History and significance of the Swiss typewriter type manufacturers Caractères SA, Setag, and Novatype



A Swiss history of industry and typography - beautifully illustrated with numerous previously unpublished documents



#5 of the Visual Archives series, in cooperation with ECAL



Between the 1940s and the 1990s, three north-western Swiss companies manufactured type for typewriters in Switzerland: Caractères SA, Setag, and Novatype. For more than fifty years, they supplied the largest producers of office machines in Europe and around the world, such as IBM, Remington, Olivetti, Paillard-Hermès, and Triumph-Adler.



The three manufacturers, who held a leading position worldwide, played an essential role in the design,  development, and production of type component and typefaces for typewriters as well as for all sorts of impact printers.

The distinctive aesthetic of typewriter fonts has had a significant impact that continues to be felt in todays typography. This publication examines the historical and technological context of typewriter typefaces in detail, along with portraits of Caractères SA, Setag, and Novatype for a better understanding of the global type industry. Rich illustrations accompany the archival research and interviews that outline a history of design and industry.



When the three Swiss companies closed in the 1990s, most of their archives were destroyed. Therefore, this research quickly turned into a very precise investigation to document this period of history using primary sources. Bringing together documents and information collected over several years of research in numerous locations, this book contains unpublished images and illuminates a little-known chapter of industrial and typographic history on a national and international level.



With texts by Sophie Wietlisbach, Davide Fornari and a preface by Roland Früh.