Belt Printing & Lithograph Company

Founded on April 24, 1950, Belt Printing & Lithograph Company operated in Modesto for over fifty years. Originally Rose Printing, the first location of Belt Printing was at 1524 “J” Street.

In 1961 the business moved to 1515 10th Street, where Parks Printing is now located. The first thirty-five years it operated as a full service print job, the last fifteen as a printing brokerage. The business was originally a partnership between Marion Belt and his son Richard.

Marion learned the printing trade while serving in the Navy during World War I. Richard held a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with am emphasis in Marketing. Together they ran the business until Marion’s death in 1980. Later with the retirement of Richard, the corporation was taken over by his daughter Susan Belt-Highiet, who continues to operate Belt Printing Company as a printing brokerage.

The photo of Burge's Drive-In, above, was commissioned by Richard Belt in the 1940s. Burge's was a hot spot for teenagers and Modestans craving a good burger, a great milkshake and music of the day - it featured tableside music choices for the jukebox. The photo above is featured in the Arcadia book, "Modesto" and the Modesto postcard series.

A special thank you to Lois Belt and Susan Belt-Highiet for their help in setting the record straight about the photo.

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Richard Belt