Adobe’s is identical to Linotype’s. If you are at all familiar with the old display versions (say, from an old Letraset catalog or headline setting machine or even the metal foundry version), you may notice that it looks different. This is because Linotype’s version was designed primarily for text setting (although you could set it larger on their machines).

The version that most closely matches the original Helvetica display sizes is URW’s Nimbus Sans. They don’t have a license to use the name, but it’s the most faithful version of the display version in digital format.

Thank you Mark.

Actually this begs the question, is the original version of Helvetica the best?
Have later developments and changes to the font improved it, or not.

Since metal type came in size-specific designs, and digital type generally doesn’t (and I’ve never heard of optical sizes of digital Helvetica) you might need to define the point size you’re talking about to really answer this question. I’m guess not all digital Helveticas are based on the identical size master?

hhp

The size I am using Helvetica is approx 130 pt.
(for a poster)

Here is a comparison of the early Linotype Helveticas and the original Haas version:

http://www.marksimonson.com/Helveticas-compared.gif

The differences are most visible in the e and a.

In the top four you can see the source for the Linotype/Adobe version. The bottom two differ slightly, so you can see there were differences in the various point sizes that were cut in metal. The very bottom one is the version that was usually seen in display type before digital type took over, and the one URW sells as Nimbus Sans D.

There is a third version, Helvetica Neue. This was created by Linotype around 1980. It’s supposed to be an improvement, and in many ways it is, particularly in terms of consistency of letterforms between weights. But it is even more different from the Haas original than the earlier Linotype version. I think it lacks some of the roundness that the original had.

Clearly, some versions of Helvetica are more “authentic” than others. The original display version was designed for display use, so I would use that one for a poster if I could. Ultimately, it’s pretty subjective.

Mark, nice! Thanks.

And check out the flaring in the 14pt Haas. Heavy.

hhp

Looking more at this, it does appear that Linotype’s version followed the smaller Haas cut pretty closely.

Thank you again Mark & Hrant.
Excellent information.