We’re launching the New Year with a new type face—that is, one that Skyline has never cast before: Optima! Who doesn’t like this classy late 20th century face from the hand of Germany’s master type designer Herman Zapf? The casting project is a private commission of three variants in 12 point, and we’re making 10 extra fonts of each. (Unfortunately we do not have matrices in any larger size, otherwise I’m sure we would have offered it years ago.) Here then is Optima Medium 12 point, with more variants slated for release in the next two months.
Recast: Collection No. 9, our popular 18pt Perpetual Calendar Month cast from English Monotype matrices.
The demand for quads and spacing has always been strong. All along we have been offering it used, as salvaged from the used type fonts prepped for sale, and in 2023 we began casting new (18-48pt). But it keeps selling out, and in December we went on a rampage to do a major restock of both new and used. Unfortunately a bad QC problem resulted in the dumping of many galleys of freshly-cast material. But we’re still on the rampage and starting over on that project, now to include 14pt. Meanwhile a whole lotta used Q&S has been culled from our recent big shop acquisition. All sizes 6 to 72 are now in stock (excepting 42, which we offer new)—get it while you can!
Do you have Crayonette? From the Keystone Type Foundry in 1890, it’s one of the 19th century faces that Charlie Broad resurrected in the mid-20th. Triangle Type Foundry offered it too, apparently by electroplating Charlie’s type. Thus it is one of the better-known antique revivals. By a roundabout path, in 2008 Skyline miraculously acquired CB’s entire matrix collection, including Crayonette in 12 and 18 point. We’ve done two castings of the 12 point—almost 100 fonts—but the 18 point mats, after being inventoried and carefully deposited into the Matrix Vault, somehow disappeared. Being a detail person and a compulsive organizer, this was seriously distressing to me. Our matrix vault is a model of neat and perfect organization, but no search could ever turn them up. Recently in desperation I assigned our Chief Casterman the Mission Impossible to find those mats. And five minutes later he handed them to me! Eureka!! They were hiding behind another set of mats in the vault—and that’s never our policy. So Crayonette 18 is high on our list for the new year. (APA 1002, you get the first font!)