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#lang pollen
◊ ( define - meta title "ligatures" )
◊ hanging - topic [ ( topic - from - metas metas ) ] { Optional unless the letters f and i collide }
◊ em { Ligatures } were invented to solve a practical typesetting problem . In the days of metal fonts , certain characters had features that physically collided with other characters . To fix this , font foundries cast ligatures with their fonts , which combined the troublesome letters into one piece of type .
The most common ligatures involve the lowercase f because of its overhanging shape . Other ligatures also exist — some practical , some decorative , some ridiculous .
◊ indented { ◊ image [ #:border #f]{ligature_comparison.jpg}}
Digital fonts don ’ t have physical collisions , of course , but certain letter combinations might still overlap visually . The only time ligatures are mandatory is when you have an actual overlap between the letters f and i . Check this combination in the bold and italic styles too .
◊ indented { ◊ image [ #:border #f]{ligature_comparison_2.jpg}}
Beyond that , ligatures are largely a stylistic choice . To my eye , they can make ◊ xref { body text } look somewhat quaint or old - fashioned . If you like that look , great . I don ’ t . So unless characters are actually colliding , I generally keep ligatures turned off .