Monotype Imaging Debuts Theme-Based, Scalable Fonts for Mobile Phones; Selection Represents an Industry Breakthrough in the Availability of Fonts for Mobile Phone Development.

SAN DIEGO -- Monotype Imaging Inc., a global provider of font and imaging technologies, is introducing a suite of scalable fonts for mobile phones - the first in the industry to offer handset manufacturers, wireless operators, content providers and publishers the ability to integrate into their products readily available typefaces. Tailored for exceptional viewing on small screens, the fonts are based on the OpenType(R) format and are being released as theme-based designs that allow users to imbue their cell phones with personality traits ranging from "exotic" and "friendly" to "athletic" and "powerful."

"Typefaces are a differentiating technology with a powerful edge," said Allan Haley, director of words and letters at Monotype Imaging. "Fonts can have unique looks and personalities, just as people do. Because of varied and distinctive design traits, the right font can allow a product to stand out from the competition and more intimately connect with the user."

"The advantages of fonts can substantially benefit the cell phone market, where growing segments related to multimedia services and content, Web browsing, e-mail, mobile applications, personalized user interface development and office document exchange all depend on text," said John Seguin, senior vice president and general manager of Monotype Imaging's Display Imaging group. "The mobile phone is transforming itself into an indispensable personal computer. At Monotype Imaging, we recognize this revolution and are leading the industry to address and fulfill mobile text needs. The release of our new theme-based font suite is an important step that demonstrates our commitment."

Monotype Imaging's first font suite for mobile devices was derived from the company's Monotype(R) and ITC(R) font libraries, which comprise more than 3,000 typefaces. Traditional, contemporary, headline and display designs were considered during the selection process.

"We looked for designs that displayed high levels of legibility and were capable of establishing a brand identity or theme," Haley said. "We searched for designs with moderate contrast in stroke thickness to take maximum advantage of screen resolution. We looked for typefaces with a marked distinction between medium and bold weights to optimize communication hierarchy, and we sought typefaces with distinct design traits for easy differentiation. In some cases, characters were hand-tuned to ensure maximum fidelity and readability at small sizes."

Monotype Imaging's Mobile Font Suite

ITC Benguiat Gothic(R) Medium (for "exotic" themes)

The ITC Benguiat Gothic typeface features exotic curves, "high-waisted" proportions and distinctive character shapes. Engineered to ensure high legibility at small sizes, the design is appropriate for a variety of communication needs.

ITC Berranger Hand(TM) (for "friendly" themes)

With an air of controlled casualness and with roots in formal calligraphy, the Berranger Hand design is a handwriting script face with the look of contemporary informal lettering, written quickly with a felt-tip pen. In addition to being friendly and distinctive, the Berranger Hand design is also remarkably readable at small sizes.

Blueprint(TM) family (for user interfaces)

The Blueprint typeface family combines distinction and flexibility in an amiable package. Based on "blueprint" lettering, this inviting and versatile design is available in three weights - medium, italic and bold - ideal for UI development.

Letraset Crillee(TM) Italic (for "athletic" themes)

The Letraset Crillee Italic font emphasizes clarity with its sans serif letterforms. The forward angle, curved stroke ends, and the subtle interplay of stroke taper create a script-like appearance. These attributes combined with distinctive character shapes give this design the power and grace of a well trained athlete.

ITC Musclehead(TM) (for "powerful" themes)

The ITC Musclehead font is a broad-brush, extroverted design. There is nothing halfway about this bold, powerful font, suitable for shouting a message or emphasizing a point.

Nadianne(TM) Medium (for "romantic" themes)

The Nadianne Medium design combines the warmth, verve and romance of a script font with the clear character shapes of a sans serif design. The former gives personality to a message while the latter ensures that text is easily read, even at small sizes.

ITC Officina(R) Serif Medium

Designed for maximum performance regardless of text size, the ITC Officina Serif design is somewhat condensed to take advantage of space limitations. This typeface was designed to thrive on any output medium, including display screens.

Utah(R) family (for user interfaces)

Clean, crisp and concise, the variants of the Utah typeface family are based on common character shapes, proportions and a modular structure. The design's simple forms transition easily from graphic arts to mobile phone applications and UI implementations.

About Monotype Imaging

Based in Woburn, Mass. with regional offices in the U.K., Chicago, Redwood City, Calif., Japan and China, Monotype Imaging is the global leader in fonts and font technologies for graphic professionals, software developers and manufacturers of printers and display devices. The company also provides print drivers and color imaging technologies to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). Monotype Imaging is home to the Monotype typeface library, a collection that includes widely used designs such as the Arial(R), Times New Roman(R) and Gill Sans(R) typeface families. Monotype Imaging offers fonts and industry-standard solutions for most of the world's written languages. Information about Monotype Imaging and its products can be found on the company's Web sites at www.monotypeimaging.com, www.fonts.com, www.monotypefonts.com, www.customfonts.com, www.fontwise.com, www.itcfonts.com and www.faces.co.uk.

Monotype and Utah are trademarks of Monotype Imaging Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Nadianne is a trademark of Monotype Imaging Inc. Arial, Times New Roman and Gill Sans are trademarks of The Monotype Corporation registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. Blueprint is a trademark of The Monotype Corporation and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. ITC, ITC Benguiat Gothic and ITC Officina are trademarks of International Typeface Corporation registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. ITC Berranger Hand, Crillee and ITC Musclehead are trademarks of International Typeface Corporation and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. OpenType is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. (C) 2006 Monotype Imaging Inc. All rights reserved.