Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! All citizens having business before the Honorable, the Supreme Court of the Comicraft Authority, are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for Wuxtry! Wuxtry! is now kerning. Tempered and tested to tackle typography in troubled times, this companion to Extra! Extra! affords each and every proclamation, declaration and attestation with the air and veracity of New England Newsies in the 1900s!

Some vintage 1960s-era packaging for dive gear (masks, swim fins, etc.) manufactured by the Voit division of AMF had various merchandise boxes hand-lettered [with some variation of design] in an interesting sans stencil. These packages formed the inspiration of Dive Gear Stencil JNL. Thanks once again to Gene Gable, whom on many occasions has provided Jeff Levine material for type design inspiration.

Here’s a fresh take on a classic, Caslon Black Swash by Ed Benguiat. Big, bold and beautiful, it’s a natural choice for distinctive and attractive headlines. Several alternate lowercase characters are included in the font, in place of some math operators. The PC Postscript, Truetype and Opentype versions contain the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

The Bitstream version of Englische Schreibschrift by H. Berthold, 1970–72. An unconnected copperplate script of the English nineteenth-century fashion, so-called Spencerian. Based on pressure pointed quill calligraphy. Unlike other copperplate scripts, the letters in this face do not link up. For use in advertising and display typography in relatively small sizes. Cyrillic version was developed at ParaType in 2000 by Vladimir Yefimov.

Ornata D is the fourth of a series of old ornaments that I am trying to save from oblivion. I am completely redesigning the ornaments from scratch, trying in this one to keep the rough "letterpress" character. These ornaments have been first designed by Auriol around 1910. This set is perfect to design a great number of frames. Your digitizing type-designing savior, Gert Wiescher

Shortly after the preparation of the original Century, the two Bentons (father Linn Boyd and son Morris Fuller) prepared a wider version for De Vinne’s press and called it Century Broadface. In 1900 ATF released the design for general use as Century Expanded, one of the most popular and effective of typefaces, to this day the text face of the New York Daily News.

Designed at Polygraphmash circa 1940 (project manager Anatoly Shchukin). Based on the text typefaces of the late 19th and early 20th centuries of Obyknovennaya (Common) group. The digital version developed at ParaType in 1996 by Vladimir Yefimov. Initially designed for a collection of works by Lenin, this typeface was widely used in Soviet Union for technical and scientific books, both for text and display.

Among many of Alf Becker’s contributions to Signs of the Times magazine was 1 1935 offering named Chicago Modern Thick and Thin, which provided the inspiration for this face. It’s a perfect choice for friendly headlines with an Art Deco vibe. Both versions include the complete Unicode Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets, as well as localization for Lithuanian, Moldovan and Romanian.

Mark van Bronkhorst’s MVB Sacre Bleu was inspired by an example of French handwriting from the 1930s. With a goal to keep the script as authentic as possible, the font includes a number of ligatures to avoid letterform repetition. The year it released, MVB Sacre Bleu was selected as one of Typographica’s Favorite Typefaces, where reviewer Joshua Lurie-Terrell deemed it “stylish, memorable, and decidedly unkitschy.”

The ATF syndicate released the inspiration for this quaint charmer in its 1884-1885 series of specimen books under its current name. Its warmth and unassuming naivete make it perfect for headlines seeking to evoke simpler times. Both versions of this font include the complete Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets, along with localization for Lithuanian, Moldovan, Romanian and Turkish.

Schreibmeister is my interpretation of Arno Drescher’s design for Ludwig Wagner, Leipzig, completed in 1958. The letters X and x were improved as well as some ligatures. The letter E has an alternative, and the small d comes with two alternatives, of which one form can be reached by typing the partial different key. Generally it is recommended to activate both Standard and Discretionary ligatures.

Another entry in the trusty old "Schriftatlas" named Phoenix—original source and designer unknown—provided the inspiration for this bouncy bit of alphabetical tomfoolery. Its animated typeforms, definitely retro chic, will put some bounce in the step of any headline it graces. Both versions of the font include complete Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1524 character sets, with localization for Moldovan, Romanian and Turkish

A Japanese design firm called Maniackers put together a typeface design in 2001, which they called Snail. This typeface is based on that design, with a few tasty modifications and some industrial-strength kerning, so that the letters literally slither across the page. This font contains the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

Bugleboy started as a digitized version of "Wood Grotesk," a 1970s film typeface by LetterGraphics. It started with a bare bones character set which we added swash alternates for Capitals, Stylistic Alternates for a Unicase look, and crafted a Sans version without serifs. The Sans style lacks swashes but keeps Stylistic Alternate Unicase forms. See the last graphic for a comprehensive character map preview.

