Our story

Graphic Electronics began in 1961 with a father and son. John Barron, known as JB and a well-known columnist for the NewsTribune, had the vision: he saw the connection between newspapers and engraving.

His son, Bill Barron, known as BB, was the inventor. A former military photographer with a gift for tinkering, Bill took the engraving machine of the day, a device the size of a large closet, and reinvented it as something compact and precise: the Citation®, an engraver later sold around the world. Early on, the company even made type molds for newspaper printing.

Today Bill’s son Mark runs the business with his wife, Maureen, adding laser etching and color sublimation to the Citation® work we’re known for. In 65 years, our pieces have ended up on Hollywood sets, with rock ’n’ roll bands, and even with kings.