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Compugraphic Corp.
[Bill Garth]
This company existed as Compugraphic and Agfa Compugraphic from 1960-1995. The timeline: - Founded in 1960 in Brookline, MA, by Bill Garth and Ellis Hanson (Chief Engineer of Photon, Inc). The intention was to apply computer technology to typesetting. The company would go on to influence the world of photocomposing with its low cost typesetters.
- In 1963, the company relocates to Reading, MA, and introduces its Linasec I and II, the first general typesetting computers.
- In 1967, the company relocates to Wilmingon, MA, forms a Type Group and an engineering department, and releases its first typeface, Bodoni.
- In 1968, Compugraphic introduces the phototypesetters CG 2961 and CG 4961. In 1969, the 7200 Headliner machine (the first keyboard-operated machine to set headlines and display type) was added, followed, in 1970, by the Area Composition Machine (ACM) 9000, in 1971 by the CompuWriter machines, in 1973 by the VideoSetter I and II, in 1974 by Unified Compuser and ExecuWriter, in 1975 by UniScan and UniSetter, and in 1977 by the EditWriter 7500, the Mini-Disk Terminal, and the Mini-Disk Reader..
- The first typeface exclusively developed by Compugraphic, is released, Holland Seminar. It was created by Hollis Holland in 1973.
- 1974: The purchase of T. J. Lyons Press, gives Compugraphic the rights to nearly 2,500 old and antique typefaces.
- In 1981 Agfa bought 51% of Compugraphic, increased that to 80% in 1983 and finally they merged outright in 1989. The new company name is Agfa Corporation.
- In the late eighties, they proposed the scalable format FAIS as an alternative for type 1 and truetype. This format did not survive long.
- In 1992 Miles, Inc (Pittsburgh, PA) bought Agfa/CG. In 1995 Miles changed name to Bayer Corporation. Agfa is the imaging division of this comnpany.
- Finally, in 1999 Agfa (after acquiring Monotype in '97) became independent of Bayer. They now own the ITC catalog (and, by virtue of that, the former Esselte/Letraset font catalog too) as well as the others they picked up through the years.
MyFonts sells Garth Graphic (Compugraphic, and now Agfa/Monotype, by Constance Blanchard and Renee le Winter, based on earlier sketches of John Matt, 1979) and Phenix American (Agfa-Monotype), and named in honor of Bill Garth. Noteworthy is the 1988 catalog "The TypeBook". Images of some typefaces: CG Garamond (now Monotype; see also Garamond Antiqua and Garamond Kursiv), CG Times (now Monotype). Timeline at the Monotype Imaging site. Compugraphic collection of fonts (with CG in the name).
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EXTERNAL LINKS
Compugraphic Corp.
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INTERNAL LINKS
Extinct 20th century foundries ⦿
Type scene in Massachusetts ⦿
Photo and film type era ⦿
Modern style [Bodoni, Didot, Walbaum, Thorowgood, Computer Modern, etc.] ⦿
Garalde or Garamond typefaces ⦿
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