InDesign using glyphs since CC2018 upgrade

[joanpilch]

A few weeks ago I unknowingly upgraded from CC 2017 to CC 2018. I thought it was a simple update to fix bugs and such. Since then InDesign has been using glyphs throughout the copy, most often combinations with the letter f, like fi, fl, etc. This is a huge problem, it's not an efficient use of my time to do a search and replace in a multiple page document. I've rebuilt my preferences and looked for anything that should/shouldn't be checked, but it's still happening. Initially I thought it was only one font, but it's happening with others. Has anyone else experienced this annoying and frustrating problem? Help! I'm using Mac OS Sierra 10.12.6, InDesign CC 2018 (13.0.0.125). Since the CC 2018 upgrade some of my third party software has been rendered unusable, forcing us to spend thousands of dollars on unbudgeted upgrades. Beware this upgrade!!!!!

[Jongware]

Such glyphs have a name: ligatures. It's quite a surprise you find them surprising, because they are designed to make some combinations flow better than their individual characters. In most fonts your example 'f' and 'i' will clash ugly at the top; the specifically designed "fi" ligature avoids that. The other surprise is that you had them permanently disabled in your previous setup. They are enabled by default, in fresh installations. I guess Adobe thought it a good idea – and just for the record, I happen to agree.

Read the online help for how to disable them again: Format characters in InDesign

Their default setting is the same as practically all others in InDesign.

[MW Design]

They are enabled by default, in fresh installations. I guess Adobe thought it a good idea...

As a matter of fact, Adobe is just following font feature recommendations according to the OpenType Tag Registry that is maintain by Microsoft. Well, by the big 3 in one way or another. It is the recommendation for an application to have several/many features on by default, ligatures being but one of those.

Since the CC 2018 upgrade some of my third party software has been rendered unusable, forcing us to spend thousands of dollars on unbudgeted upgrades.

If you are talking about plug-ins and or versioned paid-for scripts, then yeppers. Much of the time a major version upgrade will render such items unusable until they are updated. I & everyone else go through the same thing with major version changes. I budget for them throughout the year as part of my set-aside for software & hardware upgrades.

But, you can keep the latest 2017 release on the computer. You can continue working with those things if they are critical to your work-flow until such time as the upgrades to them are budgeted and paid for.

Mike

[joanpilch]

I work for a publisher that produces supplemental reading materials for Grades K-8. Much of our product is targeted at struggling young readers. The fonts I use need to be open and easily identifiable as individual characters. Ligatures don't work and can be confusing for these readers.