A ligature is a device that combines two or more characters into one, eliminating any extra spacing. Ligatures serve different purposes: visually distinguishing a character from its surroundings or connecting otherwise separate characters. Connected scripts commonly use the latter type of ligature. While English has popular ligatures like “fi,” “ff,” “fl,” “fi,” and “ffl,” there are countless others.
Although once prevalent in handwritten and printed books, the movable type caused ligatures to fall out of favor due to the belief that they slowed down typesetting. However, digital typography brought about a resurgence of ligatures in display and textual fonts. Ligatures now serve aesthetic and functional purposes, sometimes enhancing the visual appeal of words or phrases.
Ligature plays a significant role in book production as it ensures structural integrity. Books may easily disintegrate with appropriate ligature and become easier to read over time. Ligature also safeguards the book’s spine, preventing pages from tearing or sustaining damage.
Properly using ligatures guarantees that books endure through generations while remaining intact and readable for future readers.