Editor’s note: The following is excerpted from “The Making of Garamond Premier,” by Adobe type designer Robert Slimbach, from the specimen book Garamond Premier Pro: A Contemporary Adaptation, printed with the release of the typeface family in 2005.

To learn more about Adobe Garamond Premier Pro, or to download typefaces, visit the Adobe Garamond Premier Pro web page in the Adobe Store.

Specimen from the Berner typefoundry, Frankfurt (1592). Reduced. Source: Linotype Library GmbH.