TrueType Fonts in Debian mini-HOWTO

1. Introduction

A Linux installation typically contains several independent sets of fonts or font metrics. A quick glance at my system shows fonts or font metrics spread across the following directories:

• XFree86 stores its fonts in /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/
• Ghostscript stores its fonts in /usr/lib/ghostscript/fonts/
• TeX stores its fonts in /usr/lib/texmf/fonts/
• The Debian kbd package stores its fonts in /usr/share/consolefonts/
• Groff stores its metrics in /usr/share/font/devps/
• Enscript (ASCII to PostScript converter) stores its metrics in /usr/share/enscript/*.afm

Needless to say, these fonts are not coordinated.

TrueType fonts are designed to eliminate this problem by allowing the same font files to be used for both display and printing. This HOW-TO attempts to show how to use TrueType fonts for display, printing, and document preparation on Debian GNU/Linux systems.

1.1 Disclaimer

The information in this document is, to the best of my knowledge, correct. However this HOWTO is still in preliminary versions and what works for me may not work for you. Even if it does work for you, I am not a professional technical writer and I have been known to gloss over critical details.

So have fun, but play it safe and keep backups.

1.2 Credits

Created by Bear Giles, <bgiles at coyotesong.com>

Thanks go to:

• Brion Vibber, <brion at pobox.com>, who wrote the (preliminary) TrueType HOW-TO (http://pobox.com/~brion/linux/TrueType-HOWTO.html)
• Doug Holland, <meldroc at frii.com>, who wrote the XFree86 Font Deuglification HOW-TO (http://www.frii.com/~meldroc/Font-Deuglification.html)

1.3 Additional links

These links don't directly discuss Debian systems or packages, but they may still be interesting to readers of this mini-HOWTO.

• Using TrueType Fonts with RedHat Linux (http://www.kegel.com/linux/tt.html)
• X Font Tools (http://www.hex.net/~cbbrowne/xfonts.html)
• Getting fonts to look pretty under GNU/Linux for applications like StarOffice (http://king.ccrc.wustl.edu/~zubin/fonts.html)
• How to use True Type © fonts for StarOffice Under Linux (http://www.mindspring.net/~john_mcl/adding_fonts.html)

1.4 Change log

• 0.1. Sept. 16, 1999: First release.
• 0.2. Sept. 16, 1999: added "additional links" section.
• 0.3. Jan. 10, 2000: reader feedback! Added clarification of several details.

1.5 Feedback

Comments, corrections, additions and critiques are always welcome. You can reach me at bgiles at coyotesong.com.

1.6 Related projects

• FreeType http://www.freetype.org/

  The FreeType engine is a free and portable TrueType font rendering engine. The code is a clean-room implementation that is totally independent of the Apple and Microsoft implementations. (A question has recently been raised about a possible Apple patent, however.) FreeType is a library, not a font server or a complete text rendering library.

1.7 Distribution

This is the first draft and I expect it to change significantly after publication, I ask that you refer to the latest version at http://www.dimensional.com/~bgiles/debian-tt.html. The permanent home for this document will eventually be at http://www.coyotesong.com/