Doing research for an article I had to compile this list, and friends, it sent shivers down my spine.
Linotype, 2006; China Type, 2006; Ascender Corp., 2010; Bistream, 2012; FontShop / FontFont Library, 2014; URW, 2020; FontSmith, 2020; Hoefler & Co., 2021; Berthold, 2022; Milieu Grotesque, 2023; Fontworks, 2023; 39 typeface families by David Berlow from the FontBureau Library, 2023; Colophon Foundry, 2023; SharpType library, 2024; DSType library, 2024.
Crass seeing em all together like this.
The Monotype name has been used by three distinct firms. 1. Lanston Monotype Cooperation, founded by Tolbert Lanston in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA), in 1887. In 1896 Lanston patented the first hot metal typesetting machine, known as the Monotype, see Monotype System and Monotype typefaces. Associated designers of note include Frederic W. Goudy and Sol Hess. Licenses for the Lanston type library have been acquired by P22 Type Foundry in 2004, see Lanston Type Company. 2. Monotype Corporation Limited, set up as a branch in London (UK) in 1897 under the name Lanston Monotype Corporation Ltd. Later an independent company based in Salfords. “Lanston” was dropped from the name in May 1931. A.k.a. English Monotype. Key executives included historian and adviser Stanley Morison, publicity manager Beatrice Warde, engineering expert Frank Hinman Pierpont, and draughtsman Fritz Stelzer. Associated designers include Eric Gill and Berthold Wolpe. Went into receivership in 1992. Bailed out by Microsoft “in exchange for allowing any or all of the entire MT library to be embeddable in Microsoft products” [Griffin]. 3. Monotype Imaging Inc. The successor to Monotype Corporation Ltd. was acquired by Agfa-Compugraphic in 1999 and renamed Agfa Monotype. Acquired ITC in 2000 and launched Fonts.com as font distribution website in 2001. Acquired by TA Associates, a private equity firm based in Boston in 2004, and incorporated as Monotype Imaging. Bought back Ascender Corp. in 2010, which had been formed by former employees in 2004, “taking with them quite a few major clients like Microsoft, Google, Blackberry and a few car companies.” [Griffin] Acquired by HGGC, another private equity firm, in 2019. Monotype acquired Linotype GmbH (2006), China Type Design Ltd. (2006), Ascender Corp. (2010), Bitstream Inc. incl. the major font distributor MyFonts (2012), the other major font distributor FontShop incl. the FontFont library (2014), Fontsmith (2020), URW (2020), Hoefler & Co. (Sep. 2021), the Berthold library (Aug. 2022), Milieu Grotesque and typefaces by Paulo Goode (March 2023), typefaces by David Berlow of Font Bureau (May 2023), Fontworks (July 2023), Colophon (Dec. 2023), and typefaces from Sharp Type (Feb. 2024).
@typographica @letterror @kai This list below is probably not correct and still incomplete. But these are likely missing from your overview.
Pre-Monotype:
1996: Heidelberg buys Linotype-Hell
1997: Agfa buys Monotype
1999: Agfa-Monotype buys EyeWire Type from Getty Images
2000: Agfa-Monotype buys ITC
2004: TA Associates buys Agfa-Monotype (font sector)
2005: Agfa-Monotype renamed to Monotype Imaging
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These are still missing from your list:
2009: Monotype buys Planetweb
2012: Monotype buys Typecast
2013: Monotype buys Stone Type Foundry
2013: Monotype buys The Foundry
2014: Monotype buys Mark Boulton
2015: Monotype buys Swyft (online stickers)
2016: Monotype buys Olapic (social media marketing software)
2019: HGGC buys Monotype
2024: Monotype buys Extensis
Again, with due reserve, list could contain mistakes, and is likely incomplete. Corrections welcome.
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@lttrspc @underware @typographica @letterror @kai So true!
Back some 15 years ago, I made a flowchart graphic of the acquisitions stream. Could be an entertaining exercise for somebody (with logos perhaps, where available?)
@lttrspc @underware @typographica @letterror Thank you!
Also Deberny → D&P → Haas → Stempel → Lino
@lttrspc @underware @typographica @letterror @kai I’ve chosen to keep out of this discussion, but wanted to share that this sort of complicated mergers & acquisitions is nothing new!
I’ve been working on trying to map out the complexities of *just the Linotype Company* and it has been ongoing for over a year as I continually learn new things that complicate the diagram more.
(this doesn’t even have Linotype & Machinery, the UK branch of the company yet, LOL)
@lttrspc @underware @typographica @letterror @kai
❝ Mercator ST is designed by Laurenz Brunner and was first released by Source Type in 2025. ❞
@boldmonday Other than crediting Dooijes in the description text and in the colophon, what else should they have done in your opinion?
@underware @typographica @letterror @kai Thanks! Our list focuses on font publishers/IP. But sure, all those other acquisitions add to the bigger picture, too.
More of a note than a correction: The Stone Type Foundry and The Foundry deals were framed as being about exclusive distribution rights, not full acquisitions. Not sure if there’s a difference in practice. Added. The Foundry Types has since relaunched as independent font publisher – sounds similar to Sharp Type and DSType.
@FontsInUse @kai Monotype also slurped up the Image Club Typeface Library and the eyewire.com domain name from Getty Images in 2003.
Image Club Graphics (or ICG) was founded in Calgary by Greg Kolodziejzyk. Publisher of early digital fonts and clip art. Active from 1985–98. [Typophile] Purchased by Aldus in 1994 and rebranded as Adobe Studios in 1998. ICG was absorbed by EyeWire (then Veer and Getty) until 2003 when Monotype bought the rights to type collection. [Hutchinson] By 2020, some of the Image Club fonts were sold on Monotype platforms as part of the NicePrice Font Collection.
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