Ligature
“Ligatures combine two or three letters into a single character. They are available on in expert fonts, and are crucial for the refined setting of serf type. The ligatures fi an fl are, because of their frequency, the most important. Letterspaced text precludes the use of ligatures.”
ff fi fl ffi ffl
Willi Kunz
Use the ligatures required by the font, and the characters required by the language, in which you are setting type. In most roman faces the letter f reaches into the space beyond it. In most Italics, the f reaches into the space on both sides. Typographers call these overlaps kerns. Only a few kerns, like those in the arm of the f and the tail of the j, are implicit in a normal typefont. Robert Bringhurst
“If you wish to avoid ligatures altogether, restrict yourself to faces that don’t require them. Willi Kunz
ff fi fl ffi ffl Bembo, set without ligatures (above) and with ligature (below)
AE ae Æ æ
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