A
01 / 042026
Type design
Sereno — display family, six weights
Foundry 47
Press open · two custom slots, autumn 2026
CDMX · Roma Norte04.26 — runs at 14:32
L/s
Letterset
A typography studio
Specimen · vol. 14 · 2026
Rafael
Romero.
Type design, lettering and editorial typography from a small press in Mexico City. Optimised for ink, calibrated for screen.
14
yrs cutting
23
families
94.6%
client retention
Specimen 014 · Sereno
Aa
Display · 6 weights · variable
In press
Sereno 2.0 — proofs in May
Brands · presses · platforms
Mercury OSFoundry 47Verge EditionsKarmel PressMaison ChâteauPlover StudioNorthwind LabsField Notes Co.Linnea BakerySumiya EditionsMercury OSFoundry 47Verge EditionsKarmel PressMaison ChâteauPlover StudioNorthwind LabsField Notes Co.Linnea BakerySumiya Editions
Selected work · 2024 — 2026
The specimen.
B
02 / 042025
Lettering
Mercury 4.0 wordmark cut
Mercury OS
C
03 / 042025
Editorial typography
Specimen book — Volume Six
Karmel Press
D
04 / 042024
Type design
Atrio — text companion italic
Verge Editions
Press process
Three plates,
three colours.
Every job moves through the press in three runs. Cyan, magenta, yellow — or, in studio shorthand, sketch, set, sign-off.
Always proofed in print first
C
Sketch
Pencil sketches in three optical sizes. Sign-off lives here, before any vector.
M
Set
Vector cutting & spacing in InDesign — sample paragraphs typeset, kerning groups defined.
Y
Sign-off
Letterpress proof on cotton. Final files & specimen sheet shipped together.
Letterset vs. agency type
The press difference.
Practice point
Letterset
Branding agency
Who cuts the type
Rafael, every glyph
Pooled vendor
Optical sizes
Three, by default
One, scaled
Italic & roman
Cut in parallel
Italic added later
Specimen book
Included, printed
Digital PDF
Variable axes
At least one
Often none
Rafael cut us a wordmark we still recognise from across a crowded room. Three years on, untouched.
Soraya Mehta
Brand, Mercury OS
0
Years cutting type
0
Families released
0
Wordmarks live
0
Glyphs in archive
Engagement
Three ways to book the press.
The studio takes about twelve commissions a year. Families take longer; the calendar is honest.
Tier
Investment
Window
Includes
Mark
from $4,800
Wordmark, 4 weeks
- 3 letterforms explored
- Optical adjustments
- Vector + working files
Suite
Most engaged
from $14,000
Mark + 2 supporting marks, 8 weeks
- Master mark + variants
- Italic + tabular figures
- Brand-side application notes
Family
by project
Display family, 4–6 months
- 3–6 weights, italic & roman
- OpenType programming
- Foundry release support
Common questions
Before the press starts.
Not here? Write — studio@letterset.mx
From the press
Recent notes.
04 / 2026Type
Sereno 2.0 in proofs. Smaller counters, quieter terminals.
Read note
03 / 2026Talk
Speaking at TYPE Mexico City — 'On registration & restraint'.
Read note
02 / 2026Studio
Welcomed Elena Voss as text-companion designer.
Read note
01 / 2026Press
Specimen Book Six on press in Bogotá — 1,200 copies.
Read note
Brief the press
Send a word.
A whole sentence.
Most jobs begin with a single word repeated. Drop a line — the studio will respond with a quoted alphabet, never a deck.