Buying Used Type to Supplement Current Stock

biglakesmallpress
on 22 May 25 (23:46)

Hello Briar Press folks,

I’m interested in buying 12 pt Bodoni Italic to fill out the stock I already have of it. However, I’m cautious that the castings won’t be the same and I’ll be left with two misaligned fonts.

My current stock has one nick and the font I’m interested in has two nicks. Is this a problem?

Thanks, Bald Gopher Press

Font to Buy

Font I Own

Nickel Plate Press
on 23 May 25 (07:31)

Big:

Probably. Monotype castings from different sources may not align.

Foundry type from ATF will generally align perfectly with other ATF type of the same face, no matter when cast.

Monotype and ATF foundry type are likely not going to align,

Michael

biglakesmallpress
on 23 May 25 (07:34)

Thanks Michael. It’s a darn shame, but I think I ought to skip on this purchase!

BillWhitley
on 23 May 25 (09:21)

The good news is that Monotype can be cast to align with older Monotype castings of the same face. You would need to identify the specific face and have someone with the correct mats cast to align - which they can do if you send them a few sorts to measure. Ed Rayher at Swamp Press is good at this, and has a pretty extensive mat collection.