thumb|Portrait of Johann Froben by [[Hans Holbein the Younger, 1522–23. Froben commissioned many book illustrations from Holbein.]]
thumb|Printer's device of Johann Froben, by [[Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1523]]
Johann Froben, in Latin: Johannes Frobenius (and combinations), (c. 1460 – 27 October 1527) was a famous printer, publisher and learned Renaissance humanist in Basel. He was a close friend of Erasmus and cooperated closely with Hans Holbein the Younger. He made Basel one of the world's leading centres of the book trade. He passed his printing business on to his son, Hieronymus, and grandson, Ambrosius Frobenius.
Early life and printing partnership
Johann Froben was born in Hammelburg, Franconia and appears the first time at the workshop of the printer of Anton Koberger of Nuremberg in 1486. He moved to Basel in the 1480s. He soon attained a European reputation for accuracy and taste. In 1500, he married the daughter of the bookseller Wolfgang Lachner, Gertrude Lachner, who entered into a partnership with him. It was part of Froben's plan to print editions of the Greek Fathers. In 1492 he printed Johann Heynlin's Resolutorum Dubiuosum. The printing partnership would be known as the Three Hannsen (Hannsen meant as an abbreviation of Johannes). In 1507 he bought Amerbach’s printing house in the Haus zum Sessel. In 1514 Erasmus settled to Basel.
Froben became friends with Erasmus, who lived in his house when in Basel, and not only had his own works printed by him from 1514,
thumb|upright=1.25|Epitaph for Johann Froben in Basel Peterskirche
Froben employed Hans Holbein the Younger, Urs Graf and Albrecht Dürer to illustrate his texts. Besides he also employed well known formschneiders like Jakob Faber (the "Master IF") and Hans Lützelburger, who was regarded as one of the finest formscheiders of his time. Holbein painted a portrait of Froben in the 1520s. Holbein also painted the device with Hermes’ caduceus which Froben used from 1523 onwards.
Death
Upon his death in October 1527 in Basel, Froben was succeeded by his son Hieronymus Froben, who carried on the business in collaboration with Johann Herwagen and later Nikolaus Episcopius. Johannes Froben’s memorial plaque in the Hebrew – Greek – Latin languages is located in the Peter’s Church in Basel