FreeSans: very excessive overshoot
Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ttf-freefont (Ubuntu) |
Fix Released
|
Undecided
|
Unassigned |
Bug Description
Binary package hint: ttf-freefont
All the FreeSans latin characters with "curvy bottoms", like "a" and "t" overshoot the baseline far too much, assuming the baseline is where the latin characters with "straight bottoms" like "l" and "h" sit. Compared to Helvetica, or just about any other sans typeface I've seen, this really is excessive. In this respect unfortunately, Arial puts FreeSans to shame.
I've attached a screenshot of FreeSans 12 point in AbiWord, zoomed in to 500%. I added some straight lines underneath to help demonstrate just how big the overshoot is. Sometimes it doesn't look quite as bad as this, depending on the size and zoom (I guess hinting masks it a little at certain sizes). I've confirmed this in other applications, including OpenOffice and Firefox (while viewing http://
This was reported as a GNU FreeFont bug (https:/
Changed in ttf-freefont (Ubuntu): | |
status: | Fix Committed → Fix Released |
I agreed on the FreeFont bug report.
At some point sizes, and on some font it looks OK, but at others I agree it looks very odd.
In particular, I use it at 12 point on my Ubuntu system for web browsing and such, and it looks great.
However, at 16 and 18 points, I find the overshoot distracting.
However, this deep overshoot is an original feature of the URW font on which the Sans face is based.
You can check this yourself.
The reason nothing has been done about it is, we have no idea what could be done about it.
What would you do? Completely revise the style of the face? Revise all 5289 glyphs in the face?
Do you have a weekend free?
A bug report on this topic (by "anonymous") /savannah. gnu.org/ bugs/?22266
https:/
And has been commented on several times. We are still thinking about it.
As to the Savannah issues, this is not my domain, but I have heard a lot of complaints, and I know a lot of things have changed, including personnel. Perhaps you could try again.
By the way, not only was no pressure brought to bear, nobody told us that you had posted anything here.