The founder of the dynasty was Robert Ballard (d. 1588), brother-in-law to the celebrated lutenist and composer Adrian Le Roy. These two used movable type, cut in 1540 by Robert's father-in-law, Guillaume Le Bé (or du Gué). Their first patent was granted in 1552 as sole music printers to Henry II. Robert's widow and his son, Pierre (d. 1639), continued the business, and further patents were obtained from Henry IV and Louis XIII. Robert's grandson Robert II ran the firm from 1640 to 1679. He was succeeded by Christophe (d. 1715), Jean-Baptiste-Christophe (d. 1750), Christophe-Jean-François (d. 1765), and Pierre-Robert-Christophe (d. 1812), who carried on management until 1788. Throughout the history of the printers, the women of the family were often as active in the business as the men.

Ballard publications, both those with the early movable type and the later ones engraved on copper plates, were noted for their beauty and care of presentation. Their title pages were frequently superb examples of decorative engraving. The music published represented practically all the French composers of the period, among them Jean-Baptiste Lully, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Louis and François Couperin, André Philidor, Michel-Richard Delalande, Adrian Le Roy, Jean Titelouze, Clément Janequin, Claude Goudimel, Orlando di Lasso, André Campra, and Marin Mersenne's Harmonie universelle.