This is lettering with Lettering Inc styles – print ad, 1949

This 1949 ad highlights the early photo-lettering services offered by Lettering Inc. of Chicago and its Toronto franchise. Unlike traditional metal type, photo-lettering allowed artists to quickly compose headlines from photographic masters – offering custom sizes, styles, and tight spacing that metal type couldn’t match. It was faster and more cost-effective than hand-lettering, which had long dominated advertising typography.

The headline styles shown here were ordered by number, not name. The ad’s body copy, reveals one of the technical limitations of early text setting with display alphabets – notably the broken hairlines, which later led Lettering Inc. to develop ‘Custom Composition’ alphabets with strengthened hairlines for setting text. While this process never really caught on, it foreshadowed the merging of hand-lettering and type design.

Lettering Inc. also pioneered the franchise model, licensing their system to shops across the U.S. – and in Toronto. By the 1960s, firms like Cooper & Beatty (Headliners) and Mono Lino (Lettering Inc.) had integrated photo-lettering into their services, helping shape the look of Canadian advertising typography during the mid-century period. – Rod McDonald

Artifact Text

This is lettering with Lettering Inc styles

Heading effectiveness is increased through thoughtful use of lettering. This is lettering, produced photographically by artists. This is lettering, carefully and correctly rendered for assembly to your order. This is lettering, dependable, constant, fast, inexpensive. There are hundreds of useful Lettering Inc Styles to choose and use in our new catalogs. This is lettering, excellent in quality, same-priced by the word regardless of style. This is lettering, with facility, by mail or phone and by representative.

Lettering Inc of Canada, Limited
220 Richmond Street, W Toronto
Elgin 7843

Lettering Inc
75 E. Wacker Drive Chicago, 1
State 2–2860

119 W 57th Street New York, 19
Circle 6–0135

Philadelphia
Phone: Locust 4–3663

Lettering Inc produces more lettering than any other organization in the world.