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The Lanston Monotype Company was founded in Philadelphia at the end of the nineteenth century by Tolbert Lanston. Later refinements led to the Monotype casting machine and the emergence of the Lanston Monotype Company as one of the most renowned type supply companies in the world. The Monotype caster was revolutionary and along with other automated typesetting machines helped to usher in a new age of printing technology. 

In the late 1800s, Tolbert Lanston licensed his technology to an English sister company and became a major international force, competing with the Mergenthaler company, whose “Linotype” was a slightly different approach to the same problem. 

Lanston Monotype grew rapidly with America’s pre-eminent type designer Frederic Goudy as art director from 1920 to 1947. 

The Philadelphia-based company eventually parted ways with its English counterpart. The thriving English Monotype became simply known as Monotype. By contrast Lanston went through mixed fortunes and lost ground to Mergenthaler. Customers were upset, and the firm was sold on several times until American Type Founders bought it in 1969.

In November 2004 P22 type foundry of Buffalo, NY acquired Lanston Type. P22 studios will re-master Lanston’s fonts, including the classic designs of Frederic Goudy and Sol Hess.