This collection of decorative initials culled from specimen books of the late 1800s will add nostalgic charm to any project.

I became interested in designing Bodoni Classic because of a lazy graphic designer at Jacques Damase publishing house. He had to change a single letter on a bookcover about J. B. BODONI. The French call him Jean Baptiste instead of Giambattista! And that unknown graphic designer just took any old “J” from some newly cut Bodoni. All the new Bodoni cuts have square serifs, whereas the originals had rounded serifs and slightly concave feet. The single letter “J” with the squared off serif was for me like a road sign to start redesigning the entire Bodoni family. That’s exactly what I started in 1993 and a dozen years later I am finished. Okay, I am still adding new Bodoni Classics, but those are my personal additions. Yours very retro, Gert Wiescher

Evening Initials JNL are based on a few random examples of some unusual Art Deco initials found within the pages of an old Dover clip art book. A complete set of letters was redrawn from scratch and are offered for your creative endeavors as a digital type font.

Naroid Initials JNL is one of the most ultra-compressed sets of initials available in digital type. These twenty-six initials are so narrow that a test print with all of the letters at 2-1/2 inches in height took up no more than about 5 inches in width!

PM Eckmann Initials is our chromatic (layered) version of Otto Eckmann's Eckmannschrift Initial Cap typeface designed to work with his typeface Eckmannschrift. Our version can be used for general Art Nouveau initial caps or combined with our PM Eckmannschrift typeface.

Sensual Initials JNL is a revamped and cleaned-up version of an old freeware font by Jeff Levine. Redrawn, and now utilizing the typeface French Art Initials JNL

Contains characters A-z, 0-9, and ampersand in two variations totaling 74 characters.

The inspiration source for Monarchy Initials is the 1934 Book of American Types by American Type Founders. In that specimen book, they had created a sophisticated two color initial design they called "Stationers Initials" which was only available in metal type at 24, 36, and 48 points. This wonderfully detailed initial style is now digitally recreated and revived for modern use. Monarchy Initials is only capable of initial or single letter monograms due to its unique design. The two color aspect of the original design has been preserved and made accessible within all programs. The Capital character slots contain the background color glyphs, and the lowercase slots hold the outline art for the letters. You can choose a color, type a capital letter, then switch to black and type a lowercase letter for the two color effect, or just tpe a lowercase letter on its own. It's that easy! Download and view the Monarchy Initials Guidebook if you would like to learn a little more.

Pocket Initials JNL contains twenty-six initials inside of a white-into-black pattern for monograms, page headers, stationery and other creative projects.

Luxurious high-quality ornamental initials superimposed on elaborate Art Deco drawings of plants and flowers, inspired by 18th and 19th Century French designs, with a modern approach. Includes one set of A-Z ornamental initials conveniently assigned to both the upper and lower case alphabet characters. Beautifully ornate and perfect for the beginning of paragraphs in publications and texts conveying the feel of the 1920s and the Art Deco movement, garden-themed texts, or fairy tales.

Here's a companion font for the fun and playful typeface Doowop JNL from Jeff Levine. Doowop Initials JNL features an initial over the silhouette of a 1950s-style singing group. For an extra bonus, there's a handful of 50s-style icons on the number keys in both the upper and lower shift positions.

This family was created inspired from the two sets of rough initials fonts used by the famous William Caxton in Westminster (GB) in the late 1400’s. As it was normal for the time, there were not any differences between I and J, U and V. It is not a mistake. We have reconstructed the few other missing characters. This font was conceived as a supplement for our 1479 Caxton but may be used with all our Blackletters fonts.

A comprehensive set of initials (usually referred to as Uncials, Lombardic Initials, or Lombards) of the Germanic variety, designed after Henric Pieterszoon’s “Gothise Monnikke Letteren” as appearing in Enschedé, J. (1768), Proef van Letteren, Haarlem (p. 120); also mentioned as “Great Primer Uncials” and "2-line Brevier Uncials" in Vervliet, H.D.L. (1968), Sixteenth-Century Printing Types of the Low Countries, Amsterdam: Hertzberger (pp. 54-55, and 212-213). The font contains over one hundred glyphs, including as a bonus six layered plus two plain ornamental initials adapted from the Gutenberg Bible (Mainz, ca. 1455) and the Mainz Psalter (Mainz, 1457). Suitable to accompany most Gothic (especially Textura and Rotunda) typefaces, or to be displayed as drop caps or in full titles and headings. Specimen, detailed character map, OpenType features, and font samples available at Alter Littera’s The Initials “Gothic C” Font Page. Note: Several uncial initials in The Oldtype “Psalterium” Font have been derived from corresponding characters in The Initials “Gothic C” Font, adjusting them to cope with the special (large) x-height and letter spacing of the Psalterium font (so the two sets of initials are not directly interchangeable).

