Arch Linux

Resistance

Member

Registered: 2012-09-04

Posts: 26

On the configuration of fonts.

Hi,
the update of freetype2 (to version 2.5.5-1) gave me this output:

Subpixel hinting can be enabled by adding FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=1 to your environment, for example /etc/environment or ~/.pam_environment.

I found some information about it on this page : https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/font_configuration , however it advises activating it through fonts.conf and then activating some LCD filter (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/fo … _rendering).
The page also suggests that I should just use some other packages (Infinality, etc).

My questions are: - Is all of this worth the trouble (i.e. do the tweaked fonts look that much better) ?
                              - If so, what are the simplest option to improve them (would setting that environment variable be enough or should I also set the lcd filter in fonts.conf, what about https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fo … on#Presets , Infinality) ?

I guess I'm mainly asking about personal experiences on recent font configuration.

Thank you.

jasonwryan

Anarchist

From: .nz

Registered: 2009-05-09

Posts: 30,424

Website

Re: On the configuration of fonts.

If you want good looking fonts and are not interested in mastering the arcana; just use bohoomil's repo.

Not a Sysadmin issue, moving to NC...

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Arch + dwm   •   Mercurial repos  •   Surfraw

Registered Linux User #482438

bmanuel

Member

Registered: 2011-10-06

Posts: 106

Re: On the configuration of fonts.

Since i upgraded the freetype2 package in December i can't really get the old behavior back, even by setting that FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING variable, does it make any difference for anyone else?

Morn

Member

Registered: 2012-09-02

Posts: 886

Re: On the configuration of fonts.

Also see Earnestly's post about FreeType settings. I think FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING makes fonts look dramatically better, especially unhinted web fonts.

Last edited by Morn (2015-01-27 10:23:05)