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Typo: A Monthly Newspaper and Literary Review, Volume 1

Recent Specimens

page 45

Recent Specimens.

Every mail brings evidence of the activity of the type-founders, both English and foreign, in designing and producing novel and beautiful varieties of type. Especially do we note the energy of the American houses in this respect. The most important novelty is Messrs Benton, Waldo, & Co.'s « self-spacing » type, fully described in another page. Arrangements are in progress by which instead of bare descriptions of the new faces, we will be able to present our readers from time to time with the founders' own specimens in the form of supplements; and we are sure that the enterprising printers of this colony will lose no time in adding the best modern designs to stock.

The New York Art Age contains some exceedingly beautiful photogravure reproductions of etchings, chalk drawings, &c., published as supplements. « Process » work as a rule is coarse and scratchy; but these specimens leave nothing to be desired. Paper and Press contains some choice wood-engravings, photo-engravings, and chromo-printing. The Inland Printer has also a number of fine photo-reproductions, showing the wide interest the American printers and publishers are taking in this branch of the graphic art. The American Lithographer and Printer publishes occasional supplements showing fine specimens of lithographic work. Two of these, each in twelve colors, have reached us by the present mail. We have at least one art-lithographic establishment in New Zealand. Typo will be happy to show in supplemental form, the kind of work that can be produced in the colony.

The Cleveland Foundry is to the front. The pretty and favorite « Elberon » now appears with a lower-case; the same design with the addition of a tint-shade is shown under the name of « Auroral; » and a lighter face, with tint-shade, retaining the same character, entitled « Astral. » The « Armoric » is a pretty expanded style with lower-case; « Argent, » a graceful copper-plate style of letter, tint-faced, shaded, with lower-case; « Tablet, » one of the angular « geometric » styles fashionable in the States at present—we do not like the broken appearance of the characters generally; the figures in particular in all founts of this class are mere caricatures, and scarcely recognizable. Let any one try to draw a 6 or 8 with straight lines and right-angles, and the effect will be anything but pleasing. A « Latin condensed » is a very close copy of Stephenson & Blake's letter of the same name, with the addition of end-ornaments which are so large and obtrusive as to mar the line. « Hardware » is a modification of S. B. & Co.'s « Wide Latin » which has had so great a run—we do not like it as well as the model. The « Magic » Border (18-point) consists of three pieces only, two running sorts and a corner, all on em body; but twenty different borders are shown built up from them, and other effects could be devised. This is an economical kind of combination, A larger size (18-point) of the favorite « Daisy » border is shown; and lastly an oddity—the « Ragged-edge » border, containing eleven sorts, and representing a torn and frayed sheet with ink blots upon it. What next?

The Manhattan Type Foundry show two fancy styles with lower-case—the « Manhattan, » heavy, and the « Mayflower, » light; the « Ridgeway, » a flourished roman; and some new sanserifs and ionics.

Marder, Luse, & Co., Chicago, show a good wide letter with lower-case, sufficiently described by its name, « Concave Extended. » The word-ornaments are altogether too conspicuous. They are the full height of the letters, and quite equal in prominence. These auxiliary ornaments are grievously overdone in many late styles. « Roumanian » is a good extended lined concave, without lower-case; « Spartan, » a bold roman, moderately ornamented and rimmed—a telling style; « Criterion, » a hair-line variety of the « Modoc; » and « Parthenian, » an expanded old-style.

Barnhardt Bros. & Spindler show the « Princess » Script—a beautiful angular hand, in two sizes, and « Dotted, » an ornamental latin, some of the letters being set off with dots. It is a good style; but the N is very inelegantly shaped.

The Boston Type Foundry shows the « Kismet, » an eccentric style, but graceful and legible; « Monroe, » a hair-line condensed latin; and « Banner, » a back-slope hair-line, the caps being decorated with a curious heavy flourish at the head.

Farmer, Little, & Co. show « York, » a light flourished roman, and « Inset, » an initial style, with a piece cut away from the right-hand side for the insertion of smaller letters. It differs from former letters of this kind in being built up in sections. Thus the first half of the C, G, O, &c., are printed from the same character. « Heading Script » is a useful style, with large and bold lower-case.

The Illinois Typefounding Company introduce a variation on the « star » combinations referred to in our last issue. This is the « Maltic, » a series of founts built up of nonpareil maltese crosses. They are shown in ordinary width, condensed, and extended, and range from 24-to 72-point. We show these styles in the margin. We may add that they were originally devised by compositors in evasion of a newspaper rule excluding from advertisements any character larger than nonpareil. As they came quickly into common use, and the process of composing them was tedious and unsatisfactory, the typefounders met the demand by supplying regular founts. —The same foundry shows, under the name of « Dainty, » an eccentric hair-line with lower-case, the tops of the letters thickened.

The Baltimore Type Foundry has brought out a new style under the name of « Easter. » It has a slight resemblance to the « Chaucer, » with something of the cursive character, and is pretty and effective. The « Rhombic »is another of the broken-backed « geometries. » The lozenge-shaped O, and other letters in which angles take the place of curves, are not pleasing.

Messrs Baber & Rawlings have sent us specimens of a new series brought out by the Fann-street Foundry, London. It is called « Egyptian ornamented, » and is a light concave with lower-case and small caps. It is an elegant and effective job letter.

In response to a suggestion from the editor of this paper, Messrs Schelter & Giesecke of Leipzig, writing under date 9th April, say:— « The Architectural Combination, series lxii, we shall from this date cast also on rectangular body. » The following are some of the pieces referred to:

This will be a great convenience to printers using the combination in cases where curvilinear work is not required.

Brother Jonathan welcomes Typo thus—It is a well made-up eight-page quarter-demy, and contents of the paper prove that its editor is an able and a practical man. We heartily welcome the enterprise; and we feel fully assured that Typo has come to stay.—Americn Lithographer and Printer. Right well has the editor done his work. Replete with sensible and well-written articles, which bear the mark of a cultivated and conscientious disciple of the art, Typo is a handsome quarto, and the only paper published in New Zealand exclusively in the interest of the printing and kindred trade. It is published monthly in the city of Napier, and is well worth the price of subscription.—Pacific Printer. The initial number is a worthy one in many respects. It is very attractive, well-edited, and last, though not least, modest in tone. Some of our American trade journals might pattern after it in this respect, to their credit.—Printers' Album.

The « protection » screw in America has had another turn. Certain States having imposed taxes on goods and samples from neighboring States, retaliation followed, trade began to stagnate, and great consternation ensued. The Supreme Court has just declared these taxes to be unconstitutional. « In the matter of inter-state commerce, the United States are, in the opinion of this Court, but one country, and are and must be subject to one system of regulations. »