Little is known of the origin of these decorative Initial Caps. Series 448 at 24 point were a different design from the 36 point on which this digital version is based. In addition to the basic 26 characters, there is a negative version contained in the lower case position and a fill character (for two color caps) option in the number and punctuation key positions.

Gothic Initials Six was inspired by the beautifully-written gothic scripts of medieval scribes. The font contains the upper case letters A through Z under both the character set and shift+character set. This font is intended for use as initials, monograms, drop caps or wherever fancy letters are desirable.

A comprehensive set of initials (usually referred to as Uncials, Lombardic Initials, or Lombards) of the French variety, adapted from Bergling, J.M. (1918), Art Alphabets and Lettering (Second Edition), Chicago: Blakely-Oswald Printing Company. The font contains over one hundred glyphs, including character outlines for two-color layering. Suitable to accompany most Gothic (especially Textura and Rotunda) and many Roman typefaces, or to be displayed as drop caps or in full titles and headings. Specimen, detailed character map, OpenType features, and font samples available at Alter Littera’s The Initials “Bergling A” Font Page.

The inspiration source for Memoriam Initials is the 1934 Book of American Types by American Type Founders. In that specimen book, they had created a sophisticated two color initial design they called “University Initials” which was only available in metal type at 24, 36, and 48 points. This wonderfully detailed initial style is now digitally recreated and revived for modern use. Memoriam Initials is only capable of initial or single letter monograms due to its unique design. The two color aspect of the original design has been preserved and made accessible within all programs. The Capital character slots contain the background color glyphs, and the lowercase slots hold the outline art for the letters. You can choose a color, type a capital letter, then switch to black and type a lowercase letter for the two color effect, or just type a lowercase letter on its own. It’s that easy! Download and view the Memoriam Initials Guidebook if you would like to learn a little more.

Gothic Initials Two was inspired by the beautifully-written gothic scripts of medieval scribes. The font contains the upper case letters A through Z under both the character set and shift+character set. This font is intended for use as initials, monograms, drop caps or wherever fancy letters are desirable.

High-quality ornamental initials superimposed on nursery rhyme backgrounds such as Humpty Dumpty, Ride a Cock Horse, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Tom Tom the Piper's Son, Rub-A-Dub-Dub, the Queen of Hearts, Old King Cole, and many others. Includes one set of A-Z ornamental initials conveniently assigned to both the upper and lower case alphabet characters. Ornate and accurate renderings that can be used for the beginning of paragraphs in any children's publication or texts relating to nursery rhymes and fairy tales.

Gothic Initials Five was inspired by the beautifully-written gothic scripts of medieval scribes. The font contains the upper case letters A through Z under both the character set and shift+character set. This font is intended for use as initials, monograms, drop caps or wherever fancy letters are desirable.

Maria-Ballé-Initials are derived from the Ballé series I made by the Bauer foundry. When set at 60 pt this font will match the size of the original 48-pt Didot design.

Woodhaven Initials JNL were designed using an outline cast shadow wood type set against a rectangle with horizontal "engraving" lines to add background texture to the initials. An ampersand is on the corresponding keystroke, and a blank rectangle is on the period key.

LTC Goudy Initials has been a best-seller since it was reformatted to font format by P22 in 2005. We decided that while it works very well at medium sizes, when it was used extra large, the outlines were not as true to Frederic Goudy’s 1917 drawings as they could be. We decided to redraw from the ground up—and here we have the NEW LTC Goudy Initials! Meticulously redrawn by Miranda Roth, these ornaments referenced original proofs of large sizes of Cloister Initials. In our quest for artwork for this project, we even arranged a quickly sold out recasting of the 120 point size and have produced a limited edition letterpress print from this casting This new digital version features two additional layers to allow for quick colorizing of the central letter and/or the floriated background. Registered users of the previous version of LTC Goudy Initials may upgrade to the set at a discount.

