Max J. Gradl was a German jewelry designer. A Web search today turns up several examples of his work from the turn of the 20th century. He seemed to favor green stones in silver metalwork. Gradl also did advertising work and co-authored a book on architectural design. Most important for our purposes, though, are the incredible hand lettered alphabets and monograms the man left behind. I’ve digitized one of those delightful alphabets and tried to keep it true to the original. Beyond the base character set of letters, numerals and basic punctuation, I had to extrapolate forms that, I hope, hold true to Gradl’s design. Enjoy!

Investigator JNL gives a serif treatment to Cold Case JNL, which was modeled from some old lettering stencils manufactured in the 1950s.

The Generic Typeface Collection is a series of sans-serif typefaces inspired by the craftsmanship of graphic design, typesetting, and printing in the analogue era – before Adobe, Macintosh computers and desktop publishing – when dinosaurs ruled the earth. With the use of various typesetting apparatuses or dry transfer type, photo copiers, and shooting layouts and paste-ups to film, the printed results was not as exact, precise and predictable as it is today. When examining old prints, it is difficult not to like the way that characters in over- or underexposed film have a special type of vibe to them that is often sadly lost in today’s pursuit of total perfection. Encouraged by this, I saw a need for a collection of typefaces that are non-clinical and non-conformist, and some that are coarse, rough and distorted – errors that might come from poor exposure when put on film, enlargements from small point texts, or maybe quality loss from successive generations of photocopies. Or all of the above. This is an attempt to incorporate spirit and personality into a set of typefaces without losing distinction. You might call it a homage to non-perfection. I call it human. The Generic Typeface Collection consists of 11 fonts divided into four series. The three standard series – the Formal Release series, the Coarse Copy series, and the Rough Display series – all contain three fonts each. The Extra Splendor series contains a couple of shadow fonts for that little extra sparkle. Formal Release – Handcrafted & Clean The Formal Release series features sans-serif typefaces for everyday use. They are handcrafted and clean, human and uncomplicated. The Formal Release series contains three typefaces that add tons of personality to any text. G10 FR ‘Slim’ – a slightly under-exposed and clean typeface in a regular weight (228 glyphs - 1 alternate) G20 FR ‘Classic’ – a properly exposed clean typeface in a bold weight (228 glyphs - 1 alternate) G30 FR ‘Bulky’ – a heavily over-exposed clean typeface in an ultra weight (228 glyphs - 1 alternate) Coarse Copy – Dirty & Rough The Coarse Copy series features non-conformist typefaces that are worn and rough, maybe after going through that bad copier a few times too much. The Coarse Copy series contains three sans-serif typefaces that add tons of spirit to any text without compromising too much on legibility. Try them on in poster-sizes and everyone will know that you mean business. G40 CC ‘Slender’ – an under-exposed coarse typeface in a regular weight (228 glyphs - 1 alternate) G50 CC ‘Typic’ – a properly exposed coarse typeface in a bold weight (228 glyphs - 1 alternate) G60 CC ‘Huge’ – a heavily over-exposed coarse typeface in an ultra weight (228 glyphs - 1 alternate) Rough Display – Faded & Decorative The Rough Display series features attention-seeking decorative typefaces in three feature-packed fonts. Faded and gritty like the image distortion and degradation from successive generations of photocopies, they are eye-catching typefaces intended to stand out in bigger point sizes. Use these typefaces for signage, headlines and similar situations were a strong typographic statement is desired. We have packed no less than 1,334 alternate characters and 212 discretionary ligatures into this series for a greater chance of not having characters that look exactly the same more than once. G70 RD ‘Slinky’ – an under-exposed rough and decorative typeface in a regular weight (741 glyphs – 448 alternates – 66 discretionary ligatures) G80 RD ‘Standard’ – a properly-exposed rough and decorative typeface in a bold weight (748 glyphs – 448 alternates – 73 discretionary ligatures) G90 RD ‘Swollen’ – a heavily over-exposed rough and decorative typeface in an ultra weight (748 glyphs – 448 alternates – 73 discretionary ligatures) Extra Splendor – Sparkling & Extraordinary The Extra Splendor series features two shadow typefaces for that little extra sparkle. One clean shadow to be used with G20 FR ‘Classic’, and one rough shadow to be used with G80 RD ‘Standard’. Having the shadows separate from the main typeface adds another layer of expressiveness in that you can try out color combinations for that extra splendor. Tips for matching (applies to both the base font and the shadow font): Set the kerning to Metric, not optical. Increase tracking to accommodate for the shadows extra width. G25 ES ‘Classic Shadow’ – a clean shadow to be used with G20 FR ‘Classic’ (228 glyphs – 1 alternate) G85 ES ‘Standard Shadow’ – a rough shadow to be used with 80 RD ‘Standard’ (227 glyphs) OpenType features – alternate characters and discretionary ligatures – can be accessed by using OpenType friendly professional design applications, such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Photoshop.

