We rarely get to use lead type anymore- in this age of desktop typesetting, few designers are comfortable delegating the typesetting to someone else, and hardly anybody remembers the traditional protocols around specifying typesetting.  Nevertheless, on occasion we get to use the type that rests in our cases and it’s always nice to revive the old skills and working processes.  When Jonathan Richman came into the shop to talk about a business card for his side business doing masonry he spotted the type cases and said, “I want that!”

Business card, lead type, hand set

I promised to draft something for him, and later that day began looking through the type for something suitable.  I pulled a galley of type out of the galley case but it was a short galley mixed in with the long ones, so I dropped it, pi-ing an entire galley of 12 pt. Nicholas Cochin.  Was it a sign?  Who knows.  It’s what we used, after several hours of picking up the type and getting it standing on its feet again.  One of these days we’ll distribute that type properly….

Designer: Dependable Letterpress
Client: Arcane Masonry

Notes:
Black ink on 110# Lettra Ecru cover, printed from hand-set foundry type