Gothic Initials Nine was inspired by the beautifully-written gothic scripts of medieval scribes. The font contains the upper case letters A through Z under both the character set and shift+character set. This font is intended for use as initials, monograms, drop caps or wherever fancy letters are desirable.

Gothic Initials Eight was inspired by the beautifully-written gothic scripts of medieval scribes. The font contains the upper case letters A through Z under both the character set and shift+character set. This font is intended for use as initials, monograms, drop caps or wherever fancy letters are desirable.

Decorative monograms are easy with Longbranch Initials JNL from Jeff Levine.

ITC Dinitials is the work of German designer Helga Joergensen. When I started drawing the first of them, I was very much inspired by dinosaurs, but during the work my fantasy guided me more and more and then became rather fabulous creatures." ITC Dinitials is a capital letter alphabet available in both black on white and white on black weights."

Here’s a typeface that’s both primitive and playful. It could aptly be described as having a modest bounce, unusual web feet, and a slightly grotesque croak. Joking aside, this amphibious creature-font is ideally suited for funny headlines as well as other goofy stuff. Great for party announcements, cartoon lettering, or just about anything involving kids. Or even fun-crazed adults! Little Brown Frog is also available in the OpenType Std format. Some new alternate characters have been added to this OpenType version. Advanced features currently work in Adobe Creative Suite InDesign, Creative Suite Illustrator, and Quark XPress 7. Check for OpenType advanced feature support in other applications as it gradually becomes available with upgrades.

Here is a decorative condensed antique design that is sure to fit a variety of contemporary situations. The Bruce Type Foundry (later acquired by V. B. Munson) developed this wonderfully shaded Tuscan in the 1880s - or possibly earlier. It was known back then as Style No. 1050 and carried a pronounced three-dimensional look with a thin hairline at the bottom and right of each stroke. It is best to use Frisco Antique in large display sizes because it is easy to lose these delicate hairlines. A lowercase and several alternate characters have been provided for your convenience. Frisco Antique Display is also available in the OpenType Std format. Some new characters have been added to this OpenType version. Advanced features currently work in 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.

Wouldn't it be nice to have an assortment of little hand-lettered words? Words like “The” or “A”; “With” or “At”; “To” or “From”? Headline Helpers Three are word accents that can go just about anywhere. Set off the title of your next design project with one of these little gems. Or use a Helper with your new product introduction headline. Convenient instructions and character map come as standard equipment with this highly desirable addition to your type library. Headline Helpers Three is available in the OpenType Std format. Advanced features currently work in Adobe Creative Suite InDesign, Creative Suite Illustrator, and Quark XPress 7. A Windows TrueType version of this font has also been provided if you prefer normal keyboard access.

Wouldn't it be nice to have an assortment of little hand-lettered words? Words like “The” or “A”; “With” or “At”; “To” or “From”? Headline Helpers Four includes word accents that can go just about anywhere. Set off the title of your next design project with one of these little gems. Or use a Helper with your new product introduction headline. Convenient instructions and character map come as standard equipment with this highly desirable addition to your type library. Headline Helpers Four is available in the OpenType Std format. Advanced features currently work in Adobe Creative Suite InDesign, Creative Suite Illustrator, and Quark XPress 7. A Windows TrueType version of this font has also been provided if you prefer normal keyboard access.

This Art Nouveau typeface was created around the turn of the 20th century by the Bauer Type Foundry in Germany. A unique foot and head serif treatment is the key design feature in this antique revival. Many vertical stems terminate in what has been called “the swooping, pointy-foot look.” A marvel to look at and a joy to set, Gable Antique Condensed will be a lasting asset to your growing typeface collection. Gable Antique Condensed is also available in the OpenType Std format. Some new characters have been added to this OpenType version. Advanced features currently work in Adobe Creative Suite InDesign, Creative Suite Illustrator, and Quark XPress 7. Check for OpenType advanced feature support in other applications as it gradually becomes available with upgrades.

