[SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

gramanas · 2017-04-21 04:08:09

Hello, I'v searched everywhere for a fix but I can't find anything so it's time to post here.

I use arch linux for a while now, and about 3 months ago (I think) after an update some applications
have extremly small fonts on some places. qbittorrent and qutebrowser are good examples. As I mainly use
terminal applications and emacs I dont know any other that might have this but Gimp and firefox dont.

https://i.imgur.com/WJGrAN8.png
https://i.imgur.com/xQkXLbb.png
This is exactly what I see, in a HD 1920x180 monitor. I can barely read it!

What might be causing this? I tired changing the font in gtk3 settings.ini but nothing happens
(it changes in firefox, but I never had this problem there)

From what I could find online it seems no one is facing this problem.

Thanks in advance for any hints!

Last edited by gramanas (2017-04-23 12:24:20)

jasonwryan · 2017-04-21 04:19:57

Read the Code of Conduct and only post thumbnails http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Cod … s_and_code

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fo … rted_fonts

gramanas · 2017-04-21 06:05:11

I am terribly sorry! I though I was posting thumbnails.

I read the wiki page and I don't think that is my problem. You see when I change the value
of my dpi i ~/.Xresources the letters on the dmenu change size but the applications I mentioned
above stay tiny!

seth · 2017-04-21 06:57:03

loginctl session-status
xdpyinfo| grep resolution
xrandr -q

Trilby · 2017-04-21 11:45:03

Which fonts in those images are too small? With the images we can see what you see, but we can't see what you expect to see.

Further, why on earth would you expect this was a gtk issue - you've only named to programs affected, and they are both use qt (it's right in their name).

gramanas · 2017-04-21 15:30:21

seth wrote:

loginctl session-status

c1 - gramanas (1000)
           Since: Fri 2017-04-21 08:57:16 EEST; 9h ago
          Leader: 375 (login)
            Seat: seat0; vc1
             TTY: tty1
         Service: login; type tty; class user
           State: active
            Unit: session-c1.scope
                  ├─  375 login -- gramanas
                  ├─  477 /bin/sh /usr/bin/startx
                  ├─  571 xinit /home/gramanas/.xinitrc -- /etc/X11/xinit/xserverrc
                  ├─  572 /usr/lib/xorg-server/Xorg -nolisten tcp :0 vt1 -auth /tmp/
                  ├─  583 i3
                  ├─  595 i3bar --bar_id=bar-0 --socket=/run/user/1000/i3/ipc-socket
                  ├─  596 i3blocks -c /home/gramanas/.config/i3blocks/config
                  ├─  850 /bin/bash
                  ├─  885 /usr/lib/firefox/firefox
                  ├─ 1261 urxvtd -f -q -o
                  ├─ 1263 bash
                  ├─ 3164 bash
                  ├─ 3796 /usr/lib/firefox/firefox
                  ├─24001 /bin/bash /usr/bin/cmd
                  ├─24005 tmux new-session -s cmus -d -n cmus -d /usr/bin/cmus
                  ├─24006 /usr/bin/cmus
                  ├─24009 /usr/bin/python /usr/bin/lyvi
                  ├─24012 tmux attach -d -t cmus
                  ├─24296 -bash
                  ├─24387 mutt
                  ├─25423 bash
                  ├─25644 tmux
                  ├─25645 -bash
                  ├─25721 /usr/bin/perl /usr/lib/i3blocks/cpu_usage
                  ├─25737 mpstat 1 1
                  ├─25738 loginctl session-status
                  └─25739 less

Apr 21 08:57:16 EYE systemd[1]: Started Session c1 of user gramanas.
Apr 21 08:57:18 EYE login[375]: LOGIN ON tty1 BY gramanas

seth wrote:

xdpyinfo | grep resolution

resolution:    68x67 dots per inch

seth wrote:

xrandr -q

Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 3286 x 1080, maximum 16384 x 16384
DVI-I-0 disconnected primary (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI-I-1 connected 1366x768+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 509mm x 286mm
   1366x768      59.79*+
   1920x1080     60.00    59.94    50.00    50.00    29.97    23.97    60.05    60.00    50.04
   1280x800      59.81
   1280x720      60.00    59.94    50.00
   1024x768      75.03    60.00
   800x600       75.00    60.32    56.25
   720x576       50.00
   720x480       59.94
   640x480       75.00    59.94
HDMI-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI-D-0 connected 1920x1080+1366+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 509mmx 286mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+  60.00    59.94    50.00    50.00    29.97    23.97    60.05    60.00    50.04
   1680x1050     59.95
   1600x900      60.00
   1440x900      59.89
   1400x1050     59.98
   1280x1024     75.02    60.02
   1280x800      59.81
   1280x720      60.00    60.00    59.94    50.00
   1152x864      75.00
   1024x768      75.03    70.07    60.00
   800x600       75.00    60.32
   720x576       50.00
   720x480       59.94
   640x480       75.00    59.94
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

