Lettergieterij 'Amsterdam'
Lettergieterij 'Amsterdam' was a Dutch type foundry that produced metal and photocomposition typefaces and later became part of Tetterode.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Lettergieterij 'Amsterdam', known in English as the Amsterdam Type Foundry, was a Dutch type foundry based in Amsterdam. Nicolaas Tetterode established the foundry in 1851, placing it within the development of the Netherlands' nineteenth-century printing and typographic industry. Its work centered on the production and distribution of type for printers, initially in metal form and later for photocomposition. The foundry became known for a substantial catalogue that combined historical revivals, display faces, scripts, ornamented capitals, sans serifs, newspaper-oriented designs, and original twentieth-century work. Its catalogue included faces associated with designers such as S. H. de Roos and Dick Dooijes, as well as designs created by or attributed to other European type designers. Among the better-known names associated with the foundry's catalogue were De Roos, Egmont, Nobel, Libra, Contura, and a range of display and decorative alphabets. The catalogue also included designs that had originated elsewhere or had been adapted from existing typefoundry and composing-machine releases. During the twentieth century, Lettergieterij 'Amsterdam' was one of only two major type foundries remaining in the Netherlands. Its principal domestic competitor was the historic foundry of Joh. Enschedé in Haarlem. The two companies maintained different type-height standards: Amsterdam used 66 plus 1/24 Didot point, while Enschedé used 66 minus 1/24 Didot point. This small technical difference prevented type from the two foundries from being combined directly in the same setting, helping preserve a practical distinction between their product systems. The foundry ultimately became a division of Tetterode, a broader printing-technology and equipment group. As the industry moved from hand- and machine-cast metal type toward phototypesetting and digital type, the commercial importance of traditional foundries declined. Lettergieterij 'Amsterdam' nevertheless retained a catalogue that remained relevant to type history and later type licensing. On October 1, 2000, Tetterode transferred the rights to all of its typefaces to Linotype. This transaction marked the movement of the foundry's type library into a larger international type-distribution environment. The original Amsterdam foundry is no longer operating as an independent type foundry, but its designs remain part of the historical record of Dutch typography and of the transition from metal type to photocomposition and digital type.
History
Lettergieterij 'Amsterdam' was founded in Amsterdam in 1851 by Nicolaas Tetterode. Its creation coincided with the continuing expansion of commercial printing and the need for dependable sources of movable type. The company operated as a type foundry, making type available to printers in physical form and developing a catalogue that eventually covered text, display, script, decorative, and headline applications. The foundry's catalogue developed over many decades. It included historic and revival faces, locally significant Dutch designs, adaptations of designs associated with other foundries, and original twentieth-century work. S. H. de Roos was among the designers connected with important Amsterdam releases, including De Roos, Egmont, and Libra. Dick Dooijes was associated with Contura. Other catalogue entries reflected the international movement of type designs between foundries and technologies: some were based on earlier material, while others were acquired, adapted, or issued in forms associated with photocomposition. By the twentieth century, the Amsterdam foundry and Joh. Enschedé of Haarlem were the two major surviving type foundries in the Netherlands. Their relationship was shaped not only by competition but also by technical differentiation. The companies used slightly different Didot-based type heights: Lettergieterij 'Amsterdam' used 66 plus 1/24 point, and Enschedé used 66 minus 1/24 point. Because the difference prevented the direct combination of their type in a single setting, printers effectively had to work within one foundry's system when composing a line or page. The foundry's catalogue expanded beyond traditional metal type. It supplied designs for cold type, or photocomposition, reflecting the industry's movement away from casting individual pieces of type. The photocomposition catalogue included Adonis, dated to 1971 and associated with Andrea Cretton; the design was later cast in metal by Stephenson Blake. This overlap between metal and phototypesetting illustrates the transitional character of the company's later history. Lettergieterij 'Amsterdam' eventually became a division of Tetterode rather than continuing as a wholly independent business. Tetterode was connected with the wider printing-technology sector, and the foundry's identity was increasingly part of a broader corporate structure. As phototypesetting and then digital composition displaced traditional typefounding, the operational role of a conventional foundry diminished. A decisive later event occurred on October 1, 2000, when Tetterode transferred the rights to all of its typefaces to Linotype. The transfer placed the Amsterdam catalogue under the control of an international type company and separated the continuing licensing and distribution of the designs from the original foundry operation. The historical foundry is therefore treated as defunct, while its typefaces and designer associations remain relevant to the study of Dutch printing, twentieth-century type design, and the migration of type libraries from metal to photocomposition and digital formats.
