Letraset
Encyclopedia
Letraset is a company based in the Kingsnorth Industrial Estate in Ashford, Kent
, UK
.
It is known mainly for manufacturing sheets of artwork elements which can be transferred to artwork being prepared. The name Letraset was often used to refer generically
to sheets of dry transfer
rable lettering of any brand. This technique was very widespread for lettering and other elements before the advent of the computer
techniques of word processing
and desktop publishing
.
When artwork was prepared by hand, Letraset sheets were available with letters in a large range of typefaces, styles, sizes, symbols, and other graphic elements. The letters could be transferred one by one to artwork being prepared. This was always a tedious job, but the alternative, to do the lettering by hand, was also tedious and required graphic artist skills.
The name Letraset comes from the lettering application, once ubiquitous but now rarely used, although still available. Currently, Letraset's line of print patterns and textures are more commonly used than its lettering.
For a brief period in the 1960s, Letraset also applied the dry transferable technique to create a children's game called Action Transfers, which would later develop into Kalkitos
(marketed by Gillette) and other series of transferable fantasy figures that were very popular in the 1970s and early 1980s.
such as ImageStudio and ColorStudio. These never saw widespread success. However, as Letraset held the rights to their fonts that had been popular on the dry transfer sheets, it made sense to enter the digital font market. Letraset thus began releasing many fonts in formats such as PostScript
.
Fonts from designers such as Alan Meeks, Martin Wait, Tim Donaldson and David Quay were released, and many can be found on online retailers such as Fontshop
. Some fonts retain 'Letraset' in their title whereas others have been renamed by their new vendors such as ITC
.
A selection of fonts is still sold from their web site, separated into fonts from Fontek and Red Rooster.
As for software, the only products listed are Manga Studio EX and Envelopes, a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator
.
Letraset is the maker of the Tria Markers
(which formerly had the Pantone
prefix) as well as other design products.
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
It is known mainly for manufacturing sheets of artwork elements which can be transferred to artwork being prepared. The name Letraset was often used to refer generically
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
to sheets of dry transfer
Dry transfer
Dry transfer is a term used to describe decals which can be applied without the use of water or other solvent. Sometimes they are called rub-ons or rubdowns due to the method of application. The decal itself is on a backing material such as paper or plastic sheeting much like a transparency. The...
rable lettering of any brand. This technique was very widespread for lettering and other elements before the advent of the computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
techniques of word processing
Word processing
Word processing is the creation of documents using a word processor. It can also refer to advanced shorthand techniques, sometimes used in specialized contexts with a specially modified typewriter.-External links:...
and desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
.
When artwork was prepared by hand, Letraset sheets were available with letters in a large range of typefaces, styles, sizes, symbols, and other graphic elements. The letters could be transferred one by one to artwork being prepared. This was always a tedious job, but the alternative, to do the lettering by hand, was also tedious and required graphic artist skills.
The name Letraset comes from the lettering application, once ubiquitous but now rarely used, although still available. Currently, Letraset's line of print patterns and textures are more commonly used than its lettering.
For a brief period in the 1960s, Letraset also applied the dry transferable technique to create a children's game called Action Transfers, which would later develop into Kalkitos
Kalkitos
Action Transfers or Kalkitos were a type of art-based children's pastime that was extremely popular in Europe, South East Asia and Central America in the 1970s and 1980s. They consisted of a printed cardboard background image and a transparent sheet of coloured dry-transferables containing such...
(marketed by Gillette) and other series of transferable fantasy figures that were very popular in the 1970s and early 1980s.
History
Letraset saw a decline in the sales of their materials in the early 1990s so moved into the desktop publishing industry, releasing software packages for the MacintoshMacintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
such as ImageStudio and ColorStudio. These never saw widespread success. However, as Letraset held the rights to their fonts that had been popular on the dry transfer sheets, it made sense to enter the digital font market. Letraset thus began releasing many fonts in formats such as PostScript
PostScript
PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...
.
Fonts from designers such as Alan Meeks, Martin Wait, Tim Donaldson and David Quay were released, and many can be found on online retailers such as Fontshop
FontShop
FontShop was founded in Berlin in 1989 by Erik Spiekermann and Joan Spiekermann, who were then husband and wife, and Neville Brody. FontShop was the first font reseller in digital type history. There are four independent FontShops in Austria, Benelux, Germany, and the USA.FSI FontShop International...
. Some fonts retain 'Letraset' in their title whereas others have been renamed by their new vendors such as ITC
International Typeface Corporation
The International Typeface Corporation was a type manufacturer founded in New York in 1970 by Aaron Burns, Herb Lubalin, and Edward Rondthaler. The company was one of the world's first type foundries to have no history in the production of metal type...
.
A selection of fonts is still sold from their web site, separated into fonts from Fontek and Red Rooster.
As for software, the only products listed are Manga Studio EX and Envelopes, a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Adobe Systems. Illustrator is similar in scope, intended market, and functionality to its competitors, CorelDraw, Xara Designer Pro and Macromedia FreeHand....
.
Letraset is the maker of the Tria Markers
Pantone Tria markers
Pantone Tria markers are a line of alcohol-based art markers marketed by Letraset. They are notable for having a total of 300 colors that correspond to the Pantone color matching system, as well as for having three separate polyester nibs...
(which formerly had the Pantone
Pantone
Pantone Inc. is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System , a proprietary color space...
prefix) as well as other design products.