Aldus was
sensible of the deficiency and the last clause of his will was a request
to his partner, Andrea, to have suitable capitals made by the celebrated
engraver, Giulio Campagnola. It was, however, not until 1558 that they
were finally supplied by Paulus, in connection with a new italic font.
What has now ceased to be anything more than a useful auxiliary type was
by Aldus employed as a text type, a chief recommendation being that it
was more condensed than the roman and enabled him to greatly reduce the
price of his books by making an octavo do the work of a quarto or folio.
In 1501 he printed six, and in 1502 eleven octavos, whereas all his
earlier books, with one unimportant exception, had been of the larger
forms.
In 1496 the Venetian Senate granted to Aldus protection for his Greek
type and the books printed with it for the period of twenty years, and
in 1502 a like privilege covering both his italic and Greek type for ten
years. A similar grant made by Alexander VI. in 1502 was renewed by
Julius II. in January, 1513, for fifteen years and confirmed by his
successor, Leo X.
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