Frank Mittelbach

Profession/Position:
Head of development of the computer typography system LaTeX,
Freelance writer and software consultant.

Gutenberg's meaning for me:
Gutenberg's invention and the associated dissemination of knowledge and information has decisively shaped and advanced the last 500 years of our culture. Text typesetting and typography have had to adapt constantly to new technologies during this period and have developed and changed in the process. At the same time, however, there is a lot of continuity and most of Gutenberg's ideas and approaches are highly topical in their unchanged (or even adapted) form.  
The last decades brought again great technological and cultural changes and typography and typesetting have to and will face the new demands. These include digitalisation, electronic communication, mobile devices and the associated changes in reading behaviour, and much more. This will further develop Gutenberg's legacy and mutually influence current cultural changes.

My goals:
My focus is on

• current developments in text typesetting and typography
• effects of digitization, computer typography so of digital type production
• research in the field of automatic text typesetting
• to establish or deepen relationships with other relevant research groups (such as the document engineering community).

Of course, this is only one area of the goals and tasks of the GG, but due to the experience and relationships I have gained over the years, I am able to contribute new important aspects for current and future tasks of society.

My target audience:
People and groups who are interested in current issues of typography and its further development, or who work and research in this field.

Why IGS:
I have been a member of the IGS for many years and support its goals and ideas.