At first glance, the lettering style of Technopen JNL seems to emulate the computer-age fonts of the 1980s. In actuality, this font is derived from an alphabet sample found in an instructional booklet for the Esterbrook Drawlet Pens.

The Drawlet line was Esterbrook’s answer to the iconic Speedball pen points sold through their chief competitor, the Hunt Pen Manufacturing Company.

So, what seems to be late 20th Century typography is actually from vintage source material. In fact, the entire contents of the instructional booklet were copyright 1929!

A few minor changes were made to the original A-Z alphabet and additional characters were added. The name Technopen is a shortening of the term ‘technical pen’, which is both a nod to the techno age of the 80s and the technical instruments of the past utilized for drawing and lettering.