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F.A.Q. character combination fi (lower case f and i together) converts to a question mark
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character combination fi (lower case f and i together) converts to a question mark

Using Corel Designer X6 (version 16.4.2.1282) and Helvetica font, the "fi" in a word displays normally in Designer.  For example: final displays as final.

However, copied from Designer and pasted into FrameMaker, the "fi" displays as "?".  So, "final" displays as "?nal".

Determined it is not FrameMaker, since pasting into Lotus Notes delivers the same result.

I've also tried Arial font for the whole word with the same results: lower case "final" gets converted into "?nal".

At this point the workaround for us is to change the "i" to Helvetica CE or Arial font since it is not noticeable and the correct characters display.

Any ideas?

Thanks, 

Kevin Kroft
Manager, Technical Publications
Universal Instruments Corporation

What's happening here is that something in your text chain has a setting for something like "Ligatures | On." In English, a full-featured text typeface has both regular letters (an "f" and an "i") and ligatures (like the aforementioned "fi"--although there are many, many others--of two letters run together). A ligature is a typeface letter containing two letters that have been tightly-kerned or designed together. In the olden days (when type was metal and set manually) a ligature would take the place of that pair-of-letters and save the typesetter a little time. Ligatures generally only exist for letters that occurred in pairs fairly often and looked better as a single two-letter letter than separate; it occurred a lot in Revolutionary-Era America typesetting, and some of them are just beautiful.

Somewhere prior to pasting the letter(s) into Framemaker, that "Ligatures On" setting is taking hold of that pair of letters and replacing them with a registered ligature (the single-letter version). If the typeface you're using (you mentioned Arial) doesn't support that ligature, you'll get either a clumsy substitution (something in Russian, perhaps), or the "?" of "I don't have this letter." Where the setting for Ligatures is will depend on your software package; sorry I can't suggest that (Word 2003, which I still use, requires that you set up ligatures manually in AutoCorrect). Older versions of default windoze fonts didn't include ligature support; it is supported in the later versions. I believe all the typefaces distributed by Adobe (Framemaker hasn't been updated in how long now?) in more recent packages offer ligature support as well.

If you can find updated font packages, or turn off that Ligature support, your problem should go away. Otherwise you're going to have to use Search And Replace, copy that "?" placeholder, and replace it with "fi" (or whatever letters you know should be there)--the "?" is a placeholder, not a literal question mark.

Hope this helps.

Davey

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