Portal:Typography

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed.

This portal also covers type design and manufacture.

Type design and typefaces

Specimen catalogs

  • A Collection of facsimiles of the types, woodcuts and capital letters used by early printers (1840) IA
  • Some early type specimen books of England, Holland, France, Italy, and Germany (1875) (transcription project)
  • 100 fancy specimens of job printing by John L. Phillips (1875) IA

Alexander Wilson & Son

  • A Specimen of Printing Types (1786) IA

American Type Founders

  • American Speciman Book of Type Styles (1898) IA
  • Specimens of Type (1897) IA
  • Specimens of Printing Type (1897) IA
  • Desk Book of Type Specimens (1900) IA
  • American Speciman Book of Type Styles (1912) IA
  • New Type Faces (1917) IA
  • Specimen Book and Catalogue (1923) IA
  • Book of American Types (1934) IA
  • Spartan Family (1951)

Anthony Bessemer

  • A. Bessemer's specimen of printing types (1830) IA

Austin's Imperial Letter Foundry

  • Specimen of printing types (Austin, 1827) (1827) IA

Baltimore Type Company

  • One Line Specimens and Revised Price List No. 8-A (1938) IA

Blake, Garnett and Co.

  • A specimen of printing types, etc. by Blake, Garnett and Co. (1819) IA

Boston Type and Stereotype Foundry

  • Specimen of Printing Types from the Boston Type & Stereotype Foundry (1832) IA
  • Specimen Sheets (1856) IA
  • Specimens, containing a selection from the printing materials made at this establishment (1857) IA
  • Condensed specimen book from the Boston Type Foundry (1860) IA
  • Popular Designs for Artistic Printers (1892) IA

Bruce Type Foundry

  • Our handy book of types, borders brass rule and cuts, printing machinery and general supplies (1901) (external scan)

Caslon and Catherwood

  • Specimen of printing types (1821) IA

Cincinnati Type Foundry

  • Fifteenth Book of Specimens (1882) IA
  • The Cincinnati Type Foundry Co's Specimen and Price-list (1870) IA

Fann Street Foundry

  • Selections from the specimen book of the Fann Street Foundry (1874) IA

Government Printing Office

  • Specimens of the job room types (1891) IA

Hamilton Manufacturing Co.

  • Specimens of Holly Wood Type (1880) IA

Henry Caslon

  • Specimen of Printing Types (1841) IA

H. G. Bishop

  • Bishop's specimens of job work for printers (1890) IA

Mackellar, Smiths & Jordan

  • The printers' handy book of specimens (1876) IA
  • Eleventh book of specimens of printing types and every requisite for typographical use and adornment (1885) IA

Montreal Type Foundry

  • Specimens of Printing Types and Ornaments (1850) IA
  • Specimens of printing types, plain & ornamental (1865) IA

Palmer & Rey

  • New Specimen Book (1884) IA

Rand & Avery

  • R & A specimens (1865) IA

S. W. Green's Son

  • Specimens of type in use by S.W. Green's Son (1881) IA

William Caslon

  • A Specimen (1734) IA
  • A specimen of printing types (1785) IA
  • A specimen of printing types (1798) IA

William H. Page & Co.

  • Specimens of chromatic wood type, borders, etc. (1874) IA

V. & J. Figgins

  • Specimen of printing types (1821) IA
  • Specimen of Plain & Ornamental Types (1845) IA

Type foundries

Companies that manufacture physical type for use in printing presses.

Periodicals

Type manufacture and printing was a large industry. Many periodicals wwere dedicated to the subject, and many more general printing, publishing and book-making periodicals also covered typographical topics.

Works about typography

Encyclopaedic articles

See also