Font issues

rg_arc · 2011-04-22 09:54:03

I recently installed Arch Linux after using Ubuntu 10.10 for a long time. I put Gnome with arch linux in hopes to replicate what I previously had with 10.10. The issue I am having is the fonts seem to look horrible. I have actually made them look much better than when I first got arch linux working but still... I just can't seem to get my fonts to look like before. I have changed the settings in the System/Preferences/Appearance/Fonts section. Currently, I am using Subpixel smoothing with full hinting and with RGB order and 96 dots per inch. I have put it at slight hinting but the letters still have some reddish greenish look to them.

Wey · 2011-04-22 11:02:06

hello rg_arc,
out of curiosity i switched on subpixel smoothing and i get the same color artefacts at the font outline you were describing. however, selecting "best shape" gives me some solid font rendering.

maybe you might post some screenshots, to show the actual problem.

rg_arc · 2011-04-22 11:13:16

Well looking at your screen shot... it seems that is what my fonts are looking like.... way too thin and un smooth... with some sort of red and green mixed in there.

rg_arc · 2011-04-22 11:14:20

with Ubuntu 10.10 there was absolutely no red and green... and the fonts had the exact same settings as Arch

HeSaid · 2011-04-22 11:42:26

There are a lot of config files around to improve font rendering. Here is one that I use. It came from Chakra Linux.
1. Copy this to /etc/fonts/local.conf

<?xml version='1.0'?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM 'fonts.dtd'>
<fontconfig>
 <match target="font">
  <edit mode="assign" name="rgba">
   <const>rgb</const>
  </edit>
 </match>
 <match target="font">
  <edit mode="assign" name="hinting">
   <bool>true</bool>
  </edit>
 </match>
 <match target="font">
  <edit mode="assign" name="hintstyle">
   <const>hintslight</const>
  </edit>
 </match>
 <match target="font">
  <edit mode="assign" name="antialias">
   <bool>true</bool>
  </edit>
 </match>
 <match target="font">
  <edit mode="assign" name="lcdfilter">
   <const>lcddefault</const>
  </edit>
 </match>
</fontconfig>

2a. You can also build/install the LCD font config package from aur:
https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=16458
2.b OR the Ubuntu font config package from aur:
https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=17156
--
Neal

rg_arc · 2011-04-23 04:25:17

Would that work with Arch linux even though its Chakra linux?

Wey · 2011-04-23 11:12:11

Just try it, it's the big Arch Linux Adventure

It looks nice here though, thanks HeSaid.

rg_arc · 2011-04-23 11:44:26

I tried it...but everything still looks the same... I have previously downloaded the font configs for ubuntu and LCD font. I would imagine the local.conf file you put up works and looks good but I don't see a change yet after I copy pasted that into the file

Wey · 2011-04-23 23:56:38

mind sharing a screen or two?

HeSaid · 2011-04-24 01:09:29

Here's a quick snapshot:
http://img856.imageshack.us/i/snapshot1b.png/
--
Neal

rg_arc · 2011-04-24 10:15:46

LCD subpixel smoothing with slight hinting RGB

HeSaid · 2011-04-24 13:56:39

I had a little more time this morning. Here are three snapshots taken of the Arch wiki page:
http://img845.imageshack.us/i/chromium.png/
http://img821.imageshack.us/i/firefoxsp.png/
http://img862.imageshack.us/i/googlechromez.png/
There are no colors appearing along side of the black fonts.
--
Neal

edit: I forgot to mention, ttf-droid front was used in those snapshots.

Last edited by HeSaid (2011-04-24 14:40:00)

jimbok · 2011-04-24 14:36:51

with gnome, just installing ttf-dejavu seems to do it for me. I usually force firefox to use ttf-liberation as well

My $0.02

rg_arc · 2011-04-26 06:48:07

I downloaded droid and dejavu

but unrelated... I got this error screen and I am sure what to do about it... does anyone use yaourt with the aur?

$ yaourt -Ss --aur ttf-dejavu
package-query: error while loading shared libraries: libyajl.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

rg_arc · 2011-04-26 06:51:02

Yeah the packages didn't really change anything honestly... I wonder why I still get the redness all over my fonts? Maybe there is something wrong with one of my settings? I remember maybe putting some code into one of my files... but I remember deleting that code anyways...

thisoldman · 2011-04-26 07:54:19

rg_arc wrote:

...I wonder why I still get the redness all over my fonts? Maybe there is something wrong with one of my settings?...

I'm sensitive to color in most antialiased fonts. It looks like the chromatic aberration from a poor quality lens, as if you're looking through a child's toy telescope. My solution was to not use RGB but to use grayscale antialiasing.

