Dyck, Christopher Van

(vän dīk´), 1601–c.1672, German designer and maker of printing type, who worked in Amsterdam. Types that he designed were used by the Elzevir firm. His roman typeface was of the kind known in England and America as “old style” and on the Continent as “Elzevir.” It was sturdy, legible, without much contrast between light and heavy lines, and with inconspicuous serifs. It strongly influenced Caslon and other designers of old-style types.