Nicolas Jenson

Printer and typefounder

French printer in Venice whose roman type of 1470 became a model for centuries.

Nicolas Jenson worked at the mint in Tours before settling as a printer in Venice. His exact year of birth is uncertain.

His roman, first used in 1470, was based on humanist handwriting and had even, light letters. It was admired by William Morris and became the model for several 20th-century typefaces.

• Jenson’s roman