Arch Linux

zxas

Member

Registered: 2018-01-26

Posts: 3

Fonts not rendering correctly on Arch VM, tried many solutions

Hi,

I am trying to configure Archlinux on a VMWare virtual machine. I am not sure if the VM environment is related to the issue.
I have configured urxvt (rxvt-unicode) with zsh, Oh my Zsh! (oh-my-zsh), a solarised theme, using the font "Inconsolata for Powerline". However, fonts are not rendering correctly anywhere in urxvt. Please see the screenshot.

I have tried:
- Checking my locales using localectl
- Setting them again
- Regenerating them with locale-gen
- Changing my DPI to the correct one in ~/.Xdefaults
- Changing fonts
- Changing font sizes
- Reverting to default configurations
- Turning off bold fonts
- Changing different AA styles
- Installing freetype2-inphinality (this helped font-rendering everywhere else on my system except urxvt

I have searched the internet and it appears other people have similar issues that usually get resolved with one of the above. A common issue I did find the solution to that many had given up on is the failure for "Inconsolata for Powerline" to render symbols correctly - this is due to the font being bolded somewhere, which breaks the symbols.

I would really like some help.

https://i.imgur.com/ohclzJR.png

Mod note: -- Converted image to URL -- V1del

Last edited by V1del (2018-01-26 09:55:02)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,435

Re: Fonts not rendering correctly on Arch VM, tried many solutions

Please only add thumbnails or URLs to your posts when posting images https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Co … s_and_code

vegarab

Member

Registered: 2017-12-22

Posts: 47

Re: Fonts not rendering correctly on Arch VM, tried many solutions

This is a known issue with urxvt, not related to your VM. I've attempted patching my own fonts, using FontAwesome, Powerline and Nerdfont variants - all without any luck. As you mentioned there are threads out there where some people have been enable to resolve some of the issues with unicode-symbol rendering.

It is worth attempting to have them render when you set your letterspace to single (use Mono-font).

zxas

Member

Registered: 2018-01-26

Posts: 3

Re: Fonts not rendering correctly on Arch VM, tried many solutions

This is a known issue with urxvt, not related to your VM. I've attempted patching my own fonts, using FontAwesome, Powerline and Nerdfont variants - all without any luck. As you mentioned there are threads out there where some people have been enable to resolve some of the issues with unicode-symbol rendering.

It is worth attempting to have them render when you set your letterspace to single (use Mono-font).

There was actually a small period where it worked fine rendering, then symbols broke. Then when I fixed the symbols it did this again. and I don't know what variable changed earlier that made it work...

I tried your solution and it didn't help. I don't want to give up on this though, because I'm sure there is a solution somehow and its a problem for a lot of people.

zxas

Member

Registered: 2018-01-26

Posts: 3

Re: Fonts not rendering correctly on Arch VM, tried many solutions

Oh wow, I just fixed it...

Xft.antialias:              true