Adding Fonts

This section discusses:

How to find fonts for your X window system

Note: This web page describes the older method of adding fonts to your window system that is supported by Open/Star Office.

Let's say you created a document in Star Office that uses the kidprint font linux font, which is included in Star Office. If you then try to open the document with Open Office, it won't look right since Open Office doesn't have the KidPrint font.

Your mission: find the kidprint font and then install it into your window system, so Open Office can use it and make the document look right.

You can typically find a font in google if you search for fontname true type When I tried this, a search of kidprint true type came up with a page that led me to the font: The kidprint font can be found here in a .zip file.

Sometimes the font will be incorrectly labeled as Microsoft True Type font, but the font will work on Linux too: any valid True Type font will work in X windows.

How to add True-Type fonts to your X window system

When adding a truetype font, go to the directory where the font files are and type: 
mkdir kp
unzip ../kidprint.zip
ttmkfdir -o fonts.scale
mkfontdir
Then tell X windows to make the font available to all applications: 
xset +fp directory-where-font-is
To SEE the font path (it's in there - look carefully): 
xset q
To see if the font was really added: 
xlsfonts | grep -i kidprint
and to take the font path out (remove it from the window system and make it no longer available): 
xset -fp directory-where-font-is
You can later add more fonts into the same directory by doing the same unzipping, etc. and then typing once again: 
xset +fp font-directory

Where to get more information

Linux Quick Reference Home
Linux Migration Home