Re: A question of fonts

[andy <geek_show@dsl.pipex.com>]

Florian Kulzer wrote:
> On Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 21:45:07 +0100, andy wrote:
>   
> > Florian Kulzer wrote:
> >     
>
> [...]
>
>   
> > > This could also be a problem with your settings for font display rather
> > > than with the fonts themselves.
> > >       
>
> [...]
>
>   
> > > Maybe you can post your font settings and we can have a look:
> > >
> > > awk '/fontconfig/,/^$/' /var/cache/debconf/config.dat
> > >
> > > xrdb -query | grep Xft
> > >
> > >   
> > >       
> > Florian
> >
> > Thanks for the image - a picture is worth ... and all that jazz. Certainly, 
> > my font display is more like the image on the left.
> >     
>
> To produce the ugly image I turned off all hinting and anitaliasing. I
> also enabled bitmap fonts which are normally disabled on my system. I
> normally use Bitstream Vera Sans or Deja Vu Sans as the user interface
> font.
>
>   
> > In response to the awk string:
> >
> > Name: fontconfig/enable_bitmaps
> > Value: false
> >     
>
> I think this is the correct choice.
>
>   
> > Name: fontconfig/hinting_type
> > Value: Autohinter
> >     
>
> Maybe you should try "Native" here. You can change these settings with
> "dpkg-reconfigure fontconfig-config". (There will be a dialog with
> multiple choices.) I think you have to restart X to see the effect of a
> changed setting.
>
>   
> > Name: fontconfig/subpixel_rendering
> > Value: Always
> >     
>
> That should be OK for LCD displays. If all else fails you could try
> "Never" or "Automatic".
>
>   
> > And in response to xrdb -query:
> >
> > Xft.antialias:  1
> > Xft.dpi:        120.000000
> > Xft.hinting:    1
> > Xft.hintstyle:  hintfull
> > Xft.rgba:       none
> >     
>
> Strange, those are exactly the Xft seetings which I used for the nice
> half of the picture. (Except for Xft.dpi, but that depends on the
> display of course.) If you get jagged fonts in this configuration, then
> maybe these settings are ignored for some reason. I know that some DEs
> can override these settings under certain conditions. Which DE or WM are
> you using and how do you start X? Also, if the file ".fonts.conf" exists
> in your home directory, can you post its contents?
>
>   
Hi Florian

Output of the .fonts.conf file:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>
<match target="font" >
 <edit mode="assign" name="rgba" >
  <const>none</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>hintfull</const>
 </edit>
</match>
<match target="font" >
 <edit mode="assign" name="antialias" >
  <bool>true</bool>
 </edit>
</match>
</fontconfig>

I have yet to try changing fontconfig/hinting_type to "Native" but will 
when a decent reason to shut X down presents in terms of work flow.

Any thoughts on the conf file settings?

Cheers

Andy

--

"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." - Thomas Pynchon, "Gravity's Rainbow"