Configuring Fonts
This chapter describes how to configure fonts in the GNOME
Desktop.
Introduction to Configuring Fonts
configuring fonts
fonts
fontconfig
fonts
fonts
introduction
GNOME Desktop uses the fontconfig font configuration and
customization library. The fontconfig library can use all
kinds of fonts, including PostScript Type 1 fonts and TrueType fonts.
The fontconfig library provides a list of all the
fonts available on a GNOME Desktop system. To compile this list, fontconfig searches the directories listed in the /etc/fonts/fonts.conf file. To view all the fonts available on a system, access the fonts:/// location in the file manager on the system.
For more information about the fontconfig library,
see the following URL:
http://freedesktop.org/software/fontconfig
Font Substitution
fonts
substitution
The fontconfig library performs font substitution
when either entire fonts, or individual characters, are not present. If the
system needs to display a font that is not available, fontconfig attempts to display another, similar font. For example, if a web
page requests to display the Verdana font, and that font is not installed
on the system, fontconfig displays a similar font, such
as Helvetica. The list of similar fonts is defined in the /etc/fonts/fonts.conf file.
If the system needs to display a character that is not present in the
selected font, fontconfig attempts to display the character
in another, similar font. For example, you might select Bitstream Vera Sans
as the font for the Text Editor application. The Bitstream Vera font family
does not include Cyrillic characters. If you open a document which contains
a Cyrillic character, Text Editor uses a similar font that includes Cyrillic
characters to display the character.
The fontconfig library also defines aliases for fonts,
for example, serif, sans-serif, and monospace. When you select one of the aliases for a font, the system
uses the first font that is defined for that alias in the /etc/fonts/fonts.conf.
To Add a Font for All Users
fonts
adding for all users
To add a font for all users, perform the following steps:
Copy the font file to one of the directories in the /etc/fonts/fonts.conf file. Typically, fonts are stored in the /usr/share/fonts/ directory.
The fontconfig library updates the list
of fonts automatically. If the list of fonts is not updated, run the following
command:
fc-cache directory-name
To Add a Font for an Individual User
fonts
adding for individual users
To add a font for an individual users, perform
the following steps:
Copy the font file to the $HOME/.fonts
directory of the user. If you drag the font file to the fonts:/// location in the file manager, the font file is copied to the $HOME/.fonts directory.
The fontconfig library updates the list
of fonts automatically. If the list of fonts is not updated, run the following
command:
fc-cache directory-name