The name Old Style No. 7 comes from a time when foundries released a variety of typefaces under one name. Linotype produced Old Style No. 7, which was based on an early 1870s typeface from the Bruce Typefoundry, which had based its design on a type from the Scottish foundry Miller and Richards.

Old Style No. 7 is a reliable text type that is serviceable for both books and shorter copy demands, such as magazines.