- 2000
Typeface rights transferred to Linotype
[1]On October 1, Tetterode transferred the rights to all of its typefaces to Linotype.
- 1971
Adonis for photocomposition
[1]Adonis, associated with Andrea Cretton, was produced for photocomposition and was later cast in metal by Stephenson Blake.
- 1966
Contura
[1]Dick Dooijes was associated with the design of Contura.
- 1964
Choc
[1]Choc, designed by Roger Excoffon, was included in the catalogue after its original release by Fonderie Olive in 1955.
- 1962
Impressum
[1]Impressum, associated with Baum + Bauer, entered the catalogue; the design had originally been cut for the Stempel Type Foundry.
- 1947
De Roos
[1]The foundry issued De Roos, a design associated with S. H. de Roos and offered in roman, italic, and initials forms.
- 1939
Hidalgo
[1]Hidalgo was associated with designer Stefan Schlesinger.
- 1933
Egmont
[1]S. H. de Roos designed Egmont, which became one of the notable faces associated with the foundry.
- 1924
Hermes
[1]Hermes was issued as a tooled version of Caslon.
- 1904
Earlier origin of the Columbia design
[1]The type later known in the Amsterdam catalogue as Columbia had originally been cast as Kolonial by the Woellmer Type Foundry.
Products and positioning
A Dutch historical type foundry serving printers with a broad catalogue of metal and photocomposition type, combining locally developed designs with revivals, adaptations, and licensed or acquired type designs.
Text and book type · 1947
De Roos
De Roos was a prominent design associated with S. H. de Roos. The Amsterdam catalogue listed roman, italic, and initials variants, reflecting the foundry's support for both continuous text and display or ornamental applications.
Text type · 1933
Egmont
Egmont was designed by S. H. de Roos and issued in 1933. The catalogue included the principal design as well as light roman and italic, bold, and inline-capital variants, giving printers a broader family for text and display composition.
Sans-serif type
Nobel
Nobel was one of the Amsterdam foundry's sans-serif offerings. Its catalogue entry included light, bold, condensed, condensed bold, small-capital, and inline-capital forms, illustrating the foundry's emphasis on varied weights and widths for commercial printing.
Display type · 1966
Contura
Contura was associated with designer Dick Dooijes and dated to 1966. It represents the foundry's participation in postwar type design, alongside its continued production of historical faces and traditional printer's types.
Display type · 1929
Bristol and Carlton
Bristol was issued in 1929, while Carlton was an in-line version of Bristol. Together they illustrate the catalogue's inclusion of display lettering and stylistic variants intended for headlines, advertisements, and other prominent printed uses.
Text type
Hollandsche Mediaeval
Hollandsche Mediaeval was offered with roman, italic, and semi-bold forms, together with ornamented initials. The range combined conventional reading text with decorative resources for Dutch printing practice.
Photocomposition type · 1971
Adonis
Adonis was a photocomposition design associated with Andrea Cretton and dated to 1971. Its history spans technologies: it was produced for cold type and later cast in metal by Stephenson Blake.
Brand decisions
2000
Transfer of the typeface rights to LinotypeStrategyBackground
By the end of the twentieth century, traditional typefounding had been overtaken by phototypesetting and digital composition. Lettergieterij 'Amsterdam' had become a division of Tetterode, making the management of its type library part of a larger corporate structure.
Action taken
On October 1, 2000, Tetterode transferred the rights for all of its typefaces to Linotype.
Aftermath
The transaction moved the legal and commercial control of the Amsterdam catalogue to an international type company, while the original foundry remained a historical rather than independent operating entity.
Sources1 sources
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