In 2002 Matthew Carter was commissioned to create a new design to be cut in wood by the then nascent Hamilton Wood Type Museum. This was significant in that this was the one format for which Carter had not yet designed type. The new design emerged as a two-part chromatic type to be cut specifically in wood. Originally called Carter Latin, the font was renamed Van Lanen after one of the Museum’s founders. The first cutting and printing of the type took place in late 2009 and although it has been available through the Museum, contemporary wood-type production is expensive and few have acquired this font in wood.

The digital version of the pair of Van Lanen fonts is now available. The design recalls Antique Latin wood type, but with a refined sensibility and intentional quirks (like the sideways ampersand). It is a wonderful addition to Carter’s oeuvre, and to the ongoing history of wood type.