font instalation

[dessie]

Hello! I have a problem installing fonts.
I download a font, and then install it, but it's
never there in the gimp when I want to use
my new font to make a graphic. Sometimes
the name is there, but no font shows up.
I am using mandrake 9.1 What am I doing wrong?

[JohnT]

Open the Gimp>File>Preferences>Folders>Fonts.....there you'll see the paths that Gimps looks at for defaults. Mine normally load OK so I never have to use or adjust these paths, but you might try either entering your path to your chosen fonts or placing symlinks to your fonts in the folders shown. It's possible your installation process is less than nominal. How are you doing it? Check your permissions on the Gimp font folders also.

[dessie]

Oh no, I don't have /folders/fonts in my preferences.
I have obviously not installed some component of
the CD I needed!

I was installing the fonts by going into the mandrake
control center font instal, and it worked for the desktop,
and folder names.

[JohnT]

I don't have any fonts in mine either, but then I don't have your problem. It was only a suggestion as to one of the methods that Gimp uses to look for fonts. Make sure your font paths in /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 are uncommented and correct.There is an additional application that I think needs to be installed, "libgimp-print". One time I decided not to install this additional app, because I didn't have printer and thought it unnecessary...I never recieved any error messages but some things in Gimp were broke. I don't remember specifically, I do know I have installed it since. It might be font related.

[JohnT]

OK...I found some excellent links...saved the best for last, but look at them all for a good overview.

http://lists.suse.com/archive/suse-linux-e/2002-Aug/2730.html
http://lli.linux-bangalore.org/ttfonts.php
http://www.gimp.org/fonts.html

[dessie]

The links were helpful, but nothing still has worked.
maybe this version of mandrake has a bug. I may go
back to red hat and see what happens.

[lugoteehalt]

Unlikely to be helpfull but I installed a true type server, called something like ttfs, to use true type fonts from the Windows partition, and the Gimp loves it. Ehrr....so might you need some sort of font server or somthing??:)

[Hayl]

this script i wrote to go with mkfontalias.py has now been tested on gentoo, slack, and debian - works on all 3. should work on the rest as well.

http://www.justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=122484

all you have to do is get the two files, copy 1 to /usr/bin, chmod +x both files, and run quickfont according to the instructions.