Barnhart Bros. and Spindler called this Faust Text when they introduced it in 1898. A quarter of a century later, they brought back a number of obsolete faces and renamed them. This one became Missal Text in their 1923 catalog.

Venice Initials are my redesign of a 15th century venetian original by an unknown calligrapher. Unfortunately only parts of the letters existed, so I had to design about half of them myself. Of course I enjoyed doing that. Yours Gert Wiescher

Odeon is the kind of font you would have seen on theatre or concert posters around the turn of the twentieth century. It is based on Art Nouveau sign lettering and has a heavy, playful look that's hard to miss.

This is a radically modernized uncial with many OpenType features and 415 characters: Caps, lower case, small caps, numerators, denominators, accents characters and so on. There are 21 ligatures. It is an experimental look at medieval writing for the 21st century.

Sarcastic is a monoline display typeface. It draws influence from a visual language of mid-twentieth century consumerism: 1950s script typography and the rhythmic forms of interconnected neon lettering. Sarcastic is perfect for contemptuous quips, disparaging proclamations, and castigating commentary.

A condensed and stiff-looking typeface with an enormous x-height, Renslaer is meant for use as a display face. It has the feel of some of the 19th century display faces, which often had the same sort of unpolished look.

The Kingsclere font was desigend by Ted Staunton after finding inspiration in the town of Remedios, Cuba on a 17th century Spanish tombstone inscription. These historic letterforms lend themselves to many uses where vernacular lettering from a bygone era is desired.

Millerstown is full of that solid, 19th Century, transatlantic spirit of enterprise. It is an all capitals face, decorative but clear and legible, ideal for signage, posters and banners. Bring a touch of American inspired flair to your next design project!

The Circularis Alt family includes 8 styles and weights - eight uprights with eight italics. Circularis Alt is characterized by the nice and smooth unordinary circle geometric contruction inspired at last century, nice readability, low price and finaly many variation of useful.

Central Type Foundry of St. Louis issued this quirky little gem under the name of Quaint Roman around the turn of the twentieth century. This version is a little less gnarly than the original, but retains all of its eccentric charm.

Trona is a retro-modern condensed serif. Inspired by the typefaces used in print media headlines in the 20th century and with geometrical sharp terminals. Trona comes in 5 weights and with 375 glyphs (covering the major latin based languages)

Zahariel is a stylish script font based on samples of turn of the century calligraphy. It has a different, cleaner look in comparison with many of our other script fonts, and features alternate versions of many of the lower case characters.

Courant means "newspaper". Courant font was modeled on 17th century Dutch newspapers and most of the glyphs are authentic. The 'modern' glyphs, like @, $, €, * and several others have been designed by me, as they were not in use in the 1600's.

Prevya is a display family. Inspired by the metalwork of the early twentieth century. Have appropriate characteristics for ornamental titles. Is accompanied by a light version for featured texts and it has a shadow layer to combine in beautiful designs.

Low stroke contrast, generous spacing, and fine-grained weights from Light to Extra Bold make FF Hertz a workhorse text typeface which holds up well under today’s widely varying output conditions from print to screen. The quite dark Book style works well on e-ink displays which usually tend to thin out letters, as well as in print when you want to evoke the solid letter image of the hot-metal type era. Two sizes of Small Caps are included: A larger size for abbreviations and acronyms, and a smaller size matching the height of the lowercase letters. FF Hertz is a uniwidth design, that means each letter occupies the same space in all weights. This feature allows the user to switch between weights (but not between Roman and Italic styles) without text reflow. Jens Kutilek began work on FF Hertz in 2012. From a drawing exercise on a low-resolution grid (a technique proposed by Tim Ahrens to avoid fiddling with details too early), it soon evolved into a bigger project combining a multitude of influences which up until that point had only been floating around in his head, including his mother’s 1970s typewriter with its wonderful numbers, Hermann Zapf’s Melior as well as his forgotten Mergenthaler Antiqua (an interpretation of the Modern genre), and old German cartographic lettering styles. Jens likes to imagine FF Hertz used in scientific books or for an edition of Lovecraftian horror stories.

