Monotype Imaging acquires Linotype – August 2006
Monotype Imaging Acquires Linotype
Move Unites Font Design and Technology Companies to Expand Global Offering into New Markets
Woburn, Mass., USA, August 2nd, 2006. Monotype Imaging Inc., a global leader in font and imaging technologies, has acquired Linotype GmbH, a subsidiary of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and home of the renowned Linotype® Library. The collection includes some of the most popular and time-honored designs such as the Helvetica®, Frutiger® and Optima® typefaces. Linotype and its employees will remain based in Bad Homburg, Germany, and operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Monotype Imaging.
The combination of Linotype’s extensive, high-quality typeface library and Monotype Imaging’s font technology offerings and global distribution strengths will provide customers a greater range of typographic solutions for use in printers, display devices and the graphic arts professional market. Together, the companies aim to fulfill the increasingly sophisticated font requirements of consumer electronics markets such as the mobile phone segment, where the number of mobile subscribers increased more than 25 percent in 2005 to more than two billion people, according to Informa Telecoms & Media.
“It’s our vision to improve global communications through type,” said Robert M. Givens, president and chief executive officer of Monotype Imaging. “Wherever our customers want to communicate, whether on mobile devices, digital cameras, computers, on television or in print, our fonts and technology enable type to be displayed at high quality in any language.
“We’ve worked with Linotype for years, and we have developed an appreciation and respect for the esteemed reputation of the Linotype company, a valuable asset we intend to protect and enhance. In addition to its impressive heritage and current typographic innovations, Linotype has a proven expert management team with values and standards we share. Our passions and our visions are both aligned and enhanced by our partnership. When the opportunity to combine our companies was presented, it was a natural fit.”
Linotype will continue as Linotype GmbH under the leadership of Bruno Steinert, managing director, who gave his perspective on the acquisition: “It’s a new era for the font industry, and the strong legacy of Linotype’s values will live on and gain strength with this move. Our corporate identity will not change and our customers can be assured Linotype will continue to produce superior quality typefaces, products and services, consistent with our tradition of design excellence.”
Monotype Imaging and Linotype have built solid reputations for technological innovation and type design craftsmanship. Linotype, with its collection of more than 6,000 typefaces, has delivered some of the most famous typefaces in history from some of the most highly regarded designers, including Hermann Zapf, Adrian Frutiger and Matthew Carter. Monotype Imaging’s iType® font engine and WorldType® Layout Engine enable the display of scalable, multilingual text for small footprint devices, such as cell phones. At the BREW® conference in June, where Monotype Imaging announced the availability of both technologies for QUALCOMM’s BREW solution for cell phones, Monotype Imaging announced the world’s first font suite for mobile phones, giving developers the ability to select fonts of choice for content and applications. Monotype Imaging is also home to the Monotype® and ITC® typeface libraries.
Both Monotype Imaging and Linotype have established custom design businesses which have created typefaces for the corporate identities of companies such as Marks & Spencer, Porsche, Suntory and UBS. In 1994, Monotype Imaging and Linotype standardized their end user licensing agreements to simplify font usage and workflow rights for creative professionals. The companies also have solutions to help customers using large numbers of typefaces to effectively manage font licenses. Through Monotype Imaging’s Fontwise® service and Linotype’s FontExplorer™ X application, the companies intend to accelerate development and support for these font and license management solutions.
Monotype Imaging and Linotype will continue to market and license typefaces from hundreds of type foundries and designers worldwide through their e-commerce Web sites, www.fonts.com and www.linotype.com. Allan Haley, director of words and letters at Monotype Imaging explained how the company views its responsibility to the type community: “Monotype Imaging and Linotype have forged solid partnerships with typeface designers to create what we believe to be a dynamic marketing and distribution channel. Together we want to further strengthen this channel and encourage users to respect the hard work that goes into creating typefaces. We’re seeing vibrant new designs every day – a sign that this community is thriving. We intend to do all we can to help it stay that way.”
Steinert added, “Linotype’s long-standing reputation within the type design community for integrity and best practice can be relied upon, as we’ll continue to expand our design program.”
About Linotype
Linotype GmbH, based in Bad Homburg, Germany, is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Monotype Imaging group of companies. Building on its 120 year heritage, Linotype develops state-of-the-art font technology and offers more than 6,000 original typefaces, covering the whole typographic spectrum from antique to modern, from east to west, and from classical to experimental. All typefaces (in the PostScript® and TrueType® formats as well as more than 2,500 fonts in the OpenType® format) are now also available for instant download at www.linotype.com. In addition to supplying digital fonts, Linotype also offers comprehensive and individual consultation and support services for font applications in worldwide (corporate) communication.
About Monotype Imaging
Based in Woburn, Mass. with regional offices in the U.K., Chicago, Redwood City, Calif., Boulder, Colo., Japan and China, Monotype Imaging is a global leader in fonts and font technologies for graphic professionals, software developers and manufacturers of printers and display devices. The company also provides print drivers and color imaging technologies to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). Monotype Imaging is home to the Monotype and ITC typeface libraries, collections that include widely used designs such as the Arial®, Times New Roman®, Gill Sans® and ITC Franklin Gothic™ typeface families. Monotype Imaging offers fonts and industry-standard solutions for most of the world’s written languages. Information about Monotype Imaging and its products can be found on the company’s Web sites at:
www.monotypeimaging.com
www.fonts.com
www.monotypefonts.com
www.customfonts.com
www.fontwise.com
www.itcfonts.com
www.faces.co.uk
Monotype is a trademark of Monotype Imaging Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Arial, Times New Roman and Gill Sans are trademarks of The Monotype Corporation registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and which may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. ITC, ITC Officina and ITC Franklin Gothic are trademarks of International Typeface Corporation registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. OpenType is either a registered trademarks or a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Adobe is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2006 Monotype Imaging Inc. All rights reserved.
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