Garamond is a classic serif text typeface of traditional style, with a fabled history. It has often been used in books, and it gives a very distinctive look to any text. Its upright letters are eminently readable, and its sharply cursive italic stands out in contrast for emphasis within a sentence of upright text. Garamond Italic can also make a very stylish headline or title. Garamond is appropriate for long text such as reports and formal correspondence, especially if they need to have a traditional look. The numerals are all the same height as the capital letters, though the original typeface had old-style (lowercase) numerals.
There are many different typefaces called “Garamond,” which can get confusing. This one is Monotype’s version, originally published as a metal typeface in 1922. It was based on the 17th-century typefaces of French type designer Jean Jannon, who in turn was copying the style of the famous 16th-century Paris punchcutter Claude Garamond. Garamond Italic is based on an italic originally cut by another 16th-century French type designer, Robert Granjon. Garamond has no bold italic style.
