A directory of type foundry catalogs available online.
Type specimens are time capsules of typographic history. There is no substitute for seeing them in person, but you can now use a web browser to track the evolution of type design through the pages of over three hundred manufacturer catalogs from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries. For years, I accessed these books via an unwieldy pile of bookmarks, downloads, and repetitive searches. As far as I know, there is no central register of digitized type specimens. This database attempts to fill that gap.
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Sponsor
Specimens of Wood Type…
Specimens of Script
Pacific Coast Blue Book
Specimens of Printing Types (New York)
Specimens of Type… (Chicago)
Wood Type: Toronto Type Foundry
Desk Book: Specimens of Type…
Desk Book of Type and Printing Materials
Desk Book of Type Specimens…
Copper alloy type book…
Desk book of type specimens…
Specimen Book of American Line Type Faces
Specimens of Borders and Ornaments…
American Line Type Book
Supplement to the American Line Type Book…
Supplement No. 2 / American Line Type Book…
American Specimen Book of Type Styles
Supplementary Catalogue … Since … 1912
Specimen Book & Catalogue
Book of American Types: ATF Standard Faces
A supplement to the Book of American Types
ATF Foundry Type Descriptive Price List
Descriptive Index: ATF Foundry Type
Type Faces: Descriptive Index and Price List…
ATF Typographic Accessories, Specimen Catalog and Price List
ATF Typographic Accessories, Specimen Catalog and Price List
Handy Type Index and Price List
ATF Typographic Accessories, Specimen Catalog and Price List
Handy Type Index (1966)
Handy Type Index (1969)
Handy Type Index (1976)
The Specimen Book of Types Cast at the Austin Foundry
Specimens of Printing Types &c Cast by Austin Wood & Co.
A Catalogue of Type…
One Line Specimens and Revised Price List No. 8-A
One Line Specimens and Revised Price List No. 10-A
Type and Rule by Baltotype, Catalogue
Specimen Book and Price List of the Great Western Type Foundry
Pony Specimen Book and Price List
Pony Specimen Book and Price List
Souvenir
Specimen Book of Type
Barnharts Big Blue Book…
Gothics
Book of Type Specimens … (No. 9**)
Book of Type Specimens … (No. 9)
Preferred Type Faces (Book No. 10)
Type Faces… (Catalog 25)
Fonderie Typographique de Battenberg…
Hauptprobe in gedrängter Form…
Bauer Types in Use
Fonderie générale de caractères français et étrangers / Beaudoire et Cie
Épreuves de nouveaux caractères…
Spécimen de caractères
Spécimen des caractères de la maison Berthier & Cie
Specimen de caractères: petit carnet
Spécimens de travaux typographiques en noir et en couleurs. Fascicule n°1
Spécimen de caractères
Spécimen : fonderie en caractères
Spécimens : travaux typographiques en noir et en couleurs. Neuvième [9th] fascicule
Spécimen de caractères : petit carnet / fonderie S. Berthier & Durey
Spécimen de caractères / Fonderie S. Berthier & Durey
Spécimen de la fonderie Ad. Bertrand
Catalogue spécimen des lettres en bois
Specimen of Printing Types…
Oratio Dominica in CLV linguas versa…
Manuale Tipographico, Vol. 1
Manuale Tipographico, Vol. 2
Condensed specimen book…
Original Faces Cast…
Popular Designs for Artistic Printers, Central … & Boston TF
Zvi Bregman Wood Type / אותיות עץ
Proben der Schriften
A Specimen of Printing Types, and Ornaments…
Specimens of Printing Types…
An abridged specimen…
An Abridged Specimen… [1869] + 1st and 2nd Supplements [1870]
An abridged specimen…Reissue [1869 + 8 supplements to 1975]
Specimens of Printing Types
Specimens of Printing Types
Our Handy Book of Types…
Spécimen des Caractères…
A Specimen of Printing Types
