Garamond, Claude

Claude Garamond, Garamond also spelled Garamont, (born 1499, Paris, France—died 1561, Paris), French type designer and publisher.

Garamond was apprenticed about 1510 to Antoine Augerau and by 1520 was working with the typefounder Geoffroy Tory. His first romans and his grecs du roi were cut for the firm of Robert Estienne. In 1545 he began to publish books; apparently he was not successful in business, for he died in poverty.

Garamond was one of the first punch cutters to work independently of printers. His roman fonts, cut from 1531 onward, surpassed the best existing romans in grace and clarity and influenced European punch cutters for 150 years. His Greek type set the pattern for Greek printing until the early 19th century. Modern typefaces bearing his name were patterned after other faces mistakenly attributed to Garamond.