seth · 2017-04-21 15:38:51

xrandr --output DVI-I-1 --mode 1920x1080 # optionall, but the present mode is likely undesired
xrandr --dpi 96

ensure to restart (new process) the "broken" application(s) - any change?
If you want to stay w/ the low resolution DVI-I-1, add a script that just fixes the resolution after the session started/resolution is set.

gramanas · 2017-04-21 15:53:46

Trilby wrote:

Which fonts in those images are too small? With the images we can see what you see, but we can't see what you expect to see.

Well qbittorrent is ambiguous but the other one is pretty self explanatory since I have the arch linux forum loaded with the font size as it should.
Anyway, the letters everywhere should be as they are in the first image on the forum message box.

Trilby wrote:

Further, why on earth would you expect this was a gtk issue - you've only named to programs affected, and they are both use qt (it's right in their name).

Fair point, should have noticed. Now that I check, qtcreator has the same problem (and I bet it's build with Qt). But Mixxx that is a Qt application does not.

Also,

I tried setting

~/.config/Trolltech.conf
[Qt]
font="Sans Serif,10,-1,5,50,0,0,0,0,0"

but it has the same effect as using qtconfig-gt4, it changes the font but not in the applications mentioned.. It must be qt5 used in them. Or once again I might be completely off.

Trilby · 2017-04-21 16:06:39

I don't see anything self explanatory in those images. But if you don't want to explain there's not much that can be done.

But if you are referring to the UI elements of qutebrowser, it has it's own config. Set the font size(s) you want for the tabs, statusbar, and completion options in your qutebrowser config.

gramanas · 2017-04-21 16:29:07

Trilby wrote:

I don't see anything self explanatory in those images. But if you don't want to explain there's not much that can be done.

gramanas wrote:

Anyway, the letters everywhere should be as they are in the first image on the forum message box.

Is that non enough? Ok.

http://imgur.com/ODuCWqs

Here you can see top left Qbittorent, bottom left qtcreator, right terminal. I draw what I want to achieve (I used terminal cause the font is much more clear to see than in firefox. I think you'll get it)

Trilby wrote:

But if you are referring to the UI elements of qutebrowser, it has it's own config. Set the font size(s) you want for the tabs, statusbar, and completion options in your qutebrowser config..

It is not a problem with qutebrowser, it's more general. It happens on more that one programs and I just installed it in a different machine (Arch again) just to check it and everything was fine with the default configuration
(the one I have)

Steef435 · 2017-04-21 18:14:20

Welcome to the forums!

Did you try running the commands Seth posted? Did it change anything? (By the way, I'm not sure if changing the DPI is the correct way to go, as GTK+ and Qt4 applications do behave as expected without further configuration)

I think that the idea that those applications use Qt5 and the others Qt4 is a good lead (I didn't check though). I'm pretty sure that the Trolltech.conf only works for Qt4, so you'll have to find out how to configure Qt5 and see if you can get the desired font size that way. There's probably some info on that in the wiki.

gramanas · 2017-04-21 18:30:29

I don't know why it doesn't show but I use arandr to set up my screens (I got 2) and everything is fine, with native resolutions.

I think it has to do with QT since its not the whole screen or application it just sectors inside an app.

seth · 2017-04-21 19:46:42

You're running one of your screens on a lower-than-ideal resolution, this determines the global DPI (since X11 only supports one) and that causes everything that respects the value and is not overridden by some private config key to be only 2/3 of the expected size (notably on the Full HD output)

It does totally not matter what you or arandr think about it, the answer to your problem is in the data you posted in comment #6, so fix that. It has nothing to do with Qt, if I call "xrandr --dpi 66", I expectably get small fonts everywhere I don't override the DPI just as well.

You *can* run after each and every config override (in this case probably dpi in fonts.conf) but that's a clumsy approach and it's much simpler to fix the issue at the core value that each and every client ultimately reads as default ...

gramanas · 2017-04-22 22:30:02

I use arandr to set my screens up, and everything is fine in that matter.
The left screen is 1366x768 and the right one is 1920x1080. Primary is the right one.
These are the native resolutions of the monitors.

