Xref: utzoo comp.lang.postscript:2790 comp.fonts:729 Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mcnc!rti!h-three!jimi From: jimi@h-three.UUCP (jimi) Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript,comp.fonts Subject: Re: Are there any 'real' fonts available? Summary: what is a complete ligature set, and why don't Adobe's fonts have one? Keywords: ligatures ditroff Message-ID: <724@h-three.UUCP> Date: 31 Aug 89 19:07:02 GMT References: <761@ecrcvax.UUCP> Organization: h-three Systems, Research Triangle Park, NC Lines: 47 In article <761@ecrcvax.UUCP>, diomidis@ecrcvax.UUCP (D. Spinellis) writes: > In article holland@m2.csc.ti.com (Fred Hollander) writes: > >Even if the font supports ligatures, are there any software packages > >that will recognize that a ligature should be used? > Ditroff supports ligatures: > miranda6% echo affluent | ditroff | psdit | tail > % Postscript output for the first page; > % (Prologue ommited) > %%Page: 1 1 > 10 s 10 xH 0 xS 1 f > 576 96(af\257uent)N % affluent > % ---- (The fl ligature for Times-Roman) > 1 p > %%Trailer ditroff has a ligature mode that can be turned on and off. When ligature mode (set by an argument to the .li request) is on, ditroff attempts to set ligatures. In the case of Adobe's fonts, however, ditroff can only set the ligatures available in the font. In the preceding example, "affluent" should not contain an "fl" ligature. Rather, it should contain an "ffl" ligature. I've wondered why Abobe's otherwise skilled typeface designers consider the "ff," "ffi," and "ffl" ligatures unnecessary. To see the difference, typeset the following words (with your equivalent of ligature mode on, of course) on a PostScript typesetter and a typesetter that provides a complete f-ligature set, e.g., Compugraphic 8400: official, efficient, affiant, effacing, affective, effective, iffy, affluent, effluvium, effloresce, afflux. Times Roman and equivalents are excellent test fonts. The words set in the font with the complete f-ligature set look much smoother. The f[f-ligature] words look like they have bumps in them, bumps that distract the eyes and call unwelcome attention to word's components. This isn't to praise Compugraphic, in particular, though their fonts are very good, but to pick on Adobe's type designers, whose incomplete f-ligature sets detract from their otherwise fine fonts. I'm curious about why they made this decision. -- Jim Ingram uunet!h-three!jimi | jimi%h-three@uunet.uu.net h-three Systems Corporation P.O. Box 12557 RTP NC 27709 919 549 8334