Fonts

Console Only Fonts

Console fonts for tty's are easily configurable, and testable.

root # cd /usr/share/consolefonts/
root # ls #to display the font files
root # setfont default8x9 #sets the 8x9 default font (this will be tiny, and you may not like it)
root # setfont #returns the system to the system default font

Once you determine the font you like make it the system default:

   /etc/conf.d/consolefont - setting the system default font to the tiny text default8x9

consolefont="default8x9"

More console font packages exist in portage:

root # emerge media-fonts/terminus-font

We suggest tiny console fonts so more information can be displayed from a single page.

The readme files in /usr/share/consolefonts contain valuable information, make sure to go through them.

   /etc/conf.d/consolefont - setting the system default font to the tiny text terminus font

consolefont="ter-112n"

To set consolefonts as early as possible @ init:

root # rc-update add consolefont sysinit

Fontconfig

By default font configurations do not look ideal. This can be solved by rebuilding media-libs/freetype with the infinality USE flag, which applies the infinality patch set.

root # echo "media-libs/freetype infinality" >> /etc/portage/package.use
root # emerge -uN fontconfig

Default configuration

root # eselect fontconfig enable 10-antialias.conf
root # eselect fontconfig enable 10-autohint.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 10-hinting.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 10-hinting-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 10-sub-pixel-rgb.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 11-lcdfilter-default.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 70-no-bitmaps.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-hinting-full.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-hinting-medium.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-no-sub-pixel.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-sub-pixel-bgr.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-sub-pixel-vbgr.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-sub-pixel-vrgb.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-unhinted.conf

Linux configuration

Same as default configuration except:

root # eselect fontconfig enable 21-hinting-small-aquabase-slight.conf
root # eselect fontconfig enable 21-hinting-small-browallia-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 22-hinting-courier-italic-slight.conf

Infinality’s configuration

Same as default configuration except:

root # eselect fontconfig enable 15-hinting-tt-instructed-full.conf
root # eselect fontconfig enable 20-hinting-small-fonts-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 21-hinting-small-aquabase-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 21-hinting-small-browallia-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 22-hinting-courier-italic-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 25-hinting-small-arial-black-slight.conf

Windows configuration

Same as default except:

root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-autohint.conf
root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-hinting-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 10-hinting-full.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 15-hinting-non-tt-instructed-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 20-hinting-small-fonts-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 21-hinting-small-aquabase-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 21-hinting-small-browallia-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 22-hinting-courier-italic-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 25-hinting-small-arial-black-slight.conf

OSX configuration

Same as default configuration except:

root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-autohint.conf
root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-hinting.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig disable 10-hinting-slight.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 10-unhinted.conf  
root # eselect fontconfig enable 15-hinting-tt-instructed-none.conf

Freetype

Freetype can be configured through environment variables (see /etc/env.d/99lcdfilter for a list of the variables and their description). Those variables can be overridden on a per-user basis by either redefining them in a startup file (such as ~/.bash_profile) or by sourcing the /usr/lib/ft-settings.sh script with the desired style in parameter (you can, of course, source the script from a startup file).

usage:

root # source /usr/lib/ft-settings.sh
Possible styles:   
  default      - Use default settings.  A compromise that should please most people  
  osx          - Simulate OSX rendering  
  ubuntu       - Simulate UBUNTU rendering  
  linux        - Generic Linux style - no snapping or certain other tweaks  
  windows      - Simulate Windows rendering  
  vanilla      - Just subpixel hinting

Infinality styles:  
  classic      - Infinality rendering circa 2010. No snapping  
  nudge        - CLASSIC with lightly stem snapping and tweaks  
  push         - CLASSIC with medium stem snapping and tweaks  
  shove        - Full stem snapping and tweaks without sharpening  
  sharpened    - Full stem snapping, tweaks, and Windows-style sharpening  
  infinality   - Settings used by Infinality

Infinality-Ultimate

A more extensive version of the infinality USE flag is the media-fonts/infinality-ultimate-meta package. This contains the fontconfig-ultimate patches and configuration to give you excellent quality rendering and replacements. This has the advantage of being actively maintained whereas the infinality patchset used by the freetype USE flag is not being updated any more.

