Linotype Zapfino
LinotypeZapfino One      LinotypeZapfino Two      LinotypeZapfino Three      LinotypeZapfino Four      LinotypeZapfino Ligature      LinotypeZapfino Ornaments

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Design Credits

First seen on MyFonts: September 14th, 2000
Designed by: Hermann Zapf
Designed when: 1998
Contained in Category: Script
Design owned by: Linotype
MyFonts Keywords: arrow, calligraphy, elegant, hand, invitation, ligatures, manicule, script, swash, wedding

Zapfino

The 20th century’s greatest calligrapher-type designer, Hermann Zapf, worked with David Siegel and Linotype Library to create Zapfino, the most versatile calligraphic font ever.

For each character there are four alternative versions, so text can be far more individual than with normal calligraphic fonts. There are accompanying fonts of ligatures and ornaments to complete the package.

Linotype worked with Apple to make an Apple AAT version of the font where the alternate characters and ligatures are all contained in the same font — but this needs specially written applications. To broaden Zapfino’s appeal, this set of standard fonts is released.

Linotype Zapfino

Today’s digital font technology has allowed renowned type designer Hermann Zapf to realise a dream he first had more than fifty years ago: to create a fully calligraphic typeface. Zapf began work on Zapfino in 1993, in technical collaboration with David Siegel and Gino Lee, who were responsible for the initial digitisation. The initial PostScript and TrueType versions were completed and released by Linotype Library GmbH as a set of six fonts. The current Zapfino ‘megafont’ for Apple Advanced Typography (AAT) and Open Type was built for Linotype Library by Tiro Typeworks. The new version includes additional diacritic characters for the Latin script languages of Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic states, and Turkey.

Zapfino consists of four basic alphabets, with many additional stylistic alternates, which can be freely mixed together to emulate the variations in handwritten text. Because of the complexity of the design of Zapfino some tips on its use might be helpful:

1) When it is necessary to set words in all uppercase letters, such as abbreviations in text, use only the basic Zapfino capitals with plenty of letterspacing.

2) The more extravagant swash variants, especially those with long flowing ascenders and descenders, should be used sparingly. They should accentuate and ornament the text, not overpower it.

3) Although every care has been taken to carefully space and kern the Zapfino characters, and most variants can be freely mixed, some combinations of letters inevitably look better than others. Take the time to choose variants that will create pleasing word shapes and, in particular, beware of colliding descenders.

4) Line spacing, or leading, should be generous, to allow room for the many long ascenders and descenders. The longest of these might be best reserved for the first and last line of text, respectively, where they can flow freely into the upper and lower margin.

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Related Links

 • Linotype: Zapfino Family (English)

‘Linotype Zapfino’ is a trademark of Linotype GmbH which may be registered in certain jurisdictions

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