This lettering style is unusual in that combines aspects of several lettering styles. It is essentially a Germanic Blackletter but with many romanized capital letters and also features an italic slant along with some italic lower case traits. It is evocative of “old world” craftsmanship and early 20th century romanticism. The font was developed based on the logo of the Lakin Company of Buffalo, NY circa 1900.

One in the series of fonts called Whiz-Bang Wood Type, intended to be set large and tight. Brazos is an ultrabold, ultrawide sans-serif face that takes up a lot of horizontal territory, but fits in little vertical space. Named after the famous river in Texas. Both versions of the font include the 1252 Latin and 1250 CE character sets (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

Another addition to the Whiz-Bang Woodtype series, this offering is patterned after a typeface issued by the old Boston firm of Baker & Greele in 1826. Named after a small town in Texas just a hop, skip and a jump from the Red River and Arkansas. Both versions of this font include the complete Latin 1252 and CE 1250 character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Magic Spell is a mystical, fun font based on a handlettered alphabet in an old 1930s book on lettering. It captures that old world feel of magical wizards and fairy tales. Conjur up some fantastic designs with this bewitching font! Jukebox fonts are available in OpenType .otf format and all fonts contain basic OpenType features as well as support for Latin-based and most Eastern European languages.

Corpulent is a display font whose forms are extremely thick, up to the extent of being nearly illegible. In the 1980s, these construction principles were explored to their very limit. So if the lyrics of Eyes Without a Face resonate in your mind, the feet turn numb in super-tight trousers, and you fancy a big hair style, this font is the one for you.

Flavium is the reconstruction of the typographic character used in the engravings of the marble street name sign of Rome from about 1970 until the end of the eighties. It is an uniquely uppercase Roman font whose letters are confined within the space between the baseline and the caps line. Its style is severe but elegant, very useful for expressing authority and officialdom with simplicity.

Sky Clipper JNL is a bold, Art Deco sans serif typeface derived from the hand lettered title on a 1940s-era “Big Little Book” entitled “Flying the Sky Clipper with Winsie Atkins”. The design is available in both regular and oblique versions. “Big Little Books” were published by the Whitman Publishing company and featured short stories printed in a tiny sized book format for young children.

Inspired by bold and rounded typefaces on signs from the 1970s, Salsiccia can promote both your hot dog stand and your international toy store enterprise. Its boldness and roundness is combined with classical proportions, with wide letters — like the O — next to little nubby ones — like the T. This not only looks nice, but helps us even out the white spaces across words and sentences.

Many alphabet style examples from the Speedball Textbook on pen lettering have offered amateurs and professionals a source of inspiration since its first publication in 1915. A 1940s edition presented a simple sans serif design rendered with the style ‘B’ round nib pen point, and has been recreated as the digital type face Pen Sans Rounded JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

A new take on the classic font Bodoni, revealing the structural elements of the font, and adding a little sparkle with a pseudo-stencil treatment. The font is named in honor of its original designer and also the undisputed king of the two-chord song. Both versions of the font include the 1252 Latin and 1250 CE character sets (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

Propaganda in a poodle skirt? Another gem gleaned from Schrifti Alphabeti, a book of Cyrillic alphabets published in Kiev (now Ukraine, then USSR) in 1979. Flouncy, bouncy, perky and quirky, this typeface will add sass and charm to any project it graces. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Modern Caps—and lowercase, too—was how Ross George described the pattern for this typeface in his Speedball Text Book. Not surprisingly, the design was used on the Beatles' original Magical Mystery Tour album, which suggested the current name. Art Deco meets Psychedelia! Both versions include the complete Unicode Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets, with localization for Moldovan and Romanian.

