Sure. They're mostly in Latin American typefaces, as Spanish considers Ch to be one letter, but Porchez incorporated one into Costa PTF (you can see it in the sample on the page). You can see one in Chaco, and a really fascinating capital CH lig in Lineare Serif. And a Google search of Typophile (which next time you may want to do before posting :-) ) turns up this thread on the same subject.

The only thing I wonder about using the Ch ligature, is do any of the other letter combos litigate? I find the Ch ligature so distracting.

Underware's Sauna has lowercase ch ligs.

http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/sudtipos/downtempo/medium/win-ttf/329735/ch...

and

http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/sudtipos/downtempo/medium/win-ttf/329735/ch...

:D

do any of the other letter combos litigate

I have never seen the word litigate used in this fashion, is this a typographical term? I only know it in terms of legalese.

I've read John Hudson use it, IIRC, so I figure it has to be good. :^)

Oh dear. Today has been one of those days. I think I'm confusing words.

I was just gonna ask the same thing as Patty. :-)
What do you mean by litigate?

Also... When I was a kid, back in the early 70s, there were a few two-letter combinations that had the same status as single letters -- in Spanish. Ch was one of them. Ll was another. In Spanish dictionaries, words beginning with "Ch" ("charco") or "Ll" ("lluvia") had their own section following "C" and "L," respectively... But in the late 90s, or maybe in 2000, the Real Academia Española demoted these double-letter characters, and they no longer enjoy the same status as the rest of the letters of the alphabet.

Spanish link: http://www.elcastellano.org/consultas.php?Tag=alfabeto

ligate as in become ligatures.

ligate |ˈlīˌgāt|
verb [ trans. ] (usu. be ligated) Surgery
tie up or otherwise close off (an artery or vessel).
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Latin ligat- ‘tied,’ from the verb ligare.

ChrisL

Ah, thanks, Chris. I edited my post and now it comes after yours.

Right, I have heard the term ligatures used to refer to sutures. That makes sense. Thanks Chris.

John may have used "litigate" inadvertantly, or it may have been a typo Tiff, or a brain-typo.

The SOE dictionary reckons:

Ligate past participle stem of Latin ligare tie, bind; Chiefly surgery---to bind with a ligatue or bandage.; specifically to tie up (a bleeding artery, etc).

Ligation late Latin ligatio. 1. The action or process of binding; the condition of being bound. 2. The action of binding with a ligature; especially in surgery.

==============================================

I think "ligation" and somehow it came back to you as "litigation"

"mew"

j a m e s
"the cat is in"

I meant ligate and not litigate!! I swear!

Rubén Fontana likes to include ‘ch’ ligatures in his faces. See Andralis and Fontana.

Probably due to his being a native Spanish speaker... By the way, I have no idea why I made my earlier comment about double letters in Spanish... It had little to do with the topic of ligatures...

I think it is the old diphthong vs ligature thing, Ricardo. The German ß is yet another story.

ChrisL

Thanks! Very helpful.

Cheers.

Tiff: No, they don't, but I've been playing with a join of the "^" (grave? - don't remember) and the lowercase "t" crossbar. The crossbar is rather swashy.
Btw: You are always giving me good advices. I'm very thankful for that.

I need to catch a plane, but I might post some sketches if I find the time.

Cheers.

You're welcome, Frode. I think we all enjoy helping each other. The beauty part happens when we disagree, create friction, and something completely new is born. :^)

I have a slight aversion to the use of ligatures in display work as so many are overwrought. That isn't to say it shouldn't be done or can't be done or that I've not seen it and loved it. I'm just saying that it is something to do with caution and attention. Don't do it because you have a ligature, do it because it is the natural and right thing to do.

Nicely put Tiff!

My advice regarding ligation would be to think about the balance of the c as it is written and to think of it in 2 strokes not one. Think also about the heavy serif you sometimes see hanging on a Cap C. It's often there for a good reason - and seeing that reason may translate into a better ligation.

But to echo Tiff further get the relationships of the letters right. Look at the white spaces. Look at what reads easily and feels natural vs what feel bullied into shape.

I totally agree Tiff. There are ligatures wherever you turn your head nowadays. It's like photoshop filters - terribly overused, but in the right situation it's still amazing.