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Didot is the name of a family of French printers, punch-cutters and publishers. Through its achievements and advancements in printing, publishing and typography, the family has lent its name to typographic measurements developed by François-Ambroise Didot and the Didot typeface developed by Firmin Didot. The Didot company of France was ultimately incorporated into the modern CPI printing group.
The Didot family played a significant role in the development of printing over several generations, beginning in the early 18th century in France. François Didot, the progenitor, was a Parisian merchant who founded a bookstore in 1713 and received a printer's charter in 1754, publishing notable works like the "Histoire des voyages." His son, François-Ambroise Didot, succeeded him and made significant contributions to printing technology, including the invention of the Didot point system, a method for sizing typefaces that became standard in Europe.
The family's contributions to the industry continued with Pierre-François Didot, who established a paper factory and made advances in type-founding. The third generation included Pierre Didot and Firmin Didot; Pierre focused on producing sophisticated, collectible books with contributions from contemporary artists, while Firmin pioneered stereotypography and was recognized for his work in type design, contributing to the "Modern" classification of typefaces.
Subsequent generations of the family furthered their legacy. Jules Didot expanded the printing business to Brussels, founding the Royal Printing House, and Ambroise-Firmin Didot took over the family business with his brother, publishing significant works like a new edition of the "Thesaurus Graecae Linguae." The Didots were involved in papermaking and the invention of machinery to improve the printing process.