Designer
Baltimore Type and Composition Corporation
Year
1929
Client
Manufacturers of print, such as newspapers who use printing presses
The Baltimore Type and Composition Company, often referred to as “Baltotype,” was a prominent American printing and type foundry company based in Baltimore, Maryland, founded by the Czarnowsky family. “A Catalogue of Type” was a type specimen book published by Baltotype in 1929 for the purposes of advertising fonts, displaying typography capabilities, comparing typefaces, and providing technical information. The high-quality typefaces displayed in the book included both serif and sans serifs, such as Garamond and Copperplate Gothic.
The catalog is divided into four sections. The first section is devoted to topics such as case-filling, and re-sorting, composition on the Galley, general information, Handy Box line, and weight font. The second section displays all typefaces and accented characters. The third section displays the complete Handy Box line, and the fourth section displays piece borders, ornaments, initials, holiday decoration, strip rule and border, leads and slugs, spacing material, and metal furniture. In this catalog, Baltotype claimed to originate the concept and packaging of the handy box fonts under the name Trade Monotypers, asserting their role in this innovative approach. This approach allowed designers to conveniently access organized fonts while creating a more efficient and user-friendly tool for typography needs.
Sources Cited
MacMillan, David M. Circuitous Root, www.circuitousroot.com/artifice/letters/press/noncomptype/foundry-products/index.html. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.
