Type foundry

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A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Originally, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and Monotype machines designed to be printed on letterpress printers. Today's digital type foundries accumulate and distribute typefaces (typically as digitized fonts) created by type designers, who may either be freelancers operating their own independent foundry, or employed by another foundry. Type foundries may also provide custom type design services.

In England, type foundries began when William Caxton introduced the printing press. Thereafter the City of London became a major centre for the industry, until recent times when famous metal-based printing districts such as Fleet Street came to the close of their era. The industry was particularly important in Victorian times, when education became available to all due to the new School Boards, and firms such as Charles Reed & Sons were in their heyday. The St Bride Printing Library in the City of London encourages wider public interest in the remarkable history of typefounding for the printed book and newspaper.

Contents

[edit] Corporate type foundries

See also categories: Type foundries and Commercial type foundries

[edit] Large form type foundries

See also categories: Type foundries and Commercial type foundries

[edit] Independent type foundries

See also categories: Type foundries and Independent type foundries

[edit] Specialty type foundries

[edit] Active metal type foundries (letterpress)

[edit] Defunct (historic) type foundries

[edit] Type distributors/vendors

[edit] References

 This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2009)

[edit] External links

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