It consists of lead and woodblock type, matrices, steel punches, and about forty tonnes of metal from the stocks of famous former type foundries or printing firms. Among the collection are hieroglyphs, cuneiform and Sanskrit types from the Reichsdruckerei (the Imperial Printing Works in Berlin) and a set of matrices of a gothic script by Jakob Sabon, cut before 1575, making it one of the oldest printing types preserved today. 

In 2008 the first typeface from the collection has been transferred into a digital font set. Everybody can now see „Westkultur“ on the signage around the museum.