Professional Engraving Systems

Distributor Allgraphics: King of the Bullseye!
April 2008

Meet Distributor Allgraphics - Proudly Serving Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and parts of Penn with Extensive Experience and a Rich History in the Engraving Industry.

Mike Dehabey and Allgraphics started in business as Alltronics Sales & Service in 1970 as an electronics repair shop selling and repairing TV’s, stereos, vcr’s, microwaves, record & tape players & antenna systems. In spite of success, Mike saw the introduction of solid state as the beginning of the end of this business.

One day Mike began working on a few old pantograph engravers that his friend, Jack Domiteaux, left at his shop to refurbish for resale. “I started mess’n with them and I could not leave them alone,” states Mike. “Next thing you know I was making dog tags and engraving eye glass lenses plus whatever else people wanted done. I engraved a lot of weird stuff that no one wanted to do.” Mike continued his engraving including engraving aluminum door handles for every outside door at NorthTown Mall in Toledo, Ohio. They were anodized aluminum pieces about 5” x 12” and he engraved PUSH or PULL on them in Roman type, 2” tall & .125 deep. That was 30 years ago and they are still there.

In 1977, Mike ran an ad in Sixteen magazine for an acrylic key chain and he had to hire an engraver to handle the work. Theresa Rumbaugh was hired as the engraver and she joined Domiteaux Inc. and Allgraphics. By now the TV shop was turning into an engraving shop and Mike called it Allgraphics.

Jack Domiteaux and his father Bob were reps for New Hermes and that company was undergoing a major change. New management at New Hermes decided to quit using commissioned representatives in favor of salaried salespeople. Bob became a vice president and Jack was appointed a territory manager. In 1981, New Hermes needed someone to cover Michigan and Mike was ready. He also covered Illinois and Wisconsin. “Computerized engravers hit the scene and at the time the New Hermes equipment could not compete with Dahlgren engravers. It didn’t take long to figure out which machine I wanted to sell,” states Mike. Jack Domiteaux resigned from New Hermes and started selling Dahlgren machines while beginning development his own machine.

When the Domiteaux machine was ready, Mike left New Hermes in 1985 and went to work for Domiteaux selling the TLC 200 machine. “We sold a bunch of those machines and it was a lot of fun until Jack’s death and the sale of the company,” recalls Mike. Domiteaux, Inc. became Pantograph Corporation of America in 1986 but the new company only lasted until 1988 before bankruptcy spoiled everything. “Switching companies was getting to be a drag,” states Mike.

At this time, Meistergram and Xenetech were showing there machines at trade shows and the Xenetech really caught Mike’s eye. The Engravers Journal put Mike in touch with Xenetech in October 1988 and Mike has continued this relationship for 20 years. “Does that mean I get a watch?” quips Mike.

A lot of Mike’s engraving in the early days resembled milling more than engraving, so when Mike got his first demo on a XOTie, he was hooked. They were cutting out .062 brass in one pass plus with the WYSIWYG display you could actually see what was engraving.

“I always feared loosing my customers when I switched companies but I have to say I’m amazed and thankful for how many customers that have followed me,” states Mike. “I’ve always tried to keep the parts and spare electronics on hand that are needed to get a customer up and running as quick as possible. I know they appreciate it. It’s what keeps them coming back.” Mike and Allgraphics also try to make the customer’s job easier by offering special fixtures, cutters, and accessories that make setting up and engraving quicker. One of Mike’s secret’s is that he is always using the machines and finds himself in the showroom evenings and weekends just because he likes it.

“When I think of Xenetech’s strengths I think of good, dedicated people with plenty of engraving experience. Mike Dehabey and his company certainly represent this vision,” states Xenetech President Guy Barone. “If I owned an engraving business in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, or Pennsylvania that relied on engraving for revenue, Mike teamed with Xenetech equipment certainly makes a powerful combination to ensure my success. We and our customers are very fortunate that Mike is there,” continued Barone.

“When you spend time around “other” equipment, you really appreciate how robust and reliable Xenetech machines are. Take a great machine and back it up with the best tech support in the industry, distribute it through a fine group of professionals and you end up with “the pick of the litter”. I’m proud to be part of Xenetech and I try to convey that during my demonstrations,” says Mike. Customers call on Allgraphics and Mike for pricing, sourcing, logo creation and tech support. “They have my cell # and I do answer it evenings and weekends. More than once I’ve put down a fishing pole to take a customer call.,“ continues Mike.