VGC Photo Typositor 3000/3100 and 3200 logos
The Photo Typositor was a major display phototypesetting machine invented by Murray Friedel in 1959 and marketed by the Visual Graphics Corporation (VGC). [Peter Bain]
The Photo Typositor 3000, which was advertised as new in U&lc, vol. 2, no. 2 from June 1975, and its follow-up, the 3100, have a nameplate in tightly spaced caps from Skin & Bones, a bi-line typeface designed by Douglas F. Jones and released by VGC in circa 1972.
The logo for the 3200 model switches to another variety of Bauhaus-y letterforms [edit: namely Blippo, see the comment by Mark Simonson]. The name is now rendered as “phototypositor”, in all lowercase letters, without space.
“Delicious branding” — the Photo Typositor 3100, found by Tamye Riggs at the Museum of Printing History in North Andover, Mass.
The Museum of the Printing Arts in Leipzig is home to a Photo Typositor 3200.
The Photo Typositor 3200 in a magazine ad from 1985. The ad typography is in Korinna.
“Typography … at your fingertips!” An earlier version of the Photo Typositor, featuring a logo in custom sans serif caps with an extended ‘T’ bar.
10 Comments on “VGC Photo Typositor 3000/3100 and 3200 logos”
This is fascinating—thanks for posting this.
It’s a bit hard to see, but I think the later logo was set in Blippo.
Thanks, Mark! I had checked several of the usual suspects, but must have skipped Blippo. With the characteristic ‘2’ and ‘3’, it indeed looks like a match. This (lighter) Bold weight is not available in digital form, is it?
Thank you so much for posting this. Murray Friedel was my grandfather. He was also an amazing photographer.
I used to earn my living working on the typo. Magic days
I was Service Manager for VGC in Chicago from 1969 to 1972 and then in Paramount, Ca. from 1972 to 1974. Their purchase of a huge facility in Tamarac, Florida I believe became their downfall.
I used Typositors, made custom fonts for typositors. I also sold fonts for them. I’ve even set Blippo on them. The first time I saw a Linotype imagesetter setting over 100 pt. sharper than remotely possible on film projection I knew their time was limited.
I worked at VGC in 1976 filling and shipping orders from Paramount CA for all you talented people. It was nice to see the old pictures. PS, I am sorry if I ever sent you the wrong font…
Great to see the old 'typo’ again.
Worked on that in 1978 in London, home of print in UK.
Back in the 80’s I would set all of the story headlines for Hi-Torque publications like ‘Dirt Bike’ and ‘Motocross’, with the Photo Typositor. It was kinda fun…
I have a photo typositor sitting in a building. Can anyone tell me if it is worth anything. Who would be interested in it etc.
thanks, Cari