When this has been installed you should enable infinality in eselect and disable all others:

root # eselect fontconfig list

root # eselect fontconfig enable [number of infinality]

Then enable one of the "ultimate" presets:

root # eselect infinality list

Then enable the "ultimate" lcdfilter:

root # eselect lcdfilter list

Simple Global Rules

It is possible to achieve good looking fonts without the infinality flag. The infinality patches are not maintained any more but patches are sent upstream from the previous maintainer (who works on fontconfig-ultimate now). Simple global replacement rules can be set up to guarantee that all fonts get a decent replacement.

The following example uses the media-fonts/croscorefonts package as well as a few other some from media-fonts/crosextrafonts (this package is not currently in the funtoo tree but can be installed from the chromiumos overlay). Other fonts can be chosen here as desired but these particular fonts are metrically compatible with MS Fonts and are rendered particularly well.

   /etc/fonts/local.conf

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>

  <alias>
    <family>serif</family>
    <prefer><family>Tinos</family></prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>sans-serif</family>
    <prefer><family>Arimo</family></prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>sans</family>
    <prefer><family>Arimo</family></prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>monospace</family>
    <prefer><family>Cousine</family></prefer>
  </alias>
  
  <match>
    <test name="family"><string>Arial</string></test>
    <edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="strong">
      <string>Arimo</string>
    </edit>
  </match>
  <match>
    <test name="family"><string>Helvetica</string></test>
    <edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="strong">
      <string>Arimo</string>
    </edit>
  </match>
  <match>
    <test name="family"><string>Verdana</string></test>
    <edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="strong">
      <string>Arimo</string>
    </edit>
  </match>
  <match>
    <test name="family"><string>Tahoma</string></test>
    <edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="strong">
      <string>Arimo</string>
    </edit>
  </match>
  <match>
    <test name="family"><string>Times New Roman</string></test>
    <edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="strong">
      <string>Tinos</string>
    </edit>
  </match>
  <match>
    <test name="family"><string>Times</string></test>
    <edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="strong">
      <string>Tinos</string>
    </edit>
  </match>
    <match>
    <test name="family"><string>Consolas</string></test>
    <edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="strong">
      <string>Cousine</string>
    </edit>
  </match>
  <match>
    <test name="family"><string>Courier New</string></test>
    <edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="strong">
      <string>Cousine</string>
    </edit>
  </match>
  <match>
    <test name="family"><string>Calibri</string></test>
    <edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="strong">
      <string>Carlito</string>
    </edit>
  </match>
  <match>
    <test name="family"><string>Cambria</string></test>
    <edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="strong">
      <string>Caladea</string>
    </edit>
  </match>

</fontconfig>

Then enable the local.conf with

root # eselect fontconfig list

and then

root # eselect fontconfig enable *number*

Ugly Helvetica

Using infinality will not protect you from the ugly replacement for Helvetica, which is installed by media-fonts/font-adobe-100dpi and media-fonts/font-adobe-75dpi. This font is represented by files like /usr/share/fonts/100dpi/helvR12-ISO8859-1.pcf.gz and is immune to hinting; since the package media-fonts/font-adobe-100dpi is a dependency of x11-base/xorg-x11 and since a lot of websites are using Helvetica, you will see this very ugly, not-hinted fonts on those.

However, this can be avoided by using package.provided which tells portage not to update a particular package:

root # mkdir -p /etc/portage/profile
root # echo "media-fonts/font-adobe-100dpi-1.0.3" >> /etc/portage/profile/package.provided
root # echo "media-fonts/font-adobe-75dpi-1.0.3" >> /etc/portage/profile/package.provided
root # emerge -C media-fonts/font-adobe-100dpi
root # emerge -C media-fonts/font-adobe-75dpi

After unmerging these packages you will need to restart applications like Firefox; then, the system should pickup sensible replacements for Helvetica such as *Liberation* which are defined in fontconfig by default.

On a User Level

If you prefer to set this one a user level you could enable the user.conf in eselect instead of the local.conf and then do

user $ cp /etc/fonts/local.conf ~/.config/fontconfig/fonts.conf

LibXft

It can be configured on a per-user basis in the ~/.Xresources or ~/.Xdefaults files:

   ~/.Xdefaults

Xft.antialias:  1
Xft.autohint:   0  
Xft.dpi:        96  
Xft.hinting:    1  
Xft.hintstyle:  hintfull  
Xft.lcdfilter:  lcddefault  
Xft.rgba:       rgb

~/.Xdefaults is considered old and ~/.Xresources is a recommended user configuration file. Both work.