A Specimen of Cast Ornaments
Specimen of Printing Types
Specimen of Printing Types
Specimen of Printing Types
Specimen of Printing Types…
Specimens of Printing Types…
Specimens of Wood Letter…
Specimens of types…
Specimens of Types…
Catalog
Type Specimens by Neon Type Division…
The Cincinnati Type Foundry Co’s Specimen and Price-List
Fifteenth Book of Specimens
Seventeenth Book of Specimens
Catalogue and Price List … H. H. Thorp Mfg. Co., Cleveland TF
Catalogue and Price List of Type and Material
Catalogue and Book of Specimens of Type Faces…
The Proof-Sheet
Typographic Messenger, Vol. 4–5
Supplementary Specimens … Jas. Conner’s Sons
Specimens of Type…
Specimen Book: Types and Borders, Ornaments…
Wood Type
Types of the De Vinne Press
Les Caractères d’affiches
Le livret typographique; spécimen de caractères
Spécimen des caractères en bois…
Typographie
Proben von Buchdruck-Lettern
Les Caracteres les Vignettes…
Recueil des divers caractères…
DeLittle’s Wood Type Specimens
Schriftproben der Reichsdruckerei
The General Specimen Book…
Specimen of plain and fancy printing types
Recueil des divers caractères…
Épreuves de Caractères
Epreuve de caractères
Proef van letteren
Vermeerdering van meest nieuw gesnedene letteren…, Vol. 1
Proeve van letteren
Proeve van letteren
Spécimen de caractères typographiques anciens…
Die Hochdeutschen Schriften…
Selections from the specimen book of the Fann St. Foundry
Supplement No. 3, Late Specimens of Printing Types
Specimen Book
The Later Specimens…
The Specimen Book of Types
Specimens of Printing Types
Selected Type Faces
Specimens
Abridged Specimen Book…
Typographic Specimens
Specimen of Printing Types
Specimen of Plain & Ornamental Types
Образцы шрифтов
Manuel Typographique, Vol. 2
Convenient Book of Specimens
Specimen of Printing Types
Album d’Alphabets…
Edición IV Manual
Muestario
Épreuves de caractères… (Aphe René & Cie)
Recueil des divers caractères
Presses, Tools and Printing Materials Catalogue
Grinnell’s Hand Book on Painting
Spécimen des Caractères D’Affiches… (Vol. 2)
Schriftgiesserei Wilhelm Gronau
Type Book / Book of Type Faces…
Muster-Sammlung
Gesamtprobe
Schriftgiesserei … / Neue Polytypen der…
Specimens of Holly Wood Type
Hamilton’s Wood Type [Catalog No. 12]
Hamilton’s Wood Type, Catalog No. 14
Caractères en bois
Hamilton’s Wood Type, Catalog No. 15
Hamilton’s Wood Type: New Gothic Faces in Wood Type
Gothics and Wood Border
Catalog 38
Add “Punch” to Your Printing… (Catalog No. 25)
Woodtype: Selective Emphasis for Fine Typography
Specimen Book
Specimen Book of Type…
A Book of Types…
New & Abridged Specimens of Wood-Letter…
Selected Specimens of Modern Printing Types
New Specimen Book…
Specimen Book of Hebrew, Yiddish, English, Arabic & Greek
Schriften Atlas by Ludwig Petzendorfer
Schriften Atlas by Ludwig Petzendorfer [2nd edition]
Schriften Atlas by Ludwig Petzendorfer [2nd edition, unbound]
Schriften Atlas by Ludwig Petzendorfer
Schriftenatlas Neue Folge by Ludwig Petzendorfer
Specimen Book and Catalog (Feb. 1897)
Specimen Book and Catalog (May 1902)
Specimen Book and Catalog (Jan. 1907)
Specimen Book and Catalog (Sep. 1907)
Book of Intertype Faces
Intertype Faces: One-line Specimens
Latest and standard faces in type…
Specimen des Nouveaux Caractères
Spécimen de la nouvelle fonderie…
Nickel-Alloy Type / Abridged Specimen Book
Catalogue and Specimen Book
Eine Anzahl wertvoller Schriften…
Gesamt-Probe
Schrift-Proben
Образцы… [Samples…]
Feuilles d'épreuves de caractères
Épreuves de caractères
Épreuves Générales des Caracteres…
Muestra de los Caracteres…
Словолитни О. И. Леман [Words of the O. I. Leman]
Épreuves des caractères de la fonderie de Frères Levrault
Specimens of Printing Types
