Printer's marks

Printers' marks were identifying symbols used by early modern printers to sign their work. Often found on title pages, they combined imagery with initials or mottos. These marks served as a guarantee of quality and helped establish a printer's identity in a growing book market. Today, they offer valuable insights for book historical research.
monogram34

Joseph de Busscher

1741 - 1824

Alban Butler, De levens der hh. vaders, der martelaeren, en van d'andere voornaeme heyligen (1791-1794), Universiteit Antwerpen - CST MAG-P 12.636:1-8 (3# f. H8 verso)

Johan Veldener

- 1529

KUL-BC Inc.129 (f. [h]8 recto): Printer's device

  • 1475
  • monogramcoat of arms of Leuven
  • bio

    Johann Veldener (born in Würzburg, died in Leuven between 1486 and 1496), also known as Jan Veldener or Johan Veldenaer; was an early printer in Flanders. He worked as a punchcutter and printer in Cologne, together with William Caxton, who may have financed his first books. They both left for Flanders in 1472. Evidence indicates that Veldener assisted Caxton in setting up his printing office in Bruges and helped printing his first work there, the 1472-1473 Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye by Raoul Lefèvre. Afterwards, Veldener went to Leuven and set up his printing company there, becoming the second printer in Leuven after John of Westphalia, and the third or fourth in the Netherlands. He entered the Leuven University on 30 July 1473 in the faculty of Medicine. He left Leuven in 1477, after the death of Charles the Bold caused unrest in the city, and went to Utrecht. When that city also became troubled, he left for Culemborg, and finally returned to Leuven in 1484. Veldener was also known for creating typefaces, both for his own work and for others, and Caxton is believed to have taken one of Veldener's typefaces with him to England and used it among others on his first edition of the Canterbury Tales. It is probable that he later bought a number of other typefaces from Veldener as well. While in Utrecht, Veldener also supposedly wrote a Chronyck van Hollandt, Zeelandt, ende Westvrieslandt (a Chronicle of Holland, Sealand, and Western Friesland), which was reprinted in 1650 in Utrecht. Other works attributed to him are the Cronijcken van Enghelant (a chronicle of the English kings until 1460), Cronijcken van Utrecht (a history of the Bishopric of Utrecht), Cronijcken van Gelre, Cronijcken van Cleve and the Cronijcken van Brabant. Currently it is believed that these works were anonymous and printed by him, and that the later attributions to him as writer are erroneous. wikipedia

Philips van Eyck

1633 - 1707

Marcos Fernandez (1655). Olla podrida a la Española, compuesta i façonada en la description de Munster en Vesfalia con salsa Sarracena i Africana, Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience C 1866 (f. O6 verso).

Catharina van Boeckel

Het leven ende martyrie vanden H. Adrianvs by William Zeebots (1662), Katholic University Leuven, Special Collections BTAB CaaA 1220:3.

Martinus I van Bossuyt

Oratio fvnebris habita Mechliniæ in solennibus exequiis illustrissimi ac reverendissimi domini by Johannes vander Linden (1668), Stadsarchief Mechelen M.00143(a) (f. D4 verso).

Pierre Hacquebaud

Pharmacopoea by Jan van Troyen (1671), Katholic University Leuven, Special Collections RB10005 (f. [a]1 recto).

Jan Jaye

1619 - 1690

Reflexions de justice & d'equité en la cause de by C.C. van Blitterswijck (1689), Stadsarchief Mechelen M.00562(a) (f. π1 recto).

Andreas Jaye

Officium S. Victoris martyris (1692), Stadsarchief Mechelen M.03576(a) (f. [A]1 recto).

Leonard vande Walle

Traite nouveau de l'usage du compas de proportion by Charles d' Eendero (1695), Public Library Bruges 2038 (f. [*]1 recto).

Jan Danckaert

Historie ofte Kort verhael van den oorspronck des alder-volsten aflaet van Portiuncula (1698), Universiteit Gent G.001507.

Ignatius van Pee

- 1700

Conditien ende ordonnantien op het faict vande verpachtinghe (1698), Public Library Bruges S26-VII (f. A2 verso).

Henricus van Overbeke

1660 - 1704

Declaratio plenior circa articulos doctrinæ in Belgio controversæ (1701), Public Library Bruges 1842b (f. [A]1 recto).

