Our History From 19th-century origins to today’s Monotype: The evolution of a global typographic leader.
Four centuries after Gutenberg, inventor Tolbert Lanston founded one of the precursor companies to today’s Monotype and in the process helped give birth to the age of mechanical typesetting. This era of the late 1800s was marked by extraordinary innovations in science and technology, a restless commitment to creativity that has informed and inspired Monotype to the current day. Monotype Typography/Compugraphic/ Agfa-Gevaert: A confluence of forces In 1960, Compugraphic Corporation was founded with the intention of applying computer technology to the typesetting process. Monotype Typography and Compugraphic signed a cross-licensing agreement for a mutual exchange of proprietary typefaces in 1989. That same year, Agfa-Gevaert acquired Compugraphic and the expanded company became Agfa Corporation. In 1998, Agfa Corporation acquired Monotype Typography; and the resulting new subsidiary, Agfa Monotype, became one of the largest font vendors in the world.
Monotype Imaging: A return to form in the 20th century In 2004, the majority of Agfa Monotype’s assets were acquired by TA Associates, a Boston-based private equity firm. The company was newly incorporated as Monotype Imaging and its business focus returned to Monotype’s longtime expertise in type design. In 2007, Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc. began trading as “TYPE” on the NASDAQ Global Market Exchange. The “new” Monotype: a fresh brand with a distinguished history Monotype has been a leader in every typographic era, pushing the frontiers of innovation and upholding the standards of quality that users have come to expect from the Monotype name. This extends to the latest medium for type: the Web. In 2010, Monotype’s experts released Web fonts that are scalable, searchable and easy to edit. Today, Monotype has a new logo, a renewed focus on serving the needs of its diverse customers, and a powerful global organization with a proud history of quality and innovation.