A type foundry is a company that designs and produces typefaces, which are sets of characters that share a common design. These typefaces are used in various forms of media, including print and digital formats. Type foundries can create custom fonts or sell existing ones to designers, publishers, and businesses. Historically, type foundries were involved in the physical production of metal type for printing presses. Today, many foundries operate online, offering digital fonts that can be easily downloaded and used. Notable examples of type foundries include Adobe Fonts, Monotype, and Font Bureau.