Introducing Bandaland – Stylized Serif Font When it comes to fonts, Bandaland – Stylized Serif Font stands out as a bold and unforgettable choice, designed to captivate and demand attention. Let’s explore what makes this font a standout option for those aiming to make a lasting impression. Bold and Unforgettable At the core of Bandaland is its bold, strong serifs, shaping a distinctive and highly memorable look. With this font, your message remains vivid and unforgettable, avoiding easy oversight. Versatile Across Design Projects Bandaland showcases remarkable versatility, effortlessly fitting into various design projects. Whether you’re working on branding, crafting eye-catching headlines, or designing impactful posters, Bandaland injects a dose of strength and character that sets your work apart from the rest. The Fusion of Strength and Captivation What sets Bandaland apart is its remarkable fusion of strength with captivation. Its powerful and memorable design ensures your message takes center stage, making it a perfect choice for designers seeking to create a bold statement. Regardless of your level of design experience, Bandaland – Stylized Serif Font equips you with the perfect tool to draw attention and make a lasting impact.

Hi, presenting a bold vintage font - Grand Label. It's an old-school typeface with decorative elements, included as a separate font file for more convenient manipulating and recoloring. Grand Label font supports most of Latin European languages (check out the screenshots with available characters).

LeftheriaPRO has its structure projected from the capitals of the Greek columns of Ionian order, it is a typography condensed with vertical emphasis composed by 5 weights (light, regular, medium, semibold, bold) including ligatures, alternates, smal caps, old styles figures, fractions, superiors, inferiors. | Download Specimen

Haglos Script was inspired by Modern Vintage & Retro style in combination with old American traditional style. It's bold and has amazing swashes. In my examples I show how this script can be used. It's very well suited for logotypes, product labels, food flyer, and others.

Aneba Neue is refreshed version of my old type family. It's a geometric sans serif typeface with a clean feel. The low contrast and high x height is perfect for headlines and display purposes. Aneba Neue contains 5 weights in two different styles - Bold & Slanted.

Dominated by a vigorous, african-inspired, jungle-like pattern, this contemporary, 21st century, sans serif font - African Jungle - contains an eclectic mix of elements from the 20th century. It combines gentle curves with base and caps-line transgressions but is substantially more rounded than in most commercial-style sans serif faces. Terminal strokes are slightly rounded and occasional elements are strongly rounded. The African-inspired pattern fill is suggestive of dense vegetation without being too literal. African Jungle is readable and can be successfully used for headers in presentations, magazines etc, and for display use in newspapers, advertising and promotions. Professionally kerned and spaced with 256 characters.

Named after a practical seabird, Fulmar is a modern Scotch intended for extended reading. More European than American, it draws on a range of influences from around the North Sea, from Fife’s Alexander Wilson to 17th-century French experiments in modulation and 18th-century Belgian flash, and combines them with contemporary structure and proportions. The result is crisp yet warm, steadfast yet lively, sharp yet robust, rational but humane. It can be appropriate for new translations, new histories and new understanding. With five weights, ten styles, small caps, a clamjamfry of OpenType features and unicorn manicules, Fulmar dispenses with sprawl while retaining range and dexterity.

The Cochin font is based on the work of eighteenth-century punchcutter, Cochin. Charles Peignot commissioned the revival of this strong typeface in 1912. The capitals are squarish. The lowercase has long ascenders and sharp serifs, giving Cochin an unusual elegance. The curved ascender in the italic lowercase d is a major characteristic and the p and q lack foot serifs. Cochins overall vivacity derives from the engravings on copper, produced in France in the eighteenth century. Cochin is a trademark of Linotype Corp. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions in the name of Linotype Corp. or its licensee Linotype GmbH.

Plywood is based on a long lost American film classic: Franklin Typefounders's Barker Flare from the early 1970s. Plywood is a surprisingly effective mix between the rigid confidence of nineteenth century wood types and the smooth feminine curves of twentieth century art nouveau ideas. With many variations on almost every letter in the alphabet, it's a versatile typeface that can make itself timelessly at home in multiple design environments, with motifs ranging from the strong and western to the crafty and artsy. Plywood's very expanded character set comes in all popular font formats, including a Pro version that takes advantage of OpenType's many character alternating features in supporting programs.

Karlgeorg Hoefer designed Beneta in 1991, inspired by the Littera beneventana, the script of the Benedictine scribes from the 10th to the 12th century. During this time, scribes began to use wider pens and set them at a 45 degree angle to the paper, which caused their scripts to have radical stroke contrasts. This script was mainly used for books and certificates but disappeared by the end of the 13th century. Beneta revives the characteristics of this historic script, changing a line of text into an almost ornamental space. Beneta should be used in middle to larger point sizes for shorter texts and headlines.

