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Citrograph Printing Co., which started as a newspaper in 1887, remains a fully operating print shop and a piece of Redlands history.
Before the Redlands Bowl filled the night sky with music, before the Kingsbury kids made the Pledge of Allegiance a morning ritual, before the train first rumbled into town or the city was officially incorporated — Citrograph Printing was already inking its presses.
On July 16, 2025, Citrograph Printing Co. marked 138 years in business, a milestone that cements its status not only as Redlands’ oldest business, but as a living thread in the city’s history.
Current owners Al Hernandez and Ryan Bailey, the sixth owners of the shop, take that legacy seriously. They’ve found a rhythm that blends modern design and promotional services with old-school craftsmanship to remain the longest continuously operating print shop in California.
“We’ve been intentional in keeping the operations small and maintaining the history,” said Ryan, who began working at Citrograph in the late 1990s as a graphic designer before purchasing the business with Al in 2002.
“There used to be five or six print shops in town. Now we’re one of the only ones still doing this work in-house,” Al added.
Unlike many modern print brokers that outsource production, Citrograph still runs its own offset presses, some dating back to the 1960s and ’70s, alongside digital printing equipment.
The team includes just a handful of staff: Al, Ryan, longtime pressman Bill Lee, and a recently hired graphic designer. Their shop dog, Sammy, is a daily presence too.
Despite it's small footprint, Citrograph’s reaches many corners of Redlands. The shop handles design and printing for the Redlands Conservancy, Redlands Bowl, the University of Redlands and even some out-of-state clients. On the day of the anniversary interview, they were shipping 10,000 printed envelopes to a customer in Florida.
Maintaining the shop's history and quality while adapting to new technology has never been a burden.
“We just keep moving forward with it,” said Al, who joined the business in 2000. He brought his expertise in promotional advertising and launched a new division of the shop focused on branded goods like pens, mugs, and shirts.
Inside, the shop offers a glimpse into the past, with an original 1880s safe and wood flooring in the back printing room. When water damaged the front room’s floor, Redlands Floorhouse used custom 2-inch red oak slats to match the original wood.
Vintage printing equipment lines the walls, and a curated selection of Redlands-themed merchandise fills the retail section, hoping to attract passersby into the shop.
Over the past five years, Citrograph has also opened its doors to local artists, offering a space to showcase and sell handmade goods.
“There wasn’t really a venue for artists to sell their work downtown,” Al said. “So we started inviting a few to display their products here.” Ryan is among the artists, displaying his pottery.
Citrograph’s legacy goes beyond ink and paper. In honor of previous owner Richard Caudle, who passed away just six months after Al and Ryan took over, the owners launched what eventually became the Citrograph Foundation. It began with a single music scholarship in Caudle’s name and has since expanded to include scholarships in business and graphic design at the University of Redlands. The foundation also supports arts and athletic programs at local schools.
Much has changed since founder Scipio Craig launched The Citrograph newspaper on July 16, 1887. After his death in 1908, the paper shuttered by his request, but the print shop lived on, passed not by family bloodline, but through mentorship and trust.
“The business has always been handed down from employer to employee,” Ryan explained. “So it’s always been in the Citrograph family — just not necessarily a genetic family.”
Citrograph doesn’t have plans to scale up or go corporate. For Al and Ryan, the goal is to keep doing what they’ve always done: serve the community with integrity, stay rooted in tradition and adapt to stay current.
“It’s about keeping the business small, keeping it local,” said Al. “We support a lot of the local organizations and they, in turn, support us.”
Address: 113 E. State St. Redlands, CA 92373
Hours: Mon. - Thurs. 8:00 - 5:00; Fri. 8:00 - 4:00; Sat. - Sun Closed
Email: info@citrograph.com
Phone: 909.792.3901
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