The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Old-school stationary shops in Cairo are becoming more and more rare, thanks in part to the spread of bookshop chains across the city that conveniently provide similar, if not the exact same, products. However, Imprint in Zamalek plays the role of stationary shop, print shop and even gift shop. Offering products that can be customised to any personal taste, anyone who gets a special kick out of stationary – and there are plenty of us – should definitely stop by.

The decor of the venue relies on black and white paint to contrast the very colourful products. The store’s facade features prints of pop culture figures like Marilyn Monroe, while the inside of the shop’s walls features paintings of Ghandi, Elvis and Dali among other historical and popular figures.

‘We Print Your Dreams’ is written out on a blackboard inside – it’s a little bit of an overblown statement, but Imprint offers more than stationary when it comes to customisation; mugs, t shirts and other random items can printed with a picture or photo of your choice. They also offer a service of turning your own photos into pop art.

Regardless of whether you provide the photograph or not, the prices are unified. A 20×20 size poster, for example, costs 125LE while the larger 50×35 size costs 300LE. Some of the sample posters are displayed and the results look immaculate – we were particularly taken by a poster of the Beatles.

Away from customisation, the collection of ready-to-sell products is large and includes a diverse set of designs. Many focus on band logos like the Rolling Stones, for example, but other generic designs are used on notebooks that come in three sizes;the large and medium cost 30LE and 20LE respectively, while the smaller notebook with a hard cover costs 35LE.

We also found a collection of pencil cases costing 50LE and two types of coasters, the wooden costs 10LE while the acrylic costs 15LE. Across from the counter we also found simple folders and binders costing 11LE.

Imprint is a well stocked shop but suffers from one of the most excruciating problems that arise when shopping in Cairo; many of the items aren’t marked with prices. To make matters worse during our visit was that the staff seemed to be almost reluctant to tell us the prices of some of the items without us committing to purchasing it. It’s a shame, because it made the whole visit a little awkward and we don’t think wanting to know the price of an item before buying it is too much of an ask.