What Process Type Foundry does

Process Type Foundry, LLC is a privately held, independent type foundry headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, founded in 2002 by Eric Olson and operated as a partnership with typeface designer Nicole Dotin. The company designs and publishes original typeface families for retail sale and produces custom typefaces for clients; its library comprises roughly 30 font families spanning workhorse sans-serifs (Klavika, Colfax, Maple), serifs (Elena), display and script faces (Pique, Locator Display), and a newer generation of variable-font-enabled families (Sculpin, Indivisible, Moniker). Products are delivered across three license tiers — Desktop (OpenType), Webfont (WOFF, WOFF2, EOT), and Mobile App (TrueType) — and additional revenue comes from Fontstand-based monthly rentals and bespoke custom design work for clients such as Facebook, Apple, the New York Times, Thomson Reuters, and the Houston Texans.

Technically, the foundry operates a self-serve e-commerce platform (processtypefoundry.com) with a type tester, multi-currency checkout (USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD), and an upgrade program that credits prior purchases toward larger family packages. Fonts are delivered in cross-platform formats with Unicode and OpenType features, support Extended Latin character sets covering 70+ languages, and increasingly ship with variable-font axes that reduce web payload and enable weight/width interpolation. Distribution extends beyond the proprietary storefront via the Typekit/Adobe Fonts integration (free activation with webfont purchases) and the Fontstand rental channel (3-hour free trial, 10% retail monthly, ownership at 120% after 12 months).

The business model combines long-tail retail licensing with episodic high-value custom commissions. Retail desktop licenses range from roughly $39 for a single style up to $179 for a complete family, with larger packs and super families priced higher; webfont licenses scale by average monthly pageviews with custom quotes beyond 10M; and mobile app licenses are a flat one-time fee covering unlimited end users. Educational discounts for universities and globally accessible distribution indicate a horizontally segmented customer base of designers, developers, and brand owners rather than a vertically concentrated enterprise motion.

Name

Process Type Foundry

Legal name

Process Type Foundry, LLC

Website

https://processtypefoundry.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Process Type Foundry is an independent Minneapolis-based type foundry (founded 2002) that designs, publishes, and licenses a library of 30+ original typeface families across desktop, web, and mobile use cases, and provides custom typeface design for clients such as Facebook, Apple, and the New York Times.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Desktop Font Licenses: One-time license fees for desktop OpenType fonts installed on computers. License is per computer with options for singles, packs, complete families, or super families. Desktop fonts are the most common purchase for creating brochures, posters, logos, signage, PDFs, and website mock-ups.
2. Webfont Licenses: Licensed by average monthly pageviews. One-time purchase allows unlimited websites owned by licensee. Fonts served via CSS @font-face rule or Typekit. Pageview tiers available up to 10 million pageviews with option for custom quotes beyond that.
3. Mobile App Licenses: One-time fee license for embedding fonts in mobile applications. Fonts provided in TrueType format. One-time fee covers unlimited app users/downloads - no tracking of sales or downloads required.
4. Font Rental (via Fontstand): Fontstand partnership allows monthly font rental at 10% of retail price. After 12 months of rental payments (120% of price), the font becomes owned outright. Also offers free 3-hour trial periods.
5. Custom Typeface Design: Custom typefaces tailor-made for clients with unique typographic needs. Includes typefaces from scratch, modifications to fonts in their library, or licensing solutions for large scale applications. Clients include Houston Texans, Facebook, Thomson Reuters, Times Magazine.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Process Type Foundry is an independent type design studio that creates and licenses original typeface families for desktop, web, and mobile app use. The studio sells its library of 30+ typeface families through direct website downloads under multiple license types, and provides custom typeface design services for enterprise clients seeking unique brand typography.

Product overview

Process Type Foundry is a type design studio offering a portfolio of 31 original typeface families for retail sale, alongside custom font creation services. The product portfolio centers on three licensing tiers: Desktop Font License (OpenType for computer installation), Webfont License (WOFF/WOFF2/EOT for CSS @font-face implementation), and Mobile App Font License (TrueType for app embedding). Notable typefaces include Klavika, Colfax, and Maple (Eric Olson's prominent designs), Elena and Pique (Nicole Dotin's work), and newer releases like Moniker and Sculpin. The foundry also provides custom typeface design for clients including Facebook, Thomson Reuters, and the Houston Texans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Klavika

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced webfont file size with variable fonts: Indivisible variable font is 108k vs 476k for traditional family (77% reduction)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FontstandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFontstand is a Mac and Windows application for testing and renting fonts on a monthly basis. Process Type Foundry's entire library is available on Fontstand. Users can try fonts at no cost for 3 hours, or rent them for 10% of retail price monthly. After renting for 12 months (120% of price), the font is owned outright. This partnership provides an additional distribution channel for Process Type Foundry fonts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Typotheque: Dutch independent foundry (Frank Blokland) known for retail and custom typeface work, plus font tech innovation (e.g., Variable Fonts, TYPETR substrates). Comparable boutique foundry with similar catalog-plus-custom structure.
• Klim Type Foundry: New Zealand-based independent type foundry founded by Kris Sowersby. Operates the same boutique model of original retail typefaces plus custom commissions, and is among the most-cited comparables for Process Type Foundry's positioning.
• Frere-Jones Type: Independent foundry of Tobias Frere-Jones, a leading type designer. Comparable as a designer-led boutique foundry offering retail and custom typefaces; Process Type Foundry lists Frere-Jones Type among collaborators.
• TypeTogether: Independent foundry founded by José Scaglione and Veronika Burian, focused on retail typefaces, custom design, and type education. Closely comparable boutique foundry model.
• Grilli Type: Swiss independent foundry (Noah Jacobus, Reto Moser, Thierry Blancpain) producing retail typefaces and custom work. Closely comparable as a small, designer-led foundry with both catalog and custom operations.
• Production Type: French independent foundry with retail and custom typeface practices serving brand clients. Directly comparable boutique foundry model and customer profile.
• Bold Monday: Dutch independent foundry offering retail typefaces and custom type design. Closely comparable boutique foundry structure serving similar designer and brand customers.
• Commercial Type: Independent foundry offering retail typefaces and bespoke custom typefaces for major brand clients. Directly comparable in business model (original retail faces + custom commissions for enterprise brands).

Broad incumbents

• Monotype: Largest global typeface company, parent of Hoefler & Co. and owner of MyFonts. Overlaps with Process Type Foundry across retail fonts, custom typefaces (e.g., for major brands), and webfont distribution, but at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Adobe Fonts (Typekit): Adobe's webfont subscription service integrates Process Type Foundry's library for free activation. Functions as both a distribution partner and a broad incumbent competitor with thousands of subscription-included fonts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ProcessType
• Instagraminstagram.com/process_type
• Xx.com/processtype

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Process Type Foundry