Aldus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A name associated with a historical figure known for contributions to early printing and typography, as well as a brand of software used for desktop publishing and design
2. Refers to a prominent individual in the history of bookmaking who pioneered innovative typefaces and printing techniques, also linked to a software company popular for creating page layouts
3. Denotes both a celebrated printer from the Renaissance era remembered for advancing book production and a modern software suite employed by graphic designers for crafting documents and publications

Etymology: Aldus is the Latinized form of the first name of Aldo Manuzio, the Venetian printer who ran the Aldine Press in Venice. He signed his books with the Latin version of his name, and the name stuck to his press and his famous imprint. Along with his italic typeface, his small octavo volumes were cheap enough to carry in a pocket, and his dolphin-and-anchor device became one of the most recognizable printers' marks of the Renaissance. The name passed into the modern world through software. Aldus Corporation released PageMaker, an early desktop publishing program, which Adobe later acquired. Designers and publishers who used it applied the name to a whole era of page layout, so a Venetian printer's first name ended up attached to computer software.

Synonyms: printer, typographer