Josse van Pee

Specie-boecxken vervattende een kort bondigh onderwys met een uyt-gherekent tafelken by Donaes vanden Bogaerde (1701), Public Library Bruges 12/559c (f. 2[A]1 recto).

Cornelis Meyer

- 1734

Den wysen geck by Jan de Grieck (1705), Public Library Bruges GGB308 (f. A1 recto).

Maria Magdalena Jouret

Les oeuvres de sainte Therese by Teresa of Avila (1707), Stadsarchief Mechelen A.10234:1-5 (5# f. A1 recto).

Jan Baptist Verhulst

- 1724

Gheestigheden der Vlaemsche rhym-const by Jan Pieter van Male (1708), Public Library Bruges 2/619 (f. π1 recto).

Simon t'Serstevens

1668 - 1737

La manne celeste de l'ame by Paolo Segneri (1714), Katholic University Leuven, Mauritz Sabbe Library 2-021142/A (f. A1 recto).

Johannes Paulus Robyns

A. Poirters: Ydelheyd des werelds (1714), SESA Mechelen, M.04766(a) (f. π2 recto)

Paulus I Roose

Pratique de la benediction et consecration des vierges (1716), Public Library Bruges B516 (f. π2 recto).

Petrus van Langenacker

Privilegien statuyten ende reglementen der stadt Hasselt by Josephus Clemens van Beieren [prince-bishop of Liege] (1716), Stadsarchief Mechelen A.15968/A (f. 2F2 verso).

Franciscus Ignatius Vinck

1743 - 1798

Historia ecclesiastica ducatus Geldriæ by Joannes Knippenbergh (1719), Public Library Bruges 2772 (f. *1 recto).

Andreas Wydts

- 1749

Matthias Faber (1723). Conciones funebres, Openbare Bibliotheek Brugge 5/582 (f. Z3 verso).

Petrus Grangé

- 1734

Christelycke onderrichtinghen weghens de kennisse van Godt by Lambertus Baerts (1724), Stadsarchief Mechelen M.04772(a) (f. π2 recto).

Joannes Baptista II Verdussen

1659 - 1759

Anonymous (1726). Corpus juris civilis Romani, Openbare Bibliotheek Brugge FAVA kl. II 129 (1# f. π1 recto).

Anna Quarré

De trauwe van Marie de Valois princesse van Bourgongne by Jan Antoon Labare (1727), Public Library Bruges S236 (f. π1 recto).

Jacobus van Gaesbeeck

- 1746

Bibliotheca ecclesiastica (1736), Stadsarchief Mechelen A.11214 (f. π1 recto).

Jean-Baptiste Macqué

Theses theologicæ de extrema unctione by Willibrord Joris (1774), Public Library Bruges S169 2 (f. [A]1 recto).

Jean Moris

Coutumes et extrait des ordonnances du pays et comté de Namur (1757), Public Library Bruges FAVA kl. I 28 (f. A1 recto).

Joannes Judocus Gerardus de Marcour

1731 - 1797

Den Nederlandschen negotiant (1764), Antwerp University, Central Library MAG-P 11.47.9 (f. a3 recto).

Petrus de Sloovere

1712 - 1767

Reductie van het Frans-gelt (1765), Public Library Bruges B347 1766 c (f. D3 recto).

Joannes Godefridus Josephus de Roveroy

1729 -

Almanach voor heden en morgen by Petrus Croon (1767), Stadsarchief Mechelen M.01473(a)/B (f. N2 recto).

Johannes de Groot

Epreuve des caracteres qui se fondoient ci-devant a La Haye dans la fonderie de J. De Groot (1788), Stadsarchief Mechelen M.01126(a) (f. π1 recto).

Matthieu Lemaire

1750 - 1805

Catalogue des livres de la bibliotheque de feu don Simon de Santander by Carlos Antonio de la Serna y Santander (1792), Public Library Bruges 265b (2# f. π1 recto).

Antonius Grangé

Négociant des Pays-bas (1798), Antwerp University, Central Library MAG-P 11.47.11 (f. [*]3 recto).

The printers listed on this page come from the Short Title Catalogus Vlaanderen (STCV), a retrospective bibliography of books printed before 1801 in what is now Flanders, including Brussels. All other data comes from Wikidata and Wikipedia. This website is a project by the Flemish Heritage Libraries. There are 249 printers on this page. This page was last updated on 2026-08-04.