In 1939, three brothers revolutionized how school 
yearbooks were produced. While the oldest yearbooks
pre-date 1900, they were limited to those schools
that could afford the expensive engraving process.

Herbert, Edgar and Bill Taylor introduced offset
lithography to yearbooks, and Taylor Publishing,
now known as Balfour Yearbooks, was born producing
top-quality yearbooks for schools across the country.

Balfour was more than ready to take advantage of
increases in school populations after the Second
World War. We also took notice in the growth of
American business and created a market for 
employee achievement, memory and recognition
products.

Yearbook production changed dramatically in the
late 1970s when electronic page composition replaced
the decades-old cut-and-paste method. Balfour Yearbooks
again led the way with computerized copy preparation
followed by the first desktop publishing software for yearbooks.

The 1990s began another transformation for yearbooks,
one that continues today. The advent of desktop publishing
and digital photography expanded the possibilities for
print products. All-color yearbooks and online publishing
software have forever changed how yearbook are produced.

In July of 2010, American Achievement Corporation (AAC)
leveraged the reputations of both Taylor Publishing and
Balfour to begin marketing and selling on-campus under
one master brand: Balfour.