Description: (type designer, publisher, typographer, printer)
Aldus Pius Manutius was an Italian printer known for founding the Aldine Press and his contributions to publishing rare Greek and Latin manuscripts. He revolutionized personal reading by introducing the small portable book format and standardizing punctuation. Manutius commissioned typefaces resembling humanist handwriting to preserve the purity of Greek texts, leading to accurate publications that attracted notable figures like Erasmus. Co-founding the Aldine Press in Venice, his innovations were widely adopted despite piracy prevention efforts.