Craigs ~ A Printing Company Celebrates 150 Years!
Heritage South is proud to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Craigs Printing Company—
now known as Craigs Design & Print, originally established as WM Craig & Co.
From its beginnings in 1876, when Dublin‑born compositor William Craig operated a small printing workshop from a timber cottage on Tay Street, Craigs Printing has grown into one of New Zealand’s longest‑standing and most respected print companies. The business expanded steadily under both William and his son Samuel, eventually constructing the distinctive 1923 brick building at 67 Tay Street, now recognised as a Heritage New Zealand Category 2 Historic Place for its architectural and commercial significance. After decades of innovation and growth — including pioneering printing technologies — the company relocated in 2001 to its modern premises on Yarrow Street, where it continues to thrive as Craigs Design & Print, serving Southland and beyond.
Image (right); Tay Street looking south-west, c1878.
COURTESY SOUTHLAND MUSEUM & ART GALLERY
Craig Printing Company Ltd Building (Former) - 67 Tay Street, Invercargill
Historic Place Category 2
This photo was used for the South Seas Exhibition in Dunedin, 1925-26. There is still a building between this and the company’s original premises on the right; some short time later this was demolished and the area became the west alleyway. Note the external stairway. The shop staff moved into the area on the bottom right of the building in 1923 and the printers followed two years later upon completion of the factory.
🕰️ Craigs Printing – A Historical Timeline (1876–Today)
Early Foundations (1870s–1880s)
In the 1870s, Section 4 Block XII on Tay Street held a four‑room cottage and garden, owned by William Sloan and leased to William Craig.
William Craig, born in Dublin, trained as a compositor before travelling through Victoria, Otago, and the West Coast. He later became proprietor of the Southland News.
In 1876, Craig established his printing business Wm Craig & Co in a small timber building on the Tay Street site.
By 1877, the business advertised letterpress, lithographic and copperplate printing, bookbinding, and paper ruling.
Around 1880, Craig replaced the original timber building with a new structure on the same site.
Second Generation & Early 20th Century (1900–1920)
William Craig died in 1903, and his son Samuel Craig took over the business.
In 1920, Samuel sold the business to Messrs Dennison, Hind and Wilson, who incorporated it as Craig Printing Company Limited.
The 1923 Tay Street Building – Now Heritage NZ Listed
In 1923, Invercargill builder Thomas Metcalfe purchased the Tay Street land and sold it to Craig Printing Company Limited the same year. The company then constructed the two‑storey brick commercial building that still stands today.
The building at 67 Tay Street is now a Heritage New Zealand Category 2 Historic Place (List No. 2456).
Architectural features include:
Paired pediments with ornate detailing
Ornamented lintels with scrollwork
A two‑storey brick façade with a shopfront below and factory behind
Historically, the stationery shop occupied the front, with the printing factory at the rear.
In 1925, Craig Printing Company became the first in New Zealand to purchase a Heidelberg letterpress, marking a major technological milestone.
Mid–Late 20th Century Growth
The Tay Street premises were altered and expanded in the 1960s to accommodate growing production.
The company continued to modernise, purchasing a four‑colour printing press in 1986 and its first Apple Mac computer in 1987, signalling its shift into digital design and prepress.
Move to Yarrow Street (2001–Present)
In 2001, Craig Printing Company purchased Atlas Print, relocating operations to the Yarrow Street factory, where the business still operates today as Craigs Design & Print.
Today, Craigs is recognised as one of New Zealand’s oldest and most respected print companies, offering design, digital and offset printing, signage, apparel, promotional products, and photo lab services.
Heritage South extends its thanks to Craigs for generously sharing photographs and captions from A Company of Characters: The Illustrated History of Craigs – A Printing Company Since 1876 by Ellen van Empel.
If you would like to purchase a copy of A Company of Characters, a link is provided below.
For those interested in learning more about the Tay Street building, we’ve also included a link to the relevant Heritage New Zealand listing.