The Legal typeface family grew out a sans serif project that Hellmut G. Bomm began in the 1970s (his HGB Grotesk). This refined, industrial type family is well suited for short amounts of text, headlines, corporate identity and logo design. In small sizes, the typeface works like many other sans serifs, but with better differentiation between characters. The Legal family includes oldstyle figures and true italics.

The inspiration for this typeface was found tucked away in what is arguably the worst book of advertising clip art ever published (cleverly entitled The Advertising Cartoon Clip Art Book from 1971). It’s so bad, it’s good—at least at getting your attention. Both versions of this font include the complete Latin 1252 and CE 1250 character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

One in the series of fonts called Whiz-Bang Wood Type, intended to be set large and tight. Dime Box is bold and boxy, and creates an interesting visual flow with its notched serifs. Named after a small town in Texas. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Quick Meal JNL is a ‘hand lettered’ interpretation of Morris Fuller Benton’s 1905 design “Miehle Extra Condensed Title”, no doubt named for [or on behalf of] the manufacturer of printing and die cutting presses that were used for years within the printing industry. The type face is available in both regular and oblique versions. Quick Meal JNL is a pun on the pronunciation of ‘Miehle’.

A Victorian face named Oakwood provided the pattern for this decorative little number, with its swirls and curls guaranteed to delight boys and girls, saints and churls, and dogs and squirrels…well, maybe not the last pair, but you get the idea. All versions of this font include the Unicode 1250 Central European character set in addition to the standard Unicode 1252 Latin set.

A 1910 collection of piano sheet music called “Presser’s Economy Group” had that name hand lettered in a fancy serif lettering style that could fall somewhere between Art Nouveau and semi-calligraphic. No matter the label you attach to the style, it makes for a wonderful digital type revival. The end result is Piano Music JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

The letterforms for this typeface are pretty much standard block gothic, but its prismatic treatment features a twist: the letters appear to be lit from below rather than above, which is usually the norm. The result is a perfect choice for dramatic headlines. This font contains the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

Lodestone is a sans serif decorative typeface, and was created by Steve Jackaman (ITF) in 2017. The original design was known as ‘Marvin,’ and was created by Face Photosetting (London) in the early 1970’s. Since the name ‘Marvin’ was in use by another foundry at time of publication, ‘Lodestone’ was born. Lodestone has a clean, retro feel, and is electrifying at display sizes.

A little ditty from France circa the 1940s called "J'ai Rêvé Dans Tes Bras" (which loosely translated means "I've Dreamed in Your Arms") offered up its title hand lettered in an interesting Art Deco sans. This formed the basis for French Pastry JNL, a tasty typographical tidbit further preserving the wide choice of lettering styles hand-crafted for popular sheet music of past decades.

Unger Script is a script design which is obviously based on H. Matheis' Slogan typeface designed for Ludwig & Mayer in 1957. This very expressive script design is defined by its widely swinging upper case and its quite narrowly designed lower case characters. Ralph M. Unger redrew and digitized this font exclusively for profonts in 2001. His work is based on artwork taken from old font catalogues.

The Kaktis collection features eleven typefaces that have spikes or spines. Some have short spikes, some long, some sparse spines and others abundant spikes. They are novelty fonts with limited uses, but there can be times when a typeface of this sort may be appropriate, perhaps for a sharp rebuke or a pointed reminder. These faces were constructed in the mid 1990s using a font distortion program.

The Chromium Yellow family is based, very loosely, on Electro-type Serif, designed by John Wu of Hong Kong’s Archetype foundry. The rather quirky serifs have been removed and a few odd letter treatment have been amended to produce a smooth, techno-friendly family of faces. This font contains the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

This elegant offering is based on a typeface originally called "Design", from Barnhart Brothers & Spindler’s Specimen Catalog Number 9, published in the first decade of the twentieth century. This version has been fine-tuned to set tight, and is suitable for headlines, subheads, and limited amounts of body copy. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

Developed by Adrian Frutiger for Bauer in 1966, Serifa is a slabserif based on the principles that led to the success of Frutiger’s 1956 sanserif, Univers. Glypha, designed by Frutiger for Stempel in 1979, is a version of Serifa with a moderately larger x-height; Stempel has paid royalties on Glypha to Neufville since 1984. Serifa® font field guide including best practices, font pairings and alternatives.