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25 years and 18 days ago the domain dutchtypelibrary.nl was registered. Not long afterwards the (now vintage) website was launched. Intended to grow over time, it started with an A4 and eventually became a framed triptych. The original HTML code can still be found everywhere.

Scheduled for this fall: a booklet by Bulgarian type designer and teacher Krassen Krestev with a comparative analysis of different roman-type sizes (text and display) by 16th-century Flemish punchcutter Hendrik van den Keere. Did VdK cut distinct models for small and large type?

Considered archaic for quite a while, but still occasionally in use at DTL: the UNIX version of IKARUS running under XQuartz (X11) on macOS. Nowadays the interface has become vintage and is even considered hip again. It is an interesting profession, that of the type designer. ;-)

At DTL we still digitize manually in the IKARUS format. For this we have three special workstations with a tablet and lens cursor. For example, the ornaments for DTL Fell were first drawn on paper and then digitized. This allowed the elegant details in the curves to be preserved.

One of our best-selling books and a possible fun read for Christmas: On the Origin of Patterning […]. It forms the basis for the EcTd course (typedrawers.com/discussion/635…). Available at DTL’s Book Boutique, at Lulu (lulu.com/shop/frank-e-b…) and at the shop of Museum Plantin-Moretus.

In 2025 DTL will celebrate its 35th anniversary in the wonderful typographic métier. DTL will release new fonts and software editions plus a few publications in honor of this. In addition, a Type[&]Design conference will be organized in the fall. We wish you a *TypoMagical* 2025!

We have released the first edition of an online font tester called DTL FontDropper. It lets one test a range of OpenType Layout features plus four variable-font sliders in .otf, .ttf, .woff, or woff2 files –if supported by the relevant typeface, of course fontvariations.com

DTL FontDropper is primarily intended to enable our customers to test and explore our fonts. However, it is open to everyone. The recently updated edition now supports concurrent application of features, a few of which have been added to the dropdown menu. fontvariations.com

It is always nice to receive a package in the mail. It is even nicer when it is wrapped in Museum Plantin-Moretus wrapping paper with DTL VandenKeere on it. Thank you Plantin Institute of Typography!

After teaching for 30 years at the Plantin Institute of Typography, Frank will retire from Antwerp this summer. Jeremy Tankard will now take over the EcTd course. However, the original opinionated focus on pattern formation will continue in a new program: lettermodel.org/OTF-course.html

Last Sunday Torinoumi-san of Jiayu-Kobo appeared in Jounetsu Tairiku (情熱大陸) on Japanese TV channel MBS. In the program, he edited a typeface on his computer using a font tool that we at DTL are quite familiar with. The video –for those who have access: tver.jp/episodes/epkss…

A photo of a bus shelter poster taken by Dutch type designer Albert-Jan Pool yesterday in Hamburg, Germany. Botschaft der Wildtiere uses DTL Caspari for their entire corporate identity, including their website botschaftderwildtiere.de. A nice use of this characteristic sans serif.

it is entirely logical to approach archetypal patterning not just as a historical exercise, but as a viable method for developing contemporary typefaces. This idea forms the core of the new Origin of Type Frameworks (OTF) course. The related press release: lettermodel.org/downloads/OTF_…

With five months still to go before enrollment closes, we are excited to share that the minimum number of students has already been exceeded. This means that the new Origin of Type Frameworks (OTF) course will officially start this fall. Thanks to everyone who made this possible!

Preparations for the upcoming ‘In Plantin’s Footsteps’ exhibition at Museum Plantin-Moretus are in full swing. More than twenty EcTd graduates will present group and individual projects. This event marks the grand finale of 15 years of innovative type-design education in Antwerp.

FontEnigma is a type tester under development at DTL. To protect the online font data, it uses scrambled Unicode code points in OT fonts that are decoded on the fly. Outside of the tester, these fonts are useless. Retail fonts are, of course, not affected. fontenigma.com

Due to the remarkable interest in the OTF Course (lettermodel.org/OTF-course.html) we have simplified the payment process with a special course boutique. Perhaps a small detail but one that fits the essence of the type design, where no detail is ever really small. dutchtypelibrary.nl/Shops/CourseSh…

There is growing interest in the OTF Course, as evidenced by the registrations. The course promotes a pattern-forming approach to type design: not to merely echo historical practices, but to offer a hands-on method for designing typefaces today. More info: lettermodel.org/downloads/OTF_…

The display of stem and curve thickness has been available in the IKARUS system for decades. This functionality was carried over into the DTL font editors quite some time ago. In addition, we use a batch checker to trace unexpected thickness deviations: the Font Statistics Tool.

Join us for an online info session about the Origin of Type Frameworks (OTF) course on 📅 Friday, Aug 15, 2025 🕒 15:00 CEST (Amsterdam time) 📍 Zoom | Hosted by Jürgen & Frank 🔗 Register via email: otf [at] lettermodel [dot] org 🔍 Details: lettermodel.org/OTF-course.html