Ubuntu Beautification

Tip #1:

It's amazing really - most fonts contain within them “hints” laid down by their designer about how they should look on-screen. Artistic meta-data! However, Ubuntu ignores them and uses a system called 'autohinting'.

It works well, but you might also want to try bytecode hinting. This uses the hinting built into the fonts. To activate bytecode hinting, open a terminal window and type:

$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure fontconfig-config

Using the cursor keys, select Native from the menu and then hit Enter.

On the next screen you’ll be asked if you want to activate subpixel rendering. This is good for TFT screens, so make the choice (or just select Automatic). Next you’ll be asked if you want to activate bitmap fonts, which are non-true type fonts good for use at low point levels. There’s no harm in using them, so select yes. The program will quit when it’s finished. Once that’s happened, type the following to write the changes to the system and update files:

$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure fontconfig
$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure defoma

System - Quit - Logout, and then log back in again. Letters will appear more rounded and the antialiasing will appear better.

Tip #2:

465 fonts of Brian Kent (http://www.aenigmafonts.com) are available to Ubuntu users. To install the fonts, you’ll need to add a new software repository:

System - Administration - Software Sources
- Third-Party Software tab - Add

type the following into the dialog box that appears:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/corenominal/ubuntu hardy main

Click 'Add Sources', then Close and, when prompted, agree to reload the package lists. Then use Synaptic to search for and install the 'ttf-aenigma' package. Once installed the fonts will be available for use straight away in all applications.

Enjoy your beautified Ubuntu!