Type Users' Specimens and Showings

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1. Introduction

Not all type specimen books were issued by typefoundries. Printers often issued specimens showing the faces they had and the kinds of work of which they were capable. Firms doing composition and advertising typography also did the same, whether or not they did their own printing in-house.

To a lesser extent, trade organizations (especially in advertising typography) also issued specimen books to illustrate the range of type available on the market.

2. Printers' Specimens

[TO DO 1: There are about a dozen of these online; get/index them]

[TO DO 2: Scan others that I have.]

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Société Typographique Belge (1846)

Spécimen des caractères, letters de fantaisie, vignettes, fleurons et ornements typographiques que l'on emploie dans les ateliers de la Société Typographique Belge, AD. Wahlen et cie. (Bruxelles: 1846). Digitized by Google Books and available via the Hathi Trust. The link here is to a copy of the Hathi Trust version that I've assembled and uploaded to The Internet Archive.

3. Trade Association Specimens

[NONE YET; TO DO: ATA Book]


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