custom sizes, with single/double-sided, color or black/white, and various paper type options.
• Brochures (Broschüren) Brochures with multiple binding options including wire binding, plastic coil binding, thermal binding, saddle stitching, softcover, and hardcover bindings.
• Books and Theses Printing (Bücher & Abschlussarbeiten) Printing and binding of books, bachelor, master, and doctoral theses with hardcover fast binding, hardcover bookbinding, softcover, and spiral binding options.
• Personalized Calendars (Kalender) Personalized calendars including 3- or 4-month calendars, family planners, desk calendars, and wall calendars.
• Posters and Placards (Plakate & Poster) Posters and placards for indoor and outdoor use, maximum width 150cm and nearly unlimited length.
• Canvas and Gallery Prints (Leinwände & Galeriebilder) Gallery-quality canvas prints on structured canvas, mounted on 2 or 4cm frames, maximum size 1.40m x 3m.
• Aluminum Composite Prints (Alu Verbund / Gebürstetes Alu) Aluminum composite prints for gallery images and high-quality photos, mounted with rear profile strips, maximum size 1.50m x 3m.
• Acrylic / Plexiglass Prints (Acryl- / Plexiglas-Druck) Acrylic/plexiglass prints with glossy photo paper mounted behind cast transparent acrylic and bonded with 3mm aluminum composite, maximum size 1.50m x 3m.
• Light Foam Boards (Kapafix / Leichtschaumplatten) Light foam boards for presentations, available in 5mm or 10mm thickness, suitable for indoor use, maximum size 1.50m x 3m.
• Wedding Stationery Package (Hochzeitspapeterie) Complete wedding stationery including invitations, menu cards, seating plans on canvas, place cards, thank-you cards, and stickers, offered with a 25% discount on wedding packages.
• Custom Signs (Wandschilder & Schilder) Custom signs for various applications including shop windows, doors, and building directories.
• Banners and Flags (Banner & Fahnen) Flags, banners, and fabric banners for indoor and outdoor advertising.
• Trade Show Systems (Messe-Systeme) Trade show systems including displays, signs, customer stoppers, pop-up systems, and roll-up systems.
• Installation Services (Montage) Professional installation of printed materials including shop windows, vehicle wrapping, and trade show installations.
• Hamburg Courier Delivery Service (Botendienst Hamburg) In-house courier service with 9 car drivers and 4 e-bike couriers offering free pickup and delivery of orders in the Hamburg area; free for registered customers with a nominal fee for non-registered customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% student discount available
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• qm-solutionscoreOthersqm-solutions provides certification services for Scharlau's quality management (EN ISO 9001) and environmental management (EN ISO 14001) systems.
• Umweltpartnerschaft HamburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental partnership with the City of Hamburg, active for over 20 years, focusing on sustainability and environmental protection initiatives.
• Go4Copy.netminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner network of printing services, logo appears in footer as partner.
• Sellenthin LogistikminorOthersLogistics partner, logo appears in footer.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Flyeralarm: One of Europe's largest online commercial printers offering business cards, flyers, brochures, and large-format print. Competes with Scharlau on commodity print, though without Hamburg-local pickup, courier, or in-store consultation.
• DM ReproGRAPHIE Betriebe GmbH: German reproduction and digital printing chain with multiple branches providing printing, plotting, copying and scanning services. Closest operating model match to Scharlau, including retail branches, courier delivery and CAD plotting for architects.
• Onlineprinters (Druckerei Medianet): Online commercial printer with a broad catalogue of business cards, flyers, brochures, and signage across Europe. Head-to-head competitor for Scharlau's commodity B2B print volumes, especially for Hamburg SMBs willing to order online.
• Laserline Druckcenter Berlin: Berlin-based digital printing and reprography service with large-format plotting, CAD plotting, and copying. Closest direct comparator to Scharlau in product mix, scope and target customer; competes in a different regional market.

Broad incumbents

• Vistaprint / Cimpress: Global online printing platform with mass-market SMB positioning in business cards, marketing materials, and signage. A scale incumbent that competes with Scharlau on price and convenience for standard print jobs.
• CEWE Stiftung: European printing group anchored in photo finishing and direct-to-consumer photo products, with commercial printing exposure through its subsidiaries. Comparable as a broad retail/consumer printing incumbent in the German market.
• Canon Deutschland (Professional Printing): Supplier of the digital production press, plotter, and scanner equipment that Scharlau itself uses. An adjacent incumbent in production printing whose installed-base and services sit one layer upstream of Scharlau's commercial print offering.

Emerging players

• PosterXXL / Prodigi Group: German online print specialist in posters, photo prints, and large-format art prints, with online configurator-only sales. Comparable to Scharlau's large-format / fine art (canvas, alu composite, acrylic) offerings from a digital-first angle.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ScharlauGmbH
• Facebookfacebook.com/scharlaugmbh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scharlau-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scharlau