EAST LONGMEADOW – Reza Shafii said that he saw the COVID-19 crisis coming.

“In late February, when the country was denying the seriousness,” Shafii ordered N95 masks for the employees at his printing company, TigerPress. When masks became unavailable shortly thereafter, Shafii decided that the company could make them. Soon, his niece, who is a medical worker, told him that they were in desperate need of face shields and the business began making those, as well.

Supplies for the personal protective equipment (PPE) come from Home Depot and other home suppliers, Shafii said.

There are two styles of mask. One is made from a bandana and another from a terry cloth material. Workers fold the material leaving a pocket for a filter. The company has been using shop towels, readily available at home improvement and automotive stores, for the filter. In the material is a piece of 16-gauge wire that allows the mask to be formed to the bridge of the nose. The mask is held in place with elastic that runs through grommets. They are washable and reusable.

The shields are made from 9-inch by 11-inch mylar sheets, to which workers attach weather stripping as a cushion against the forehead and elastic to secure the shield. Shafii said the masks and shields are comfortable and can be worn all day.

Shafii said he bought 2,000 bandanas and 2,000 terry cloth towels. So far, the company has sold 1,000 masks made of each. After purchasing materials for 5,000 shields, it is currently down to a stock of 2,000. Shafii has reordered the supplies and said he keeps enough on hand to not run out.

Much of the PPE has gone to fire and police departments. Shafii said the City of Boston requested thousands of masks, but the facility is not set up for that volume of production.

The PPE produced at TigerPress is also a product of local businesses helping one another. Fellow East Longmeadow company Toner Plastics donated scrap elastic for use with the shields. Another business, Applied Chemistry in Agawam, needed isopropyl alcohol to manufacture sanitizer. Tigerpress donated the alcohol and, in turn, received sanitizer.

“People are very appreciative of what we’re doing. We’re not making any money on it, just to cover our costs,” said Thierry Borcy, manager of the digital printing department at TigerPress.

The masks and shields are available for purchase at tigerpress.com on a sliding scale. Corporations pay $5 per mask or shield, the medical industry and the government pay a reduced fee and first responders get it for free.

Aside from the website, the face shields are also available for free at the TigerPress facility at 50 Industrial Dr. The company sets up a tent Monday through Friday, in good weather, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for curbside access. Vice President of Sales Ed Demetrion said that over 1,000 shields and 100 masks have been distributed from the tent alone.

Demetrion spoke of the good that the company is doing with the PPE program and praised the lead that Shafii has taken on supplying communities.

“Working for somebody that you respect is wonderful,” said Demetrion.

Of TigerPress’s 85 employees, Shafii said five took a layoff instead of working through the pandemic.

TigerPress, which prints packaging, books, and catalogs among other products, has seen a decline in much of its business, despite being available for customers in essential businesses. Shafii said the factory used to run seven days a week but is now down to six and he has had to eliminate the second shift. In spite of the cut hours, he said, everyone is receiving full pay.

Questions about the program and products can be directed to firstresponders@tigerpress.com.