For June we bring you one of your very most favorite 19th century faces in a new size. Here’s Tuscan Floral 24pt, joining our longtime offering of the same in 36 point. This size differs in that it has a full complement of points and figures, although they are not original to the face, appearing to have been added at a later time.
Restocked in May: Optima Medium 12 + Lower Case Supplement; Borders No. 27 and U-28; Collections No. 6 (Typographic Accessories) and No.57 (Granjon Arabesques).
The day of Parsons has come. For decades I have been snarfing up this unique face whenever it became available—and there was a large quantity of it our monster type buyout last fall. All type in each size has now been carefully combined and then re-divided equally—and this process has redeemed many fonts that were sparse or incomplete. A good full run of Parsons will of course be kept for our own pressroom, but the rest will be returned back to the letterpress community, starting today, via the Skyline Dutch Auction page. Opening prices are rather optimistic but as with any auction, the fair market value will be determined by the buyer. (In case you haven’t checked it out, the Dutch Auction is a buy-it-now sale with all prices cut 4% each calendar week.)
Our pressroom walls are plastered with colorful printed items, mostly from the monthly bundle of the Amalgamated Printers Association (of which I have been a member for almost 40 years). These pieces have been selected for their excellence in craftsmanship and/or artistic creativity. All except one. I won’t dishonor the memory of its long-gone creator by identifying him, but imagine this: tape a linotype slug to the heel of your shoe, step in a can of black ink, then stomp on a little scrap of paper. The resultant one-line Thanksgiving greeting has the singular honor of being the worst letterpress-printed item I have ever seen. But that just goes to illustrate a worthy principle: no matter how good or experienced a printer you are, the bundle will always have work that’s better than yours and work that’s not as good as yours.