Appleton Coated this week unveiled the last four limited-edition specimen sheets in its 12-sheet series printed by Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum. (You can check out No.s 5-8 in that series here.) The sheets – limited to 500 prints each – showcase classic typefaces on the company’s Utopia coated and Curious Collection papers. “We began the series to celebrate Hamilton’s vast collection of classic typefaces, letterpress printing and the enduring power of printed communication…” explained Ferkó X. Goldinger, Appleton Coated’s marketing manager.
The following comes directly from Appleton Coated’s official press murmurings:
No. 9: “On Curious Collection’s 100 lb. Cover SKIN in Grey featuring Bernhard Gothic Medium, first shown in Hamilton Manufacturing Co.’s 1930 specimen book. Designed and printed by Jim Moran, Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum’s director, who said, ‘One of the first contemporary American san serifs, this low-waisted font was first introduced in 1929 in the ATF catalog. Its strong, bold details make Lucien Bernhard’s design a fine fit for Appleton Coated stock.'”
No. 10: On “Utopia U2:XG Dull 120 lb. Cover and features Gothic XXX Condensed. This specimen was designed and printed by Hamilton’s assistant director, Stephanie Carpenter. She noted that it is ‘a great font for newspaper headlines or used anywhere else that a lot of information needs to be placed in a small space. It was produced in many sizes and the uniform stroke thickness makes it very legible in almost any size. The character and thusly, the history, of the large, 40 line type shows really well on coated paper.’”
No. 11: On “Curious Collection’s 100 lb. Cover Curious Matter in Ibizenca Sand as printed with Aldine typeface, first designed for wood type by William Page in 1870. ‘It was a workhorse font for printers in the late 1800s and early 1900s because of its broad surface area and relatively small counters,’ explained Hamilton’s artistic director, Bill Moran. ‘Not only is Curious Matter an innovative sheet because of its use of potato waste, it also is a perfect choice for letterpress because of its toothy finish and its ability to take the impression of wood type.’”
No. 12: On “Utopia Two Dull 120 lb. Cover featuring Beaufonte. ‘This beauty made quite a splash as a very flowing ad style when it came out. The finely calendered finish on the coated sheet yields fine results with letterpress printing,’ stated Carpenter, who designed and printed the poster.”
PaperSpecs PRO members, request your copy of the Curious Collection swatchbook today!