Willard T. Sniffin deserves the credit for this charming little stationery and greeting card typeface developed for American Type Founders in 1930. Capital letters show an occasional hint of ornamentation and lowercase letters are of the linking variety. The original set of exquisite alternate characters (A,B,G,T,V, W, o, s) has been included in this digital version. Adonis Old Style is ideal where a 1920s or 30s script-like lettering look is required. Adonis Old Style with Alternates is also available in the OpenType Std format. Some new characters have been added to this OpenType version. Advanced features currently work in Adobe Creative Suite InDesign, Creative Suite Illustrator, and Quark XPress 7. Check for OpenType advanced feature support in other applications as it gradually becomes available with upgrades.

If you take the South Shore Line from Chicago to South Bend, your train will pass though the small community of Beverly Shores, Indiana. The beautifully restored and highly colorful “Beverly Shores” train station sign not far from the Lake Michigan beach is the source of inspiration for this connecting script typeface. The sign’s existing ten letters have now been extended to include the entire alphabet. This old-fashioned depot letterstyle is much in the spirit of such faces as Fulton Sign and Inserat Cursive. Ascenders and descenders have been lengthened and capitals are now much larger. Alternate lowercase swashes, capitals, and small figures have been included for your convenience. And custom uphill words such as “The,” “for,” and “to” have been added for more novelty and spark in headline settings. Beverly Shores Script with Alternates is also available in the OpenType Std format. Some new characters including old style figures have been added to this OpenType version. Advanced features currently work in Adobe Creative Suite InDesign, Creative Suite Illustrator, and Quark XPress 7. Check for OpenType advanced feature support in other applications as it gradually becomes available with upgrades. All aboard for Beverly Shores!

Wouldn't it be nice to have an assortment of little hand-lettered words? Words like “The” or “A”; “With” or “At”; “To” or “From”? Headline Helpers Two are word accents that can go just about anywhere. Set off the title of your next design project with one of these little gems. Or use a Helper with your new product introduction headline. Convenient instructions and character map come as standard equipment with this highly desirable addition to your type library. Headline Helpers Two is available in the OpenType Std format. Advanced features currently work in Adobe Creative Suite InDesign, Creative Suite Illustrator, and Quark XPress 7. A Windows TrueType version of this font has also been provided if you prefer normal keyboard access.

Like a bright star shimmering on a still and quiet summer night, Arched Gothic Condensed is a glowing example of Victorian type. Thin in the middle with clumpy wedges on top and bottom, it truly bears the spirit of a bygone era. Originally known as Concave Extra Condensed, this typeface has shed its waist-high spur notches and gained new figures and lowercase letters. Developed around 1885 by the James Conners & Son Foundry (New York), Arched Gothic Condensed is a marvel of sparkle and glitter in nineteenth century typeface design. Arched Gothic Condensed is also available in the OpenType Std format. Some new characters have been added to this OpenType version. Advanced features currently work in Adobe Creative Suite InDesign, Creative Suite Illustrator, and Quark XPress 7. Check for OpenType advanced feature support in other applications as it gradually becomes available with upgrades.

Wouldn't it be nice to have an assortment of little hand-lettered words? Words like “The” or “A”; “With” or “At”; “To” or “From”? Headline Helpers are word accents that can go just about anywhere. Set off the title of your next design project with one of these little gems. Or use a Helper with your new product introduction headline. Convenient instructions and character map come as standard equipment with this highly desirable addition to your type library. Headline Helpers One is available in the OpenType Std format. Advanced features currently work in Adobe Creative Suite InDesign, Creative Suite Illustrator, and Quark XPress 7. A Windows TrueType version of this font has also been provided if you prefer normal keyboard access.

Now is a great time to dust off your old motor scooter and take a ride along the Italian Riviera. Let’s head to the flower city of San Remo, Italy - the namesake for this versatile, 1950s style script. Try San Remo on your next brochure or flyer project. You may want to consider using it to create a special logo or icon for your personal stationery. It’s perfect for any job that requires linked or connected letters. And for your convenience, this dashing design sports a variety of alternate characters plus lining and old style figures. San Remo Casual is also available as an OpenType font. It contains lining and oldstyle figures, prebuilt fractions, stylistic alternates, and a wide assortment of f-ligatures, plus more. These advanced features currently work in Adobe Creative Suite InDesign and Illustrator. Check for OpenType advanced feature support in other applications as it gradually becomes available with upgrades. Ciao!