texttopdf: Remove FC_MONO constraint to allow proportional fonts#140
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tillkamppeter merged 1 commit intoOpenPrinting:masterfrom Apr 1, 2026
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Currently, texttopdf restricts font selection to monospace fonts by enforcing (FC_SPACING == FC_MONO) during Fontconfig candidate filtering. This causes incorrect font selection for scripts that require proportional fonts, such as Devanagari. Even when a suitable font (e.g., NotoSansDevanagari) is specified via charset configuration, it gets rejected and replaced by a fallback monospace font (e.g., DejaVuSansMono), resulting in missing glyphs. This patch removes the hardcoded monospace restriction and allows Fontconfig to select appropriate fonts based on the requested pattern. Monospace behavior is still preserved where explicitly required (e.g., ASCII), but non-monospaced scripts can now correctly load their intended fonts. This fixes rendering issues for Devanagari(Hindi) and potentially other scripts that depend on proportional fonts like Japanese, Chinese, etc.
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Description
This PR removes the hardcoded
FC_SPACING == FC_MONOrestriction inside thefont_load()function oftexttopdf.Details
Previously,
texttopdfforced Fontconfig to restrict candidate filtering exclusively to monospaced fonts. If a user specified a valid proportional font via charset configuration (e.g.,NotoSansDevanagari), Fontconfig would reject it and fall back to a monospaced system font (likeDejaVuSansMono), resulting in missing glyphs and silent failures during thecmaplookup.By removing this strict check, Fontconfig can now correctly resolve and load the intended fonts for complex scripts. Monospace behavior is still perfectly preserved for scripts/charsets that explicitly request monospaced fonts (like ASCII).
This is a necessary precursor for adding proper Complex Text Layout (CTL) and shaping engine support to
texttopdf.