The engraver’s sans serif—strikingly similar to drafting alphabets of the early 1900s—has been one of the most widely used stationer’s lettering styles since about 1900. Its open, simple forms offer legibility at very small sizes. While there are digital fonts based on this style (such as Burin Sans™ and Sackers Gothic™, among others), few offer the range of styles and weights possible, with the versatility designers perhaps expect from digital type families. Sweet Sans fills that void. The family is based on antique engraver’s lettering templates called “masterplates.” Professional stationers use a pantograph to manually transfer letters from these masterplates to a piece of copper or steel that is then etched to serve as a plate or die. This demanding technique is rare today given that most engravers now use a photographic process to make plates, where just about any font will do. But the lettering styles engravers popularized during the first half of the twentieth century—especially the engraver’s sans—are still quite familiar and appealing. Referencing various masterplates—which typically offer the alphabet, figures, an ampersand, and little else—Mark van Bronkhorst has drawn a comprehensive toolkit of nine weights, each offering upper- and lowercase forms, small caps, true italics, arbitrary fractions, and various figure sets designed to harmonize with text, small caps, and all-caps. The fonts are available as basic, Standard character sets, and as Pro character sets offering a variety of typographic features and full support for Western and Central European languages. Though rich in history, Sweet Sans is made for contemporary use. It is a handsome and functional tribute to the spirit of unsung craftsmanship. Burin Sans and Sackers Gothic are trademarks of Monotype Imaging.

The engraver’s sans serif—strikingly similar to drafting alphabets of the early 1900s—has been one of the most widely used stationer’s lettering styles since about 1900. Its open, simple forms offer legibility at very small sizes. While there are digital fonts based on this style (such as Burin Sans™ and Sackers Gothic™, among others), few offer the range of styles and weights possible, with the versatility designers perhaps expect from digital type families. Sweet Sans fills that void. The family is based on antique engraver’s lettering templates called “masterplates.” Professional stationers use a pantograph to manually transfer letters from these masterplates to a piece of copper or steel that is then etched to serve as a plate or die. This demanding technique is rare today given that most engravers now use a photographic process to make plates, where just about any font will do. But the lettering styles engravers popularized during the first half of the twentieth century—especially the engraver’s sans—are still quite familiar and appealing. Referencing various masterplates—which typically offer the alphabet, figures, an ampersand, and little else—Mark van Bronkhorst has drawn a comprehensive toolkit of nine weights, each offering upper- and lowercase forms, small caps, true italics, arbitrary fractions, and various figure sets designed to harmonize with text, small caps, and all-caps. The fonts are available as basic, Standard character sets, and as Pro character sets offering a variety of typographic features and full support for Western and Central European languages. Though rich in history, Sweet Sans is made for contemporary use. It is a handsome and functional tribute to the spirit of unsung craftsmanship. Burin Sans and Sackers Gothic are trademarks of Monotype Imaging.

Bored by ancient Western typefaces? Try Secca Saloon. If you like the ornaments in the back, have a look at the Accolades from Astype.

In a vintage photograph, promotional signage outside an old theater for the 1929 early sound film “The Doctor’s Secret” had lettering in a wide, bold Art Nouveau slab serif design. This was the model for Talking Picture JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Beppo is a bold upright casual script with a condensed character width and a full palette of ordindals, small caps, and diacritics. Beppo flavors things up with old style figures and quirky, contextual alternate connections. Legible, compact and smothered in typographic cheese - it just smells good!

Carouge Pro is a contemporary typeface with a classical twist. This duality gives Carouge an energetic and vivid sensibility. Its subtle shapes are highly suitable for all types of documents, including corporate collateral and publicity literature. The fineness of the types provides a pure and elegant style that is highly valued in the fashion and design industry. While extremely legible in small body sizes, its personality comes into full bloom when used in large type sizes. Carouge comprises a wide range of bold fonts, from Ultra Thin to Ultra. The italic companion of the roman type has a split-line allure with a rounded personality. Carouge Pro is available in eight weights from the UltraThin to an Ultra Black. Each weight is also supported by a strong personality cursive italic. “When I designed Carouge, I wanted to create a typeface with a sober appearance and a dash of audacity. Carouge provides a fine balance between two different worlds.” — André Simard Carouge Pro is a contemporary typeface with a classical twist. This duality gives Carouge an energetic and vivid sensibility. Its subtle shapes are highly suitable for all types of documents, including corporate collateral and publicity literature. The fineness of the types provides a pure and elegant style that is highly valued in the fashion and design industry. While extremely legible in small body sizes, its personality comes into full bloom when used in large type sizes. Carouge comprises a wide range of bold fonts, from Ultra Thin to Ultra. The italic companion of the roman type has a split-line allure with a rounded personality. Carouge Pro is available in eight weights from the UltraThin to an Ultra Black. Each weight is also supported by a strong personality cursive italic. “When I designed Carouge, I wanted to create a typeface with a sober appearance and a dash of audacity. Carouge provides a fine balance between two different worlds.” — André Simard