Royal Joh. Enschedé (Dutch: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé) is a printer of security documents, stamps and banknotes based in Haarlem, Netherlands - it specialises in print, media and security. The company hosted the Museum Enschedé until 1990 and has branches in Amsterdam, Brussels and Haarlem.
On April 17, 2023, Authentix announced that it had completed the acquisition of Joh. Enschedé.[1]
History
The company was founded in 1703, when Izaak Enschedé registered with the Printers Guild in Haarlem.[2]
Joh. Enschedé has long been associated with the printing of banknotes; the company printed the "Robin" (Dutch: Roodborstje), the very first Dutch banknote, in 1814.[3] Since then, Joh. Enschedé has printed the banknotes of the State of the Netherlands. In 1866, after the death of Johannes Enschedé III, Joh. Enschedé sold the family's book collection and began printing stamps.[2]
Typefounding
Enschedé began manufacturing type in 1743 after purchasing the foundry of Hendrik Wetstein, and the foundry soon became the most important part of Enschedé’s business.[2] The famous punch-cutter Joan Michael Fleischman was employed there in the eighteenth century.
Its type business flourished throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and in the twentieth century the foundry achieved widespread international acclaim through the design and production of types of Jan van Krimpen.
In 1893 for their 150th anniversary, a memorial book was commissioned called Enschedé gedenkschrift 1743-1893. The book was such a success that ten years later they decided to open a museum with artefacts from their archives, and in 1904 Museum Enschedé was founded in the old type foundry.
In 1978, to celebrate their 275th anniversary, Enschedé commissioned Bram de Does, one of Holland’s leading typographers, to design a digital typeface specifically for phototypesetting. The result was Trinité, a face which clearly shows its provenance and which continues the tradition of type design established at Enschedé so many years before.
During the celebrations for the company's 300th anniversary of Joh. Enschedé in 2003, the company received the designation "Royal" from Queen Beatrix.[2]
Izaak and Johan Enschede, founders
The Enschedé type foundry in Haarlem in 1768
Men at work in Haarlem type foundry in 1892
Memorial plaque on original site of Johan Enschede foundry on the Klokhuisplein behind the Sint-Bavokerk.
Services
Today Joh. Enschedé specialises in security document design and printing (banknotes, postage stamps, parking permits, etc.), commercial print (annual reports, catalogues) and online document publication.[5]
Joh. Enschedé prints stamps for more than sixty countries.
Controversies
In 2016 reports emerged of the theft of 'a significant sum' of 50 euro notes at Joh. Enschedé during the course of two years. According to Dutch police, the theft was committed by several employees of the company.[6]
References
Enschedé, Letterproef van de drukkerij, Haarlem/Holland, 1968
Jaspert, W. Pincus, W. Turner Berry and A.F. Johnson. The Encyclopedia of Type Faces. Blandford Press Lts.: 1953, 1983. ISBN0-7137-1347-X.
Friedl, Ott, and Stein, Typography: an Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Throughout History. Black Dog & Levinthal Publishers: 1998. ISBN1-57912-023-7.
^"Stempel in de Stad – 310 jaar Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé" (Imprint in the City – 310 years Royal Joh. Enschedé) in Haarlem, from May 4 until September 28, 2013
^Jaspert, W. Pincus, W. Turner Berry and A.F. Johnson. The Encyclopedia of Type Faces. Blandford Press Lts.: 1953, 1983, ISBN0-7137-1347-X, p. 2408-249
Proef van letteren, Enschedé type specimen of 1768. An annotated edition with commentary has also been published authored by John A. Lane. Many fonts are by Fleischmann. Also lower-quality scan on Google Books
