The aim of Passe-Partout is to make available to researchers in the field of book history an international database of printers' ornaments.
All users can freely consult the database of ornaments and make use of the information they find.
The central database of printers' ornaments is located at the University of Lausanne. The utility of the study of printing ornaments Numerous editions published in the past centuries, and especially in the eighteenth century, do not reveal on the title page their true origin. The study of printers' ornaments has a crucial role to play in the identification of printers which in turn allows the scholar to assess the textual signifiance of the editions in question.