Royal Joh. Enschedé () is a printer of security documents, stamps and banknotes based in Haarlem, Netherlands - it specialises in print, media and security. The company hosted the Museum Enschedé until 1990 and has branches in Amsterdam, Brussels and Haarlem.

On 17 April 2023, Authentix announced that it had completed the acquisition of Joh. Enschedé.

History

The company was founded in 1703, when Izaak Enschedé registered with the Printers Guild in Haarlem.

Joh. Enschedé has long been associated with the printing of banknotes; the company printed the "Robin" (), the very first Dutch banknote, in 1814. Since then, Joh. Enschedé has printed the banknotes of the State of the Netherlands. In 1866, after the death of Johannes Enschedé III, Joh. Enschedé sold the family's book collection and began printing stamps.

Bram de Does designed Trinité while at Enschedé, between 1979 and 1982.

Enschedé produced many other typefaces with matrices from other typefoundries for handsetting:

Many Monotype faces were cast on Monotype machines and delivered to the customers.

Besides all this Enschedé offered in the 1968 character proof:

  • Monotype faces in small corpses:
  • Monophoto
  • Linotype
  • Baskerville, 11D, 10D, 9D, 8D
  • Spartan (typeface), 14D, 12D, 10D, 9pt, 8D, 6D
  • Times New Roman, 11D, 10D, 9D, 7D, 5,5D
  • Times New Roman Bold, 11D, 10D, 9D, 8D, 7D, 6D
  • Intertype faces.
  • Folio Grotesk 230, 12D, 10D, 9D, 8D, 6D
  • Folio Grotesk half bold 228, 12D, 10D, 9D, 8D, 6D

Anniversaries

thumb|Title page of Enschedé gedenkschrift 1743-1893.

In 1893 for their 150th anniversary, a memorial book was commissioned called Enschedé gedenkschrift 1743-1893. The book was such a success that ten years later they decided to open a museum with artefacts from their archives, and in 1904 Museum Enschedé was founded in the old type foundry.

In 1978, to celebrate their 275th anniversary, Enschedé commissioned Bram de Does, one of Holland’s leading typographers, to design a digital typeface specifically for phototypesetting. The result was Trinité, a face which clearly shows its provenance and which continues the tradition of type design established at Enschedé so many years before.

During the celebrations for the company's 300th anniversary of Joh. Enschedé in 2003, the company received the designation "Royal" from Queen Beatrix.

The company is a certified Euro banknotes printer, and produces euro notes for five EU countries.

References

  • Enschedé, Letterproef van de drukkerij, Haarlem/Holland, 1968
  • Jaspert, W. Pincus, W. Turner Berry and A.F. Johnson. The Encyclopedia of Type Faces. Blandford Press Lts.: 1953, 1983. .
  • Friedl, Ott, and Stein, Typography: an Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Throughout History. Black Dog & Levinthal Publishers: 1998. .
  • Joh. Enschedé Amsterdam department
  • Joh. Enschedé IT & Consultancy
  • Joh. Enschedé Belgium department
  • Joh. Enschedé online publication platform

Historical materials:

  • Proef van letteren, Enschedé type specimen of 1768. An annotated edition with commentary has also been published authored by John A. Lane. Many fonts are by Fleischmann. Also lower-quality scan on Google Books
  • Proeve van letteren, Enschedé type specimen of 1825.
  • Lyst der pryzen van alle uitmuntende letteren, door wylen den heer J.M. Fleischman (historic price list)
  • Dutch Typefounders Specimens , Lane, Lommen & de Zoete - material on the history of Enschedé in the eighteenth century