Using ligatures

There are two methods for using ligatures: The legacy method or the OpenType method. The legacy method supports standard ligatures such as fi and fl in PostScript fonts. The OpenType method allows access to both standard ligatures and discretionary ligatures in OpenType fonts. Both methods are applied as character attributes, meaning that you can apply them to any selected text.

  • To apply ligatures to selected text using the legacy method, check Enable Ligatures on the Character tab of the Measurements palette (Window menu) or check Ligatures in the Character Attributes dialog box (Style > Character).
  • To apply ligatures to selected text using the OpenType method, select text that uses an OpenType and then choose Standard Ligatures from the OpenType menu on the Classic or Character tab of the Measurements palette (Window menu). This will apply ligatures such as fi, fl, ff, ffi, ffl, fj, ffj, and th — if they are built into the font. In addition, you can choose Discretionary Ligatures to apply rare ligatures such as ct, sp, st, and fh. If either ligature option displays in brackets, the OpenType font in use does not support those ligature features. You can also check Standard Ligatures and Discretionary Ligatures in the OpenType area of the Character Attributes dialog box.

Ligature preferences

You can set preferences for ligatures in the Character pane of the Preferences dialog box (QuarkXPress/Edit > Preferences > Print Layout > Character):

  • Break Above: The value in the field specifies a tracking or kerning value above which ligatures will break apart. At the default value of 1, if you track text +1 (1/200th of an em space), the ligatures revert to standard letters.
  • Not “ffi” or “ffl”: Check this box to prevent fi and fl ligatures in words such as “office” or “waffle” when ffi and ffl ligatures do not exist in the current font.

Using ligatures