TYPE DESIGN INFORMATION PAGE last updated on Fri Sep 11 14:59:27 EDT 2015

FONT RECOGNITION VIA FONT MOOSE

LUC DEVROYE

ABOUT

Peter Schoeffer

Peter Schöeffer, a calligrapher, was an assistant to Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany, through the years of preparation necessary for the printing of the 42 line Bible, in 1455. Schöeffer designed the font under Gutenberg's supervision, during the preceding years. The font was a very accurate imitation of the best manuscript style of the period, and it contained nearly 300 letters, ligatures, and abbreviations. Later in 1455, Gutenberg lost his business to Johann Füst, but Schöeffer stayed on with the new owner. In 1459, Schöeffer designed the first "transitional" typeface from Gothic to Roman and it was used in the publication of Rationale Divinorum Officiorum by Durandus. Some of the upper-case characters have full roman shapes and several of the lower case characters are noticeably rounded. Example of Schoeffer's early Schwabacher, created in Mainz in 1465. His son, Peter the Younger, moved to Mainz and carried on the trade.

Among digital revivals, see Psalterium (2012, Alter Littera).

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History of type ⦿ Calligraphic typefaces ⦿ German type scene ⦿ Bastarda / Bâtarde / Schwabacher ⦿