A typewriter font workshop / 01
The same key.
A different impression.
Exploring the small imperfections that make typed words feel physical.
Ten weights from 100 to 1000, upright and italic, with three levels of wear and ten alternating impressions of each character.
The Last Remaining Typewriter ↗ Explore a special incarnation of TT2026, with bent types and uneven strikes.TT2026 Workshop
These are real font outlines. Change the settings, write something, and let the font do the switching.
Loading the local font manifest…
All impressions keep the same 547-unit advance. Turning alternation off changes the ink, not the character spacing.
Character impressions
Each character is generated in ten impressions, with small variations in pressure and wear. These are stored in the font and alternate as you type.
TT2020 and TT2026
Three original TT2020 styles, paired with approximate TT2026 weight matches. Text, size, wear and italic settings follow the workshop above; these comparison weights are independent of its weight selector.
The same CSS size and text in each pair. Weight matches compare ink coverage, not identical outlines. A □ marks a character missing from the original subset. The original italic retains its original proportions; TT2026 uses 90% height and original outline width.
Reading comparison
18 px, line-height 1.4. Upright and italic share line metrics and advance widths. Judge their size and darkness together.
TT2020 / original
The room was quiet except for the sound of the keys. Every letter carried a little hesitation, a little pressure, a trace of the hand that made it.
She paused, read the sentence again, and added one more word. It was not perfect. It was hers.
TT2026 / selected weight & wear
The room was quiet except for the sound of the keys. Every letter carried a little hesitation, a little pressure, a trace of the hand that made it.
She paused, read the sentence again, and added one more word. It was not perfect. It was hers.
The TT2020 styles switch to the closest approximate weight match for the selected TT2026 weight and wear, matching upright and italic separately.
Typed corrections
Ten changing x marks, dashes and underscores, built into every weight and wear level. The marks reuse existing outlines and leave character spacing unchanged.
The note originally said: Everything is in perfect working order, including the ribbon and every key on this remarkably reliable machine. On second thoughts, it said: still typing.
ss ee oo tt ll mm aa nn
Follows the selected weight, wear and style, using the same font file. Spaces carry corrections too; line breaks stay in place.
Spaces remain spaces. The deleted wording stays selectable and accessible through the HTML del element.
Weight range
All ten weights, upright and italic, at the selected wear level. Faint at one end, flooded with ink at the other.
The process
How the sausage is made
Broad wear fields, irregular internal losses, pooling ink and gentle curve fitting work together. Small details can break without disappearing; punctuation gets a lighter touch.
The inheritance
Thank you, Fredrick.
TT2020 asked a deceptively simple question: why should a worn typewriter leave exactly the same mark twice? TT2026 builds on Brennan’s idea and his open-source letterforms, exploring weight, wear and uneven ink in new ways.
Read the story and remembrance ↗