Category: Typecasting

  • Engraving machine

    Deckel_Panto.jpg

    Posted some photos of the old Deckel pantographic engraver that I recently brought into my shop. It needs some work, but will eventually, hopefully, be used to cut matrices or punches for the creation of new designs in metal printing type.

  • ATF Wordsearch

    Here is the solution to the typefaces wordsearch puzzle I composed for the yet-to-be-published 2004 ATF Conference keepsake. I think it is a fairly tough puzzle: a 15 × 15 grid containing 31 words. You can generate your own wordsearches, and many other types of puzzles with Discovery School’s Puzzle maker. It used to be free.

    ATF Conference 2004 – Typefaces Wordsearch

    I hope you’ve enjoyed my typefaces wordsearch from the 2004 keepsake. How many faces did you find? Ten? Twenty? Don’t give up yet! There are a total of thirty-one arranged forward, backward, upward, downward and diagonally. Below you’ll find the puzzle—minus the unused letters—and the list of words hidden therein. If you simply can’t wait any longer, the solution is posted here.

    A special nod to Discovery School’s very nifty Puzzlemaker for help arranging so many words in such a tight grid.

    L T R A J A N U S O R E M O H
    Q R I E U S E B I U S B G
    U A K A A T S K I L L A
    A H F E J E I D O S P A H R
    D C Y N P A L C S D A A
    R T T E D N I A C S O D M
    A U I D I S O V O S O R O
    T D N P L O I T I L F I N
    A D A E P N C N O E O A D
    L V E R E H F U N M U N T
    R O N D O R C P V I N R O A
    N I H C O C S A L O C I N V
    B U L M E R I Z N S I I
    G N A L K N I H T O R T E M R
    D N E G E L A U T E P R E P

    Blado
    Bulmer
    Caslon
    Deepdene
    Eusebius
    Fournier
    Garamond
    Hadriano
    Homero
    Ionic
    Janson
    Kaatskill
    Klang
    Legend
    Louvaine
    Metrothin
    Nicolas Cochin
    Old Dutch
    Orplid
    Perpetua
    Privat
    Quadrata
    Rhapsodie
    Rondo
    Scotch Roman
    Solemnis
    Tippecanoe
    Trajanus
    Union Pearl
    Vanity Fair
    Zapf Civilite

  • The Typefoundry at the Private Press of Ian Schaefer

    Monotype Foundry

    I’ve been studying—albeit sporadically over the past several years—the design and manufacture of once-commonplace metal printing types. I hope that this section will someday reflect great progress in my efforts to establish a small, working typefoundry in my letterpress shop. Recently, a new ‘Monotype’ Compostition Caster was acquired for the foundry. There are some pictures of the successful move.

    The Engraving Machine

    Yet another project—an old pantographic engraving machine in need of a little attention. More here.

    A ‘Monotype’ Disaster

    On Tuesday, May 11, 2004, I received a long awaited shipment from Georgia. The freight was three pallets of machinery which I hoped would be my first ‘Monotype’ system, the centerpiece of which was a very fine and relatively new, British-made, 16 × 17 ‘Monotype’ Caster. Then, the story takes a horrible turn…Take a look at the pictures.

    Typefoundry Inventory

    Since the arrival of my second ‘Monotype’ machine, I’ve started to record an inventory of what’s in the foundry .

  • ATF to the Rescue!

    In the two weeks since the Monotype Disaster, I have received a great deal of support, both moral and practical, from various members of the American Typecasting Fellowship. Many of these folks also happen to have been my instructors at Monotype University Five. I must thank Mike Anderson, Paul Duensing, Rich Hopkins and Jim Walczak for their continued efforts on behalf of my would-be typefoundry. This is quite a community.

  • Pictures of Disaster

    I’ve uploaded the grizzly photos of the Monotype Disaster. I welcome your comments, expertise, and any leads to parts or other complete machines.

  • A Favorite Word

    relish.jpg

    I have always liked the word relish. Maybe I enjoy any word that functions as both a noun and a verb, and where the noun is a concrete thing�skirt is another example. Anyway, I had some fun setting this word in 24-point Fournier Ornamented, and embellishing with a dazzling arrangement of 18-point Arrighi Ornaments. The florid, baroque appearance seems to fit the word: couldn’t it be the label on an old tin of minced sweet pickles?
    Fournier type was cast by students, including myself, at Monotype University Five. The Arrighi Ornaments are the finely cast product of the Dale Guild.