Here's a magnification of the text image you posted, on the left, next to a slightly larger magnification of text using grayscale:
text comparison

Here's an image of text from your last post as I see it in Firefox. The font is Arial.
thisoldman's rendering

stlarch · 2011-04-26 08:07:58

Have you tried the freetype2-infinality in the AUR? I have that, fontconfig-lcd, and libxft-lcd and the .fonts.conf in my configs below (that I got from the wiki) and everything looks pretty darn good compared to anything I tried before. Maybe it's worth a try?

thayer · 2011-04-26 17:27:11

rg_arc wrote:

I recently installed Arch Linux after using Ubuntu 10.10 for a long time.

Ubuntu's excellent font rendering can spoil anyone. As HeSaid mentioned, you should consider installing the ubuntu-patched font configuration packages:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fo … ion#Ubuntu

It should be a significant improvement over the default packages. You can then further tweak it by adding something like this to ~/.fonts.conf (though it's not necessary):

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>

    <match target="font">
        <edit name="antialias" mode="assign"><bool>true</bool></edit>
        <edit name="autohint" mode="assign"><bool>false</bool></edit>
        <edit name="hinting" mode="assign"><bool>true</bool></edit>

        <!-- hintstyle (hintnone, hintslight, hintmedium, hintfull) -->
        <edit name="hintstyle" mode="assign"><const>hintslight</const></edit>

        <!-- sub-pixel rending (none, rgb, vrgb, bgr, vbgr) -->
        <edit name="rgba" mode="assign"><const>rgb</const></edit>

        <!-- LCD filters (lcdnone, lcddefault, lcdlight, lcdlegacy) -->
        <edit mode="assign" name="lcdfilter"><const>lcddefault</const></edit>
    </match>
    
    <!-- tweak antialiasing for smaller/larger fonts -->
    <match target="font">
        <test name="size" compare="less" qual="any"><double>7</double></test>
        <test name="pixelsize" compare="less" qual="any"><double>14</double></test>
        <edit name="antialias" mode="assign"><bool>false</bool></edit>
    </match>

</fontconfig>

brebs · 2011-04-26 20:56:48

thayer wrote:

<test name="size" compare="less" qual="any"><double>7</double></test>
<test name="pixelsize" compare="less" qual="any"><double>14</double></test>

Aren't you confusing AND with OR there? Should be 2 different rules, IIRC.

rg_arc · 2011-04-27 01:35:22

stlarch wrote:

Have you tried the freetype2-infinality in the AUR? I have that, fontconfig-lcd, and libxft-lcd and the .fonts.conf in my configs below (that I got from the wiki) and everything looks pretty darn good compared to anything I tried before. Maybe it's worth a try?

Yeah I have tried that as well. maybe I need to combine a few factors together to get the best results... I installed all of the patches for ubuntu and I have downloaded the LCD stuff as well... There is just something not adding up here... maybe I will just re install the freetype2-infinality and see what happens.. if nothing changes the results I guess I am at a loss for words LOL

rg_arc · 2011-04-27 01:38:24

Also, I see these issues mostly when I use text editors such as Libre Office: writer. Maybe Libre office writer is the issue here?

rg_arc · 2011-04-27 02:09:00

font
This is what my fonts look like with slight hinting and grayscale smoothing with RGB...

brebs · 2011-04-27 02:19:16

openoffice needs a hack, apparently.

rg_arc · 2011-04-27 02:23:52

Does this work with Libre Office as well? I am using Libre Office version 3

rg_arc · 2011-04-27 12:30:09

Another reason why I am having trouble with my fonts is because of the dependencies. Now, if I want to change everything from ubuntu rendering to infinality there are all of these programs that are connected to the ubuntu packages and I can't seem to get infinality to work properly

Arch Linux

#1 2011-04-22 09:54:03

Font issues

#2 2011-04-22 11:02:06

Re: Font issues

#3 2011-04-22 11:13:16

Re: Font issues

#4 2011-04-22 11:14:20

Re: Font issues

#5 2011-04-22 11:42:26

Re: Font issues

#6 2011-04-23 04:25:17

Re: Font issues

#7 2011-04-23 11:12:11

Re: Font issues

#8 2011-04-23 11:44:26

Re: Font issues

#9 2011-04-23 23:56:38

Re: Font issues

#10 2011-04-24 01:09:29

Re: Font issues

#11 2011-04-24 10:15:46

Re: Font issues

#12 2011-04-24 13:56:39

Re: Font issues

#13 2011-04-24 14:36:51

Re: Font issues

#14 2011-04-26 06:48:07

Re: Font issues

#15 2011-04-26 06:51:02

Re: Font issues

#16 2011-04-26 07:54:19

Re: Font issues

#17 2011-04-26 08:07:58

Re: Font issues

#18 2011-04-26 17:27:11

Re: Font issues

#19 2011-04-26 20:56:48

Re: Font issues

#20 2011-04-27 01:35:22

Re: Font issues

#21 2011-04-27 01:38:24

Re: Font issues

#22 2011-04-27 02:09:00

Re: Font issues

#23 2011-04-27 02:19:16

Re: Font issues

#24 2011-04-27 02:23:52

Re: Font issues

#25 2011-04-27 12:30:09

Re: Font issues

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