Letterforms Study Group: Corsivo Inglese in Caratteri—2. Cornuda

June 10, 2025 | Day 2—Tipoteca

The morning walk to the Tipoteca from the Villa Bolzonello. Visible are Richard Ardagh, Riccardo De Franceschi, Yasmin Rodriguez, Breanna Parolini, Julian, Erin Roche, and Gabriella Miyares. The other participants rode bicycles. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Letterpress workshop with Richard Ardagh

This was the first day of the script wood type letterpress workshop at the Tipoteca that was the principal focus of the Letterforms Study Group. After a tour of the Tipoteca, led by Sandro Berra, participants were instructed in how to set metal type using a composing stick. This “boot camp” activity has been carried over from was the last four Legacy of Letters workshops as an introduction to letterpress printing.

Richard Ardagh explaining the lay of the case. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Participants learning to set metal type with a composing stick. Visitors Erik Spiekermann and Susanna Dulkinys are visible at the rear. Photograph by Richard Ardagh 2025.

After boot camp we ate lunch in the rear of the Tipoteca, shaded from the hot sun, by trees. (Le Corderie, the Tipoteca’s restaurant was unfortunately closed during the entire week for vacation.)

In the afternoon, we began our examination of the unusual script wood type that the Tipoteca acquired in 2012 from Industrie Grafiche Stocchetti of Ferrara. The type, whose date of manufacture and creator are unknown, is housed in three drawers labeled Stocchetti 004, Stocchetti 005, and Stocchetti 006.  Thus, we have referred to the font as Stocchetti 004–006. Our original plan to devote the entire five day workshop to this font was upended in the morning when Silvio Antiga, the driving force behind the creation of the Tipoteca, told us that it was too fragile and irreplaceable for anyone other than Richard Ardagh and myself to compose with.

Our revised plan was to compare Stocchetti 004–006, a hand-cut script wood type, with Rosaria 030–032, a machine-cut script wood type, and an unidentified metal script type. Both wood types would be printed on the two Amos Dell’Orto hand presses by Richard while the metal type would be printed on the three cylinder presses by the participants. The new plan was more complex, but also potentially more rewarding. The participants were divided into teams of two with team assigned a specific task: Earl Kallemeyn and Josse Pickard were to record the physical condition of the Stocchetti 004–006 type; Yasmin Rodriguez and Janet Elliott were to record the character set of the Stocchetti 004–006 type; Henri-Paul Bronsard and Gabriella Miyares were to investigate the joining system and spacing material of the Stocchetti 004-006 type; and Riccardo De Franceschi and Erin Roche were to measure all three of the typefaces in relation to their body size, character size, angle of inclination, etc.

Josse Pickard and Earl Kallemeyn recording the physical condition of the Stocchetti 004–006 characters. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Janet Elliott and Yasmin Rodriguez discussing Stocchetti 004–006’s character set. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Henri-Paul Bronsard and Gabriella Miyares measuring the spacing material of Stocchetti 004–006. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Riccardo De Franceschi and Erin Roche discussing the body size of Stocchetti 004–006. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

The first day ended with everyone choosing to eat dinner at Hosteria Guarnier, an outdoor beer garden with grilled meats and basic side dishes (e.g. white beans with red onions, polenta, marinated Tropea onions, etc.). It was a festive atmosphere to celebrate the end of boot camp and our detailed examination of the fascinating Stocchetti 004–006 script wood type.

Dinner at Hosteria Guarnier. Clockwise: Richard Ardagh, Paul Shaw, Yasmin Rodriguez, Gabriella Miyares, Erin Roche, Breanna Pariolini, Henri-Paul Bronsard, Riccardo De Franceschi, and Josse Pickard.

Letterforms Study Group: Corsivo Inglese in Caratteri—3. Cornuda