Arch Linux Font Improvement Guide

Table of Contents

• Synopsis
• Improving Font Rendering and Compatibility on Arch Linux
  • Step 1: Install Recommended Fonts
    • Recommended Fonts
    • Optional but Highly Recommended Fonts
    • Available on the AUR
    • Popular Monospaced Fonts
  • Step 2: Create XML Configuration File
    • Example XML File
  • Step 3: Disable Bitmap Fonts
  • Step 4: Configure X11 Settings (Only for X11)
  • Step 5: Create Symbolic Links
  • Step 6: Edit freetype2.sh File
  • Step 7: Refresh Font Cache
  • Step 8: Reboot
• Sources
• License

Synopsis

After installing Arch Linux, you may wonder why the fonts in Arch Linux look so bland compared to Windows and macOS. The reason is that out of the box, Arch Linux doesn't implement many font rendering techniques to make the fonts look clear and legible. Essentially, there isn't much happening behind the scenes, so the text appears rather plain. Additionally, some apps or websites may display tofu (□) due to missing font support. Fortunately, these issues are relatively easy to fix, and this guide will discuss the solutions.

Example of Tofu

Caution

The following tweaks should work fine for most people, but as with anything in life, results may vary. If you need further assistance, feel free to leave a comment or consult the Arch Wiki. Furthermore, if you wish not to have any emoji support, be sure to ignore packages ending in or containing the word "emoji" and remove them if present.

Note

These tips were created specifically for Arch Linux, but they should work for other Linux distributions with slight modifications. If something doesn't work for your particular distro, please use your distro's official documentation or support forum(s).

Improving Font Rendering and Compatibility on Arch Linux

Step 1: Install Recommended Fonts

Download and install the recommended fonts.

Tip

If the fonts aren't available in the main repositories, check the AUR.

Recommended Fonts

sudo pacman -S noto-fonts noto-fonts-cjk noto-fonts-emoji noto-fonts-extra

Optional but Highly Recommended Fonts

sudo pacman -S ttf-liberation ttf-dejavu ttf-roboto

Available on the AUR

Tip

For AUR packages you'll have to either install them manually or use a package manager. In this example, I'll be using paru, but feel free to use whatever you want.

paru -S ttf-symbola

Popular Monospaced Fonts

sudo pacman -S ttf-jetbrains-mono ttf-fira-code ttf-hack adobe-source-code-pro-fonts

Step 2: Create XML Configuration File

Create a local or global XML file to apply font rendering effects.

Global directory: /etc/fonts/local.conf

Per user directory: ~/.config/fontconfig/fonts.conf

Example XML File

Tip

Feel free to modify this XML file if you don't need emoji support or certain features. If you don't know what you're doing, just leave it as is.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "urn:fontconfig:fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>
  <!-- Apply text rasterization, hinting, and anti-aliasing -->
  <match target="font">
    <edit name="antialias" mode="assign">
      <bool>true</bool>
    </edit>
    <edit name="hinting" mode="assign">
      <bool>true</bool>
    </edit>
    <edit name="rgba" mode="assign">
      <const>rgb</const>
    </edit>
    <edit name="hintstyle" mode="assign">
      <const>hintslight</const>
    </edit>
    <edit name="lcdfilter" mode="assign">
      <const>lcddefault</const>
    </edit>
  </match>
  <!-- Configure default fonts & fallback fonts -->
  <!-- Replace fonts with preferred fonts -->
  <!-- Noto Color Emoji allows for emojis to render in all apps including the terminal, remove it if not needed -->
  <alias>
    <family>serif</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>Noto Serif</family>
      <family>Noto Color Emoji</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>sans-serif</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>Noto Sans</family>
      <family>Noto Color Emoji</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>sans</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>Noto Sans</family>
      <family>Noto Color Emoji</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>monospace</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>Noto Sans Mono</family>
      <family>Noto Color Emoji</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>mono</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>Noto Sans Mono</family>
      <family>Noto Color Emoji</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
</fontconfig>

Step 3: Disable Bitmap Fonts

Bitmap fonts are used as fallbacks for some fonts. This can lead to some very blurry, pixelated, or abnormally large fonts. Some users have reported Microsoft fonts being affected by this, and therefore it's recommended for users to disable bitmap fonts on a per font basis or globally. Be careful with disabling it globally as it may break some fonts (additional testing is required). According to the Arch Wiki, users may use the 70-no-bitmaps.conf preset to disable this behavior or use an XML file instead.

Path: ~/.config/fontconfig/conf.d/20-no-embedded.conf

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "urn:fontconfig:fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>
  <match target="font">
    <edit name="embeddedbitmap" mode="assign">
      <bool>false</bool>
    </edit>
  </match>
</fontconfig>

Note

This excerpt was taken directly from the Arch Wiki so all credit goes to the Arch Wiki and all of its contributors.

Tip

If emojis stop working after using the previous XML file, then feel free to use this one instead:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "urn:fontconfig:fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>
  <match target="font">
    <edit name="embeddedbitmap" mode="assign">
      <bool>false</bool>
    </edit>
  </match>
  <match target="font">
    <test name="family" qual="any">
      <string>Noto Color Emoji</string>
    </test>
    <edit name="embeddedbitmap" mode="assign">
      <bool>true</bool>
    </edit>
  </match>
</fontconfig>

Step 4: Configure X11 Settings (Only for X11)

Note

If you are using Wayland, you can skip this step as these settings are handled by Fontconfig or the compositor directly.

Install xorg-xrdb (if needed).

sudo pacman -S xorg-xrdb

Edit the ~/.Xresources file OR create one if not present.

Tip

Backup the file just in case.

vim ~/.Xresources

Tip

Replace vim with your preferred text editor.

Add the following lines to that file and save changes.

Xft.lcdfilter: lcddefault
Xft.hintstyle: hintslight
Xft.hinting: 1
Xft.antialias: 1
Xft.rgba: rgb

Run this command when finished.

xrdb -merge ~/.Xresources

Step 5: Create Symbolic Links

Create required symbolic links for text rendering effects to work:

sudo ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/10-sub-pixel-rgb.conf /etc/fonts/conf.d/
sudo ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/10-hinting-slight.conf /etc/fonts/conf.d/
sudo ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/11-lcdfilter-default.conf /etc/fonts/conf.d/

Step 6: Edit freetype2.sh File

Edit the freetype2.sh file.

sudo vim /etc/profile.d/freetype2.sh

Uncomment the following line from the file.

export FREETYPE_PROPERTIES="truetype:interpreter-version=40"

Step 7: Refresh Font Cache

Refresh the font cache files by running the following command.

sudo fc-cache -fv

Step 8: Reboot

Reboot your PC and enjoy better-looking fonts! 😁

Optional Steps

Add the following line to your "/etc/environment" file.

FREETYPE_PROPERTIES="cff:no-stem-darkening=0 autofitter:no-stem-darkening=0"

Note

This command enables stem darkening, which slightly thickens font "stems" to improve contrast and readability on low-DPI monitors. This results in a "richer" look similar to macOS font rendering.

• cff:no-stem-darkening=0 enables it for OpenType/CFF fonts.
• autofitter:no-stem-darkening=0 enables it for other fonts (like TrueType) when using the auto-hinter.
• Setting these to 0 (false) enables the feature because the property is named "no-stem-darkening".

Sources

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Font_configuration

https://wiki.manjaro.org/index.php/Improve_Font_Rendering

https://www.freetype.org/freetype2/docs/reference/ft2-properties.html#no-stem-darkening

License

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International