Are you struggling to repro paperwork? If you’re like me, you end up spending hours searching for just the right font to make WWII signs, etc.   A mis-calculation on font choice can end up having the whole thing look like it’s hot off your laser printer in 2011 instead of looking like it’s hot of the 1945 presses.

Luckily for you, most software programs have done some of the work for you.  Almost all programs have some version of Courier on it.  That’s your standard typewriter font.  Times – well, that’s your newspaper font.  If you are a mac user, though, beware – Helvetica is a swiss font from 1957.   Instead, you might want to try Akzidenz Grotesk circa 1896 (which is the inspiration for Helvetica).   Futura and News Gothic also fit the bill.

Gill Sans, dating back to 1926, was famously used on the London Underground signs.  Can we say “Keep Calm and Carry on”?

For those of you who do German, Twentieth Century is a 1920′s German font.  It’s quite popular on signs and packaging of the period.   Of course, you’ll also need some form of  old-style German lettering.  Deutsch Gothic, and Fraktur are two favorites.   Be careful with German lettering, though, especially if you need an umlaut – many free font packages don’t come with them.  Also, make sure that you run your text through a translator, even if you are proficient in the language.    You may notice that thanks to the relationship between the German language and Cyrillic type, you’ll find some letters that don’t LOOK like the right letters.