Nylon is an interpretation of pre-16th century letterforms, in particular those found in mediaeval portraits at the National Gallery, London. The source material contains many unusual and manic shapes—it appears as if these classical forms have, over time, become perverted, almost demonic. Draylon is the more restrained counterpart to Nylon; it is based on letterforms found on 18th century ceramics—some 200 years after the source material of Nylon. Nylon and Draylon have been designed so that they can be mixed together with ease. Both typefaces have been drawn with a kind of crude digital awkwardness—acknowledging the tool of the present moment, the computer, in the design process.

The Ancient North Arabian scripts Ancient North Arabian is the name given to a group of scripts belonging to the South Semitic script family, which also includes the Ancient South Arabian alphabets (musnad and zabūr) and the vocalized alphabets used in Ethiopia for Geʿez, Amharic, etc. The Ancient North Arabian scripts were used both in the oases (Dadanitic, Dumaitic, Taymanitic,) and by the nomads (Hismaic, Safaitic, Thamudic B, C, D, and possibly Southern Thamudic). There are tens of thousands of inscriptions and graffiti in these scripts which were used in the period roughly between the sixth century BC and the fourth century AD. See the descriptions of the individual scripts below

Acre is a geometric sans-serif type family of eight weights that's both inspired by and named after my great grandfather, Tex Acre. Tex was an artist and sign maker whose handcrafted signs illuminated the roadsides of the American Midwest and typified mid-century Americana. Acre is a tribute to him, his work, and many of my favorite early 20th century geometric typefaces. With eight weights ranging from Thin to Black, Acre is an extremely versatile family that can be used for display, text, or anything in between. Acre offers full European language support plus many OpenType features such as tabular and oldstyle figures.

In the year 1528 Pierre Attaignant led a revolution in music printing. His method of once-press moveable type, greatly simplifying the original 3 impression process developed by Petrucci, remained in use till near the end of the 17th century. The method could only realize one line of music per staff, and the introduction of barlines as a common means of aligning multiple staves brought this method to a close after nearly two centuries of use. This font is meant to allow the printing of music using that method with the notation of that era. It is largely based on an exemplar printed by Snodham of London.

Pacific Clipper has its roots in an old 1930s showcard lettering style. An extra bold version of this sign painter’s relic is shown in Carl Holmes' wonderful book on lettering. It may be described as what happens when Rudolf Koch's Kabel Heavy meets ATF's Novel Gothic. Also known as Sam’s Tune, Pacific Clipper’s noteworthy features include wedged crossbars in the capital A, E, F, and H. Overcurving is present in the capital B, D, P, and R while vertical strokes in the lowercase b, d, h, k, l, and t are chopped off obliquely. Figures in Pacific Clipper are also refreshingly different, particularly the number 4. This lettering favorite turned retro typeface has been extended to include a variety of weights. Pacific Clipper is now available in the OpenType format. Some new characters have been added to this OpenType version as Stylistic Alternates and Historical Forms. These advanced features work in current versions of Adobe Creative Suite InDesign, Creative Suite Illustrator, and Quark XPress. Check for OpenType advanced feature support in other applications as it gradually becomes available with upgrades.

Mellow Serif is a soft and friendly typeface. It looks compelling in large point sizes due to the rounded terminals and calligraphic details. Mellow Serif also works well in body text with a small leading size as it has even proportions and a large x-height. Mellow Serif includes ten styles—five upright and five italic, ranging from Light to Extra Bold. The typeface supports extended Latin, extended Cyrillic, and Greek. The character set also includes old style figures, small caps in the Light, Regular, and Medium upright styles as well as stylistic alternate sets that slightly change the way Mellow Serif looks in large point sizes. The Regular style also has alternative letterforms with swashes. Mellow Serif is great for book printing (from fiction and children’s books to science literature), headings, and large texts on the web as well as for toys and confectionary packaging. It also works perfectly with a rounded sans serif Mellow Sans. Mellow Serif was created by Natalya Vasilyeva, an expert in designing text and calligraphic typefaces, and released by Paratype in 2023.

Linotype Aroma No.2 appears straightforward in form, completely sans serif, yet with a trace of humanistic features that gives it that extra edge.

Perfect for teachers, this font has enough glyphs to cover 80+ languages and extra math symbols! It is neat and legible for early readers!

Fribble is a delightful, frolicking font that works equally well as text and titling. The open type extras provide additional ‘bounce’ for the font.

BobTag was written on paper taped to a wall for extra grungyness. Looks like it was actually written on an irregular surface. Caps only.

Decorative border, spacer and ornamental elements comprise the bulk of Print Enhancers JNL, with a few extra goodies included to round out the collection.