Oficina de Tipo: Comparative Study of Wood Type Production Methods (CNC and Pantograph)

This article documents the research work developed by the “Oficina de Tipo”, an academic project aimed at producing wood types to equip a letterpress workshop at the School of Fine Arts and Design (ESAD.CR), contributing to the development of experimental practices, new pedagogical approaches, and to establish an academic and professional network for the study of typography. The research aims to study, recover, and adapt old technologies of movable wood type production for the reproduction of display typefaces created at the academy or identified in private collections to study, preserve, and print with them. This is done through analogical (pantograph) and digital (CNC) means. Based on a literature review of industrial technologies to produce movable wood types, and on expert inquiries, were analysed and reproduced two grotesque uppercase types. The results of the pantograph reproduction showed significant differences in the use of pine, mahogany and ash wood. Mahogany offered better resistance to milling, requiring less finishing and presenting a lower risk of fracture due to its greater resistance to the pressure of the press. In handling the equipment, was observed that letters with concave angles maintain the integral design of the type, while the convex angles are rounded by the cutter. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the drill bits to letters with convex angles of reduced amplitude. The results of the production of characters by CNC presented a uniform cut and recess. At sharper vertices, some letters show a slight curvature compared to letters with concave angles and open counters. Regarding the formal differences between types produced by CNC and pantograph, it is possible to state that the types produced by CNC present a more regular contour and, therefore, require less post-finishing.