# Java Runtime Environment Fonts

Related articles

- Fonts
- Font configuration
- MS Fonts
- X Logical Font Description

Some users may find the default Java fonts or the display mode of fonts in Java applications to be unpleasant. Several methods to improve the font display in the Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE) are available. These methods may be used separately, but many users will find they achieve better results by combining them.

TrueType fonts appear to be the best supported format for use with Java.

## Anti-aliasing

### Basic settings

Anti-aliasing of fonts is available with Oracle Java 1.6 on Linux. To do this on a per user basis, add the following line to the user's `~/.bashrc`.

    export _JAVA_OPTIONS='-Dawt.useSystemAAFontSettings=setting'

Note: TrueType fonts contain a grid-fitting and scan-conversion procedure (GASP) table with the designer's recommendations for the font's display at different point sizes. Some sizes are recommended to be fully anti-aliased, others are to be hinted, and some are to be displayed as bitmaps. Combinations are sometimes used for certain point sizes.

Replace `setting` with one of the following seven values:

  - `off` or `false` or `default` – No anti-aliasing
  - `on` – Full anti-aliasing
  - `gasp` – Use the font's built-in hinting instructions
  - `lcd` or `lcd_hrgb` – Anti-aliasing tuned for many popular LCD monitors
  - `lcd_hbgr` – Alternative LCD monitor setting
  - `lcd_vrgb` – Alternative LCD monitor setting
  - `lcd_vbgr` – Alternative LCD monitor setting

The `gasp` and `lcd` settings work well in many instances.

Optionally to use GTK look and feel, add the following line to .bashrc instead. Note that the Java options described above and this one only work for applications that draw their GUI in Java, like Jdownloader, and not for applications which utilize Java as backend only, like Openoffice.org and Matlab.

    export _JAVA_OPTIONS='-Dswing.defaultlaf=com.sun.java.swing.plaf.gtk.GTKLookAndFeel'

For the above change to take effect, `~/.bashrc` must be sourced as the normal user.

    $ source ~/.bashrc

Open a new instance of a Java application to test the changes made.

### OpenJDK patch

Even when anti-aliasing is enforced through Java options, the resulting anti-aliasing may look noticably poorer than the ones used in native applications and may result in blurry fonts or in the LCD hinting not being applied, manifesting in jaggy fonts. This may be remedied through a patch to OpenJDK, available in the AUR as jre7-openjdk-headless-fontfix. The patched version may yield much improved results and plays nice in conjunction with the Infinality patches to fontconfig and freetype.

## Font selection

### TrueType fonts

Some Java applications may specify use of a particular TrueType font; these applications must be made aware of the directory path to the desired font. TrueType fonts are installed in the directory `/usr/share/fonts/TTF`. Add the following line to `~/.bashrc` to enable these fonts.

    export JAVA_FONTS=/usr/share/fonts/TTF

Source `~/.bashrc` as the normal user for the change to take effect.

    $ source ~/.bashrc

### Default fonts

The Lucida fonts distributed with the Sun JRE are the default for Java applications that do not specify a different font's use. The Lucida fonts were designed for low resolution displays and printers; many users will wish to use other fonts. The default Java fonts can be changed on a system-wide basis by the creation or editing of a file named `fontconfig.properties`.

As root, change directory to `/opt/java/jre/lib`. Copy `fontconfig.properties.src` to `fontconfig.properties`. Then, as root, open the new `fontconfig.properties` in an editor.

    # cd /opt/java/jre/lib
    # cp fontconfig.properties.src fontconfig.properties
    # nano fontconfig.properties

Note: Encodings other than Latin-1, or ISO-8859-1, are shown in other `fontconfig.properties.*.src` files in `/opt/java/jre/lib`. Some users will find these files to be better sources to use for editing. In all cases the edited file should be saved as `fontconfig.properties`.

The Java font names in the configuration file are in the form of `genericFontName.style.subset`, for example, `serif.plain.latin-1`. These generic fonts are mapped to the installed fonts using X logical font description (XLFD) names. The `%d`, in the example below, is used as a placeholder in the XLFD name for the point size. The Java application replaces `%d` at runtime.

    serif.plain.latin-1=-b&h-lucidabright-medium-r-normal--*-%d-*-*-p-*-iso8859-1

Tip: The utility, xfontsel, may be used to display fonts and to discover their XLFD names. Xfontsel is part of the xorg-xfontsel package.

Change the Lucida fonts named in the `fontconfig.properties` file to your selected fonts using the XLFD names. Below is an excerpt of a `fontconfig.properties` file after modifications have been made. The Lucida fonts have been replaced by DejaVu fonts.

    # Version -- a version number is required.
    # IMPORTANT -- Do not delete the next line. Ever.
    version=1

    # Component Font Mappings
    # gen_name.style.subset=
    #       -fndry-fmly-wght-slant-sWdth-adstyle-pxlsz-ptSz-resx-resy-spc-avgWdth-rgstry-encdng

    serif.plain.latin-1=-misc-dejavu serif-medium-r-normal-*-*-%d-*-*-p-*-iso8859-1
    serif.bold.latin-1=-misc-dejavu serif-bold-r-normal-*-*-%d-*-*-p-*-iso8859-1
    serif.italic.latin-1=-misc-dejavu serif-medium-o-normal-*-*-%d-*-*-p-*-iso8859-1

After the changes have been saved to `fontconfig.properties`, the editor may be closed and the user should drop root privileges. Open a new instance of a Java application to test the changes.

Category:

- Fonts