The problem seems to be qt related, but I have tried everything mentioned above, plus
qtconfig and nothing works.

seth · 2017-04-23 06:05:48

I'll try this once more and then give up.

You've one output reported to be 509mm x 286m and drive it at 1366x768px - that's a logical resolution of 68dpi - what is quite low.
And you've another output reported to be 509mm x 286m as well but drive it at 1920x1080px - that's a logical resolution of 96dpi - what is realistic and normal.

The lower value here determines the global DPI, ie. ends up being set to 68x67dpi (integer cut-off) which is only about 70% of the physical resolution of both and logical resolution of the FullHD output, what means everything DPI-aware is by default scaled down to 70% of the desired size.
The "primary" state does not matter, THERE IS NO PRIMARY DPI, THERE IS *ONE*

Qt will to a certain degree pick the dpi override you can add to fonts.conf, but again: THAT IS A DEAD STUPID APPROACH that does not scale and only leaves cruft behind.

The 1366x768 announces a supported resolution of 1920x1080. If that is for some reason not correct, 68dpi is still a shit value; set it to 96 (the logical resolution of the other output and not some randomly made up value!) and live with the fonts being "oversized" on the 1366x768 output (as anything ignoring the DPI will be on that output anyway)

You can enforce the X-wide DPI using xrandr or an override in a xorg.conf.d configlet (where the latter applies from start on, the former only for processes run after the call)

If you really fail to understand the problem and thus see the proper solution, I'm sorry, but I cannot help you on that.

gramanas · 2017-04-23 12:01:03

Thanks for making it so clear, and sorry for my stubbornness.

I set Xft*dpi: 96 in ~/.Xresources and it seems to have fixed the problem.
Although the first time I tried it in comment #7 it didn't work, but since I was fiddling with this
I might have broken something on the process witch got fixed after the Xserver restart.

My 1366x768 screen does not support a higher resolution, and I don't know why this shows.

gramanas · 2017-04-23 13:01:52

Ok, that didn't solve the problem. I restarted my machine and the dpi was 66 again.

So I added
startx -- -dpi 96 in my .bash_profile where I was already starting x at.

https://www.x.org/archive/X11R6.8.1/doc/startx.1.html

Now it works..

seth · 2017-04-23 14:00:03

You can also add

Section "Device"
    Option "DPI" "96x96"
EndSection

to some /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/xx-foo.conf snippet to override the autocalculated value.

Sorry for getting a bit direct in the last post, but I needed to get that in your head ;-)

The xrdb value for the xft dpi will affect some™ clients, but by far not all, because it "only" impacts xft (which is not mandatory and several toolkits provide even different ways to look at the DPI for different purposes)

gramanas · 2017-04-23 15:06:07

seth wrote:

Sorry for getting a bit direct in the last post

No worries. Direct is always the best way to communicate something.

For humans that is!

I think your solution works better since I have my .bash_profile file under vcs
to keep it synced with my other computer, witch is a laptop and is not 96 dpi.

So thanks again!

P.S. why the trademark here?

seth wrote:

some™ clients

seth · 2017-04-23 18:07:39

"some" is a pretty generic and meaningless description of the clients impacted by xft (the odds raise with libXft being linked...) - I use the trademark to signal that I'm aware that this would require further specification but this is a well-defined group and not some random "some" ... somehow ;-)
Nothing to worry about.

Arch Linux

#1 2017-04-21 04:08:09

[SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#2 2017-04-21 04:19:57

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#3 2017-04-21 06:05:11

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#4 2017-04-21 06:57:03

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#5 2017-04-21 11:45:03

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#6 2017-04-21 15:30:21

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#7 2017-04-21 15:38:51

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#8 2017-04-21 15:53:46

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#9 2017-04-21 16:06:39

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#10 2017-04-21 16:29:07

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#11 2017-04-21 18:14:20

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#12 2017-04-21 18:30:29

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#13 2017-04-21 19:46:42

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#14 2017-04-22 22:30:02

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#15 2017-04-23 06:05:48

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#16 2017-04-23 12:01:03

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#17 2017-04-23 13:01:52

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#18 2017-04-23 14:00:03

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#19 2017-04-23 15:06:07

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

#20 2017-04-23 18:07:39

Re: [SOLVED] Small letters (dpi not set correctly)

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