Grungy Old Typewriter is based on two typed letters, each on two pages and dated 1901. The results are eroded, rough, irregular and grungy. The final results are a vintage look. As a designer, I wanted as much flexibility as possible, so there are six versions that are designed to work together. Additionally, I decided to keep the grunge and irregularities within the shape and not include surrounding typewriter or paper marks. I leave it to the design to add those elements as desired. One note, the letter spacing is much tighter than an old typewriter. I felt that readability for modern readers suffered from the added space. Of course, you can get that same look by increasing the letter spacing in your favorite design program.

Packing more copy in a narrow space is the main reason for using a condensed type. Characters with a more ovular shape tend to be less wide than their circular counterparts and will allow for more letters per line. In narrow columns for example, this typeface can provide up to 25% more copy than the regular typeface in the same space. Another reason is when a larger type size is called for — used sparingly it is useful for headings or headlines. For emphasis, narrower letters can provide a stark contrast in the flow of reading, creating impact while retaining typographic character. Condensed types can specially useful in tables and charts because typically both use few words in each block. If space now allows, you may think about the luxury of a larger point size. This optimizes space while keeping your typography more easily legible.

An unannotated photocopy tucked inside the leaves of an old lettering book yielded this unusual and exuberant Art Deco face. The caps feature a simple “bubbly” pattern that makes this offering pack a punch, not unlike the German cherry brandy for which it is named. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

Graphite/4b pen illustrations from the past resurrected as vector/tattoo-art! The detailed illustrations can be displayed at large sizes/full magazine layout page down to thumbnail size! a-l: The full Zodiac of Chaos m-u: Parts from the Tarot of Chaos v-z: Faces of Chaos A total of 26 unique illustrations. Upper case A-Z hold mirrored versions. Enjoy!

This engaging antique text face is based on Paragon Light, from the 1905 specimen book from Barnhart Brothers & Spindler. Although it is spaced and kerned for text work, it also is suited for headlines if you tighten the tracking. Both versions of this font contain complete Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Pony Tale Pro is a handwritten unconnected script face in eight styles: Light, Regular, Bold and Outline with Italics and Small-Caps. Very suitable for Packaging, Greeting cards, Magazines, Posters and Advertising Ads. A space after any lower-case glyph will produce the word terminal, invoking the OpenType/CONTEXTUAL ALTERNATIVE variant. (Opentype variants may only be accessible via Opentype-Aware applications.)

Goudy Ornate (also known as Ornate Title) was designed in 1931 by Frederic Goudy. He states "It is a simple, decorative face that has been used by some good presses for use on title-pages where size is more important than blackness of line." The new Lanston version includes a lower case and full character set designed in the style of Frederic Goudy.

A 1940s-era book from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers entitled "Topographic Drafting" features a page for "lettering construction and spacing" in the process of map making. The letters and numbers were formed on grids using that mechanical drafting process for uniformity in stroke width. This was the basis for Topographic Sans JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Heino is a decorative face with two font styles that was inspired by an old magazine lettering. Its original features include heavy serifs and tight spacing, particularly if you take the Black version. The bouncing letters create a cheerful impression, and would look nice in children’s books and magazines, on candy and food packages, holiday and circus posters and flyers.

Dez Squeeze Pro is a display family in seven bold widths. Choose the width that fits the space available for your headline. Dez Squeeze Pro is a very bold display face with multiple language support, nearly 600 glyphs, stylistic sets, Unicase, and many alternates. Dez Squeeze Pro is Bold enough for knock-out photographs, so go ahead, knock yourself out.

Foundry Journal is appropriately named for its intended purpose in journals, magazines and publications, where narrow column measures require a more condensed typeface, for the most economic use of page space. Foundry Journal has a characteristic subtle angularity, accentuated by well-defined curve to stem junctions, facilitating legibility and making it an ideal typeface when set at small point sizes.

Amundsen is an all-caps stencil-like face with a unique look due to several originally shaped glyphs and overlapping letters. The font is equipped with automatic discretionary ligatures and it comes with a fine-tuned kerning. As the ligatures combine light letters, the overall look remains balanced even with wider display oriented spacing. Amundsen supports West as well as Central European languages.

A little Compacta, a little Impact, a little photolettering from the 70s, all rolled into one make for a unique headline face that commands attention. Although this font is primarily unicase, the lowercase positions feature stylistic alternates, so can can mix things up and pack them in. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

Impact As its name suggests, Impact, a bold sans serif, is designed to make an impression on the reader. Obviously a display font, Impact makes use of its thick strokes and blocked style, to catch and hold the eye. Because Impact is so striking, it is best placed in plenty of white space so that it does not overwhelm any accompanying text.

This jaunty display face was discovered in one of the many books on sign writing produced by Eric Matthews. The work was signed “King Cole", hence the font’s name. This typeface’s large x-height and tight spacing make it highly suitable for attention-grabbing headlines. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

The designers of wood type in the 1880s did not lack for inspiration or imagination. From extremely ornate designs to ultra compressed or condensed alphabets, there was no shortage of variety. Saddle Tramp JNL is one such compressed font. Its wide, bold design coupled with its squat appearance allows for multiple words in a headline without overuse of page space.

Circle Sans is one of the most unique wood type font designs we"™ve found. It was made in Europe and our cut measures just 3 picas. Letters are a basic, rounded gothic with a medium amount of stroke contrast. This font is easy to read and packs a special punch dropped out from the negative space of a circle.

Printers Plant Ornaments was inspired by the decorative motifs used to fill in page space that have been around since moveable type printing commenced in the 15th century. All the ornaments are representations of plants. There is an assortment of 47 ornaments located under the character set keys. Under their respective shift + character set keys are the same 47 ornaments flopped.

Arcadian was first produced in wood type around 1870 by William H. Page & Company. It is a semi-ornamented face based on a French Clarendon, with dots added to the median and the tops and bottoms of the letters. It has a distinctly “Old West” feel, and was likely used to add a little pizzazz to advertising and broadsides of the time.

The German designer Karin Huschka created the fonts Linotype Authentic™ (1999), Chineze Dragon™ (2002) and Picture Yourself™ (2003, with Peter Huschka). The text font Linotype Authentic is part of the TakeType Library, chosen from the entries of the 1999 International Digital Type Design Contest.