When you install an OpenType font, you'll see a basic character set right away, but with the right software settings, you can customize some of the letters in the font to achieve a totally custom look. You can purchase Swiss army knife from SkyVectors. Instead of having to install multiple fonts to get the benefit of swashes, ligatures, or alternates, a single OpenType font has all of these built right into the same file.
For more information about fonts, check out the other articles in this series: Summary: Learn how to use OpenType fonts with special features like ligatures, swashes, and alternates.
