Theo Rehak
American typrographer
About Theo Rehak
Lived 1947 – 2024 (aged 76–77). Theo Rehak was an American typographer.
Theo Rehak (1947 – January 11, 2024) was a typefounder and the author of Practical Typecasting , The Fall of ATF; a Serio-Comedic Tragedy and co-author of The Music and Life of Theodore "Fats" Navarro" . He was one of the few remaining craftsmen in the field of metal typefounding. Rehak was the last person trained at American Type Founders before their 1993 bankruptcy. He formed The Dale Guild Type Foundry in 1994, purchasing a significant portion of ATF equipment at the firm's liquidation auction. He was also a historian and has assisted museums, including The Smithsonian, around the world in creating exhibits and demonstrating printing technologies.
The Dale Guild Type Foundry, located in Howell, New Jersey, is one of the last type foundries in the United States to cast hard foundry type. Rehak had several Barth casters, a Benton engraving machine, and a collection of original type matrices. This equipment had enabled Rehak to continue casting functional type of historical importance.
In 1999, The Dale Guild were asked to produce a new, facsimile cutting of Johannes Gutenberg's Biblia Latina types. Rehak, and Alan Waring, the Dale Guild's "Art Department" spent 5 months making drawings, cutting matrices and casting type. This became known as Dale Guild B-42. Because of its numerous alternate characters and ligatures this typeface has about 240 distinct characters.
He also served as President of The Typophiles from 1995 to 2005.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Theo Rehak's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Theo Rehak?
American typrographer
When was Theo Rehak born?
Theo Rehak was born in 1947 in Bridgeport.
When did Theo Rehak die?
Theo Rehak died on 11 January 2024 in Honesdale.
What was Theo Rehak's occupation?
Theo Rehak was a typographer.
What nationality was Theo Rehak?
Theo Rehak was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Theo Rehak. https://biography.guide/theo-rehak/
MLA: "Theo Rehak." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/theo-rehak/.
Chicago: "Theo Rehak." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/theo-rehak/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:20 UTC