Contextual Alternates
Wood type is notorious for its poor kerning, inconsistent spacing, and uneven typographic color. While Manicotti's letterforms are reminiscent of wood type, its even color and rhythm are decidedly digital. Manicotti uses OpenType contextual alternates to solve awkward letter combinations when kerning pairs are not enough. These mostly involve the T and L, whose serifs are subtly shaved off to accommodate a tighter fit with a neighboring letter.
Basic Ligatures
Manicotti includes two basic ligatures, TT and OO. The TT ligature was part of the design very early on, and comes with its own set of contextual alternates (see above). The OO ligature, on the other hand, was a latecomer to the design. Its only purpose is to mix things up.
Swashes
Manicotti's swash characters can help to accent to the beginning or end of a line. The initials are accessible through the Swash OpenType feature, while the terminals are stylistic alternates. While they may be addicting, swash characters should be used sparingly.