Type Specimens
We offer typecasting services to fellow letterpress printers, bookbinders, artists of all sorts, and to the trade. Hot metal type casting machines were developed in the later part of the 19th and early 20th Centuries to automate the individual typecasting and hand typesetting that had been the standard in commercial printing since Gutenberg cast handset metal type in 1455, and for two centuries in Korea before that. Linecasting machines use type matrices which are set (automatically from a keyboard on a Linotype, by hand on a Ludlow) and then cast instantly from a crucible of molten lead, tin, and antinomy onto a single line or “slug” of type. Unlike handset type, this will be brand new, never used before type, which can then be printed as new, and then melted and reused in future projects.
We can cast Ludlow type from 6 to 96pt, on a 6 or 12pt body at 22 1/2 picas. Linotype slugs are cast from 6 to 18pt, are much faster than Ludlow typecasting, and for these reasons was used primarily for “body type”, the larger mass of type in book pages, newspaper columns, etc. Linotype slugs are cast at 30 picas, ludlow slugs at 22 1/2 picas, but multiple lines can be cast together up to 90 picas long.
A current list of our typefaces available for casting can be found below, along with specimen sheets of select Linotype, Ludlow, and Wood type samples. Individual slugs can be ordered in our store, but please fill out the form below for a more detailed quote for a specific project.
Bodoni Bold Italic 24, 36, 48
Bodoni Campanile 24, 30, 36, 48, 72pt
Cameo 18, 24pt
Century Bold 36pt
Commerce Gothic #2, #3, #4 6pt
Coronet Light 12, 14, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60, 72pt
Delphian Open Title 24pt
Eden 12, 14, 18, 24pt
Engravers Roman 18, 24pt
Franklin Gothic Extra Condensed 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, 84
Franklin Gothic Medium Condensed 48
Garamond Medium 8, 12pt
Garamon Medium Italic 8, 12pt
Garamoind Bold Italic 12pt
Gothic Medium Condensed 8, 18, 24, 72, 96pt
Hauser 18, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72
Karnack Intermediate 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48
Karnack Medium 14, 18, 24pt
Karnack Black Condensed 14, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48
Lining Plate Gothic 6, 12pt
Mandate 24, 48pt
No. 11 Bold (Goudy) 6, 8, 10, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72pt
No. 11 Light (Goudy) 6, 8, 10, 12, 14pt
No. 11 Light Italic 10, 12pt
Powell Roman 24, 30, 36pt
Radiant Medium 8, 10pt
Radiant Bold 18pt
Radiant Bold Extra Condensed 14, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48
Record Gothic Medium Condensed 6, 10, 12, 14, 18, 24, 72
Record Gothic Medium Condensed Italic 12pt
Record Gothic Bold Italic 12pt
Samason Bold 72pt
Stellar Bold 30, 36, 48pt
Tempo Light 6, 8, 24, 60pt
Tempo Light Italic 48pt
Tempo Medium 8, 10, 12, 14, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, 72pt
Tempo Medium Italic 12, 48pt
Tempo Bold 8, 10, 14, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60, 72pt
Tempo Bold Condensed 18, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72pt
Tempo Bold Italic 12pt
Tempo Heavy10, 12, 14, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60pt
Tempo Heavy Italic 10, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48pt
Tempo Heavy Inline 18, 24, 30, 36pt
Tempo Black 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 60pt
Times Roman 18, 24, 30, 36pt
Umbra 24, 36, 48, 72
Underwood Bold 12pt
