Monotype Imaging Acquires Linotype GmbH

Two typographic gians merge, a century after each is founded

On 2 August 2006, Monotype Imaging, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA, and Lintotyp GmbH, based in Bad Homburg, Germany, announced that Monotype had aquired Linotype, which until this time had been a subsidiary of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Read Monotype’s press release, Linotype’s press release.)

Both companies are already acknowledged leaders in type, whether regarding either thier current font offerings (Linotype numbers about 6,000 and Monotype is home to the ITC and Monotype libraries) and technologies, or thier considerable respective heritage.

Overall reaction to the merger seems to be fairly mild. Opines Bobbie Johnson of The Guardian’s Technology Blog: “Quite whether this means we’ll see Times New Helfrutiger arrive on the scene is anyone’s guess.”

Joe Consumer Likely Not To Notice Much

While Linotype is now an asset of Monotype, the average type consumer isn’t apt to notice much of a change. Linotype will continue to operate as an autonomous unit of Monotype, with its own management, and remain based in Bad Homburg. The companies’ respective retail net sites, www.fonts.com and www.linotype.com, will continue as separate portals, and as far as can be currently determined, the respective offerings and ranges look to remain largely unchanged.

Quoted in the press release, Linotype managing directory, Bruno Steinert, had this to say:

Looking beyond the press release, the acquisition seems to be more about what each company can bring to each other in the way of global strategy than anything else. Mention is made about Monotype becoming a truly international company and what they see as their technological achievements, which suggest that they are perhaps not so much looking to dominate per se as Monotype is tooling up for what they see as the future competitive landscape. The addition of the Linotype name, perhaps the most respected and well-known name in the modern history of type, doubtlessly adds a great deal of cachet and goodwill to Monotype’s already respected name.