source: x/installing/truetype.xml@ 07ba0069

<sect1 id="x-installing-truetype">
<?dbhtml filename="truetype.html" dir="x"?>
<title>Adding TrueType font support to XFree86</title>

<para>
TrueType font support is now built into XFree86.  The following items need to 
be completed to make the fonts available.
</para>
<itemizedlist>

<listitem><para>Establish a directory for the fonts and move any TrueType fonts
you want into that directory.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Create the <filename>fonts.scale</filename> and 
<filename>fonts.dir</filename> files in the TrueType font directory.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Ensure the truetype module is loaded in 
<filename>XF86Config</filename>.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Ensure the <parameter>FontPath</parameter> in 
<filename>XF86Config</filename> contains the TrueType font directory.
</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<sect2><title>Establish a TrueType font directory</title>
<para>The build of XFree86 as given above automatically creates a TrueType
font directory: <filename>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/TTF</filename>.  This
directory is already has some TrueType fonts and is set up correctly.
If this directory is satisfactory, copy any other TrueType fonts you want
into that directory.  If not, create a new directory, preferably in
the <filename>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/</filename> directory and put 
your TrueType fonts there.
</para></sect2>

<sect2><title>Create <filename>fonts.scale</filename> and 
<filename>fonts.dir</filename></title>
<para>To make the <filename>fonts.scale</filename> file, you have to build the
program <filename>ttmkfdir</filename>. Unfortunately, this program needs 
libraries from the <filename>freetype</filename> project, so we need to make 
that first.</para>

<screen>Download location: 
   <ulink url="http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/freetype/freetype-1.3.1.tar.gz"/></screen>

<para>Unpack the file and build with
<screen>./configure --prefix=/usr &amp;&amp;
make &amp;&amp;
make install &amp;&amp;
ldconfig</screen>
</para>

<para>
Now build the <filename>ttmkfdir</filename> utility. 

<screen>Download location: <ulink url="http://freshmeat.net/projects/ttmkfdir"/></screen> 
The filename is <filename>ttmkfdir.tar.gz</filename>.
</para>

<para>
This is a very short  program that unpacks it is files in the current 
directory, so its best to make a separate directory.
<screen>mkdir ttmkfdir &amp;&amp; 
cd ttmkfdir &amp;&amp; 
tar zxvf ../ttmkfdir.tar.gz</screen>
</para>

<para>Edit the <filename>Makefile</filename> to make the following changes:
<screen>FREETYPE_BASE=/usr
FREETYPE_INCL=$(FREETYPE_BASE)/include/freetype
FREETYPE_LIB=-L$(FREETYPE_BASE)/lib -lttf</screen>
</para>

<para>Run
<screen>make &amp;&amp;
install -m755 ttmkfdir /usr/bin</screen>
</para>

<para>Now change to the directory where you have your TrueType fonts and run
<screen>ttmkfdir -o fonts.scale &amp;&amp;
mkfontdir</screen></para>
</sect2>

<sect2><title>Ensure TrueType is loaded in <filename>XF86Config</filename>
</title> 
<para>The "Module" section should look like:
<screen>Section "Module"
        ...
        Load  "freetype"
        Load  "speedo"
EndSection</screen>
</para></sect2>

<sect2><title>Ensure the <parameter>FontPath</parameter> in
<filename>XF86Config</filename> points to the TrueType font directory</title>
<para>The "Files"section should look like
<screen>Section "Files"
        ...
        FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/TTF/"
EndSection</screen>
</para>

<para>XFree86 will now be able to use TrueType fonts when it is restarted.
You can check to see if the new fonts are available with the
<userinput>xlsfonts</userinput> program.
</para>
</sect2>

</sect1>