Letraset tried to make the transition to digital. At one time, it had a number of decent graphic-arts software, including a viable Photoshop competitor called Color Studio (licensed from Fractal Design) and a page-layout program called Ready, Set, Go! (licensed from Manhattan Graphics). But Letraset tried to sell its software and fonts through art stores, which didn’t turn out to be a successful model.
So the company never got traction in the modern graphic arts world. Apparently, though, Letraset has found a new life among Manga artists who use the company’s tonal shading sheets in the genre’s distinctive artwork.
The company, which was once owned by office-supply giant Esselte Corporation, now appears to be independent and still makes dry-transfer type and other craft supplies.
I don’t miss having a drawer full of dry-transfer type. There were never enough letters, they never really worked well, and if you needed to center something, you either had to have a great eye or take a series of ultra-precise measurements. The only thing harder than getting dry-transfer type to stick on the paper was getting it off if you made a mistake, which almost always meant starting from scratch.
On the plus side, using one-letter-at-a-time dry-transfer type taught you a lot about letter spacing and kerning, not to mention how to swear.
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This article was last modified on May 17, 2023
This article was first published on September 17, 2010
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