Specimen of Printing Types Made by the Lindsay TF
Catalog of Type Faces and Supplies
Linotype Specimen Faces
Linotype Specimen Faces
Newspaper Heads
The Manual of Linotype Typography
Linotype Decorative Material
Specimen Book of Linotype Faces
Specimen of printing types and ornaments
Supplementary Specimen Pages (March 15, 1931)
Supplementary Specimen Pages (Apr 1932)
A Supplement (Nov 1933)
A Supplement (Feb 1934)
Recently Produced (Apr 1936)
Ludlow Typefaces [Edition D, copy 1140]
A Supplement to the Typeface Book
Neue Schriften und Ornamente / Lyrisch
T. J. Lyons’ Typograph
T. J. Lyons Antique Type Collection, Vol. 1
Wood Type Collection of T. J. Lyons
Eleventh Book of Specimens [2nd Issue]
Shniedewend & Lee Co’s Specimen Book
Compact Book of Specimens [20th]
Price list of printing type…
Specimen Book of Printing Types
Abridged specimen book of printing type
Printers’ Purchasing Guide…
Printers’ Purchasing Guide…
On Type Faces … Examples of the Use of Type for … Books … notes by Stanley Morison
Samples of type-lithograph fonts (Образцы шрифтов типо-литографии)
Specimen of printing types
Printing Type Specimens…
The Monotype Pony Specimen Book…
The Monotype Specimen Book of Type Faces
Specimens of Printing Types and Ornaments
Specimens of printing types plain & ornamental…
Wood 2
Line-O-Scribe Sign Machines, Catalog No. M-656
Condensed Specimen Book of Wood Type
40 Aniversario
Fonderia di Caratteri / Saggio di Caratteri
Saggio di Caratteri
Campionario caratteri e fregi tipografici (Pt. 3)
Campionario Nebiolo
Specimens of printing types…
Garnituren Grotesk-Schriften
Proben-Sammlung von Messing-Typen
[German] Specimens of Wood Type
Specimens of Chromatic Wood Type Borders, Etc.
Specimens of Wood Type
Specimens of Wood Type
Specimens of New Process Wood Type!
Page’s Wood Type (Book No. 10)
New Specimen Book (2nd Compact Ed.)
Third Revised Specimen Book…
Fifth Revised Specimen Book…
Spécimen des nouveaux caractères…
Index sive specimen characterum…
[Specimen Characterum…]
Specimen da Fundição Typographica Portuense
Specimens
Campionario Caratteri
Messinglinien-Fabrik
Épreuves de caractèrs ...
Épreuves des Caractères…
Specimen of printing types and ornaments
Epreuve de caracteres
Epreuve des caractères
Mustersammlung
Erste Folge der Muster-Sammlung
Proben (Vol. 1)
Spécimen
Spécimen / Caractères de Labeur et de Fantaisie…
Hauptprobe (Vol. 1)
Schriften / Gedrängte Probe
Plakatschriften
Schriftprobe
untitled / Roman Scherer, Lucerne (Suisse)
S. A. Fabrique de caractères en bois (No. 24)
Wood Letter Specimens
Sign up with The Showcard Machine
Specimens of printing types…
A Specimen of Printing Types
Printing Types
Specimens of Point Line Type
Specimens of Wood Letter…
Specimens of Point Type / Specimen Book of Type…
Specimens of Type Faces…
Proben aus der Schriftgießerei
Schrift- und Polytypen-Proben
[untitled]
Neuheiten
Fonderie en caractères…
The Latest Type Fashions
Specimens of Printing Borders and Ornaments, &c., &c., &c.
Tubbs Wood Type
Petit Specimen des Caractères
Semainier typographique 1889
Caractères Elzéviriens… / Spécimen des caractères anciens…
Specimens of the Job Division Type, Gov’t Printing Office
Notes:
Years are often estimates. Type catalogs seldom included dates, and some bound together specimen pages printed over various years.
A few of the catalogs are published by printers or type distributors, not foundries. A future update will label these notable exceptions.
This database lists major catalogs showing a broad range of a foundry’s offerings. For specimens of individual typefaces, see Fonts In Use.
Header image: Letterform Archive
Additions and corrections are welcome through email or Twitter.
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