A New Tool Font

Carl Shank • November 6, 2023

A New Tool Font. CARE Typography is pleased to announce a new pictogram font, the HandTools Font. This is a font for Macs, Windows and Linux machines crafted in the Open Type (otf) format. While there are many illustrations of hand tools available for image uploads, this font provides some of the more basic hand tools used by a carpenter or construction crew. My father was a finish carpenter and used probably all of these tools at one time or another. The font is black on white and can be used in ads, flyers, articles, news clippings, and so forth. The fact that it is a font allows the user the flexibility to use the font in large sizes, as well as regular text sizes, without losing sharpness of detail.


The HandTools font is available for purchase on this website, either as a single font, or it can be combined with other recently crafted pictogram fonts by CARE Typography. We hope you will like the font!

Successful Layout & Design

Small Caps

By Carl Shank • August 4, 2026
small capitals (often called small caps) are specially designed uppercase letterforms that have the proportions and stroke weight of lowercase letters while retaining the shapes of capitals. They are not simply reduced full capitals; true small capitals are drawn specifically for the typeface. Small capitals originated during the Renaissance as printers sought a harmonious way to incorporate the dignity of Roman capitals into continuous lowercase text. Over five centuries, they became a hallmark of fine typography, especially in books, Bibles, scholarly editions, legal documents, and reference works. When properly designed as true small capitals rather than scaled-down capitals, they provide elegant emphasis, improve textual hierarchy, and contribute to the refined appearance that has characterized high-quality typography since the sixteenth century.

All About Romans

By Carl Shank • August 1, 2026
All About Romans. No, not the Roman Empire, or the Caesars, or Christ, but the typographic distinction between Old Style Roman and Modern Roman typography. Roman typefaces are among the most influential developments in the history of typography. Although all Roman types descend from the humanist writing of the Italian Renaissance, they evolved into distinct stylistic categories over several centuries. Two of the most important are Old Style (Old Face) and Modern (Didone) Roman typefaces. They differ not only in appearance but also in their historical origins, methods of production, readability, and aesthetic philosophy. Old Style and Modern Roman typefaces represent two major stages in the evolution of Western typography. Old Style typefaces preserve the humanist ideals of Renaissance calligraphy, emphasizing warmth, balance, and readability. Modern (Didone) typefaces embody the Enlightenment pursuit of precision and refinement, using strong contrast, vertical stress, and delicate serifs to create a dramatic, sophisticated appearance. Together, they established the foundation for later serif classifications—including Transitional, Slab Serif, and Contemporary designs—and continue to influence typography in publishing, branding, and digital media today.
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