Exemplaria (Writing Samples)

View these exemplaria to see how the various nib styles and sizes affect the appearance of the writing. These samples were lettered by Antonios Zavaliangos using reground nibs that I created for his use. Your results are likely to differ; these exemplaria are for illustration purposes only.

Each exemplar will appear in a pop-up window. These images were scanned at 1.5X actual size, but the size they appear on your screen depends on your monitor’s size and resolution setting. To download an actual-size printable version in PDF format (for Adobe Reader), right-click the download PDF version link for the exemplar you want to view. (Macintosh users control-click)

Click this button to download a free copy of Adobe Reader.

The text used for these exemplaria is the first sentence of General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s radio message announcing the Normandy invasion of June 6, 1944, to the people of Europe.

• Crisp italic, 0.5 mm: view on screen — download PDF version
• Crisp italic, 0.7 mm: view on screen — download PDF version
• Crisp italic, 0.9 mm: view on screen — download PDF version
• Crisp italic, 1.1 mm: view on screen — download PDF version
   
• Cursive italic, 0.9 mm: view on screen — download PDF version
• 15° left-foot oblique cursive italic, 0.9 mm: view on screen — download PDF version
• 15° right-foot oblique cursive italic, 0.9 mm: view on screen — download PDF version
• 30° left-foot oblique cursive italic, 0.9 mm: view on screen — download PDF version
   
  
• Stub italic, 0.6 mm: view on screen — download PDF version
• Stub italic, 0.8 mm: view on screen — download PDF version
• Stub italic, 1.0 mm: view on screen — download PDF version
   
• XXF round nib (0.3-mm stroke): view on screen — download PDF version
• XXXF round nib (0.2-mm stroke): view on screen — download PDF version
   
• XXF vintage-style flexible duo-point nib (XXXF inverted): view on screen — download PDF version