This version of XFree86 comes with two TrueType backends,
FreeType (module `freetype', formerly known as xfsft) and
X-TrueType (module `xtt'). These two backends are not
compatible: only one of them can be used at any one time.
In order to use the FreeType backend, please check that the
`Module' section of your `XF86Config' file contains a line
that reads
Load "freetype"
In order to use the X-TrueType backend, replace the line in your
XF86Config file that loads the freetype module with a
line that reads
Load "xtt"
Both TrueType backends delay glyph rasterisation up to the time at which a glyph is first used. For this reason, they only provide an approximate value for the ``average width'' font property.
Both backends also support an optimisation for character-cell fonts
(fonts with all glyph metrics equal, or terminal fonts). A font with
an XLFD specifying a character-cell spacing `c', as in
-misc-mincho-medium-r-normal--0-0-0-0-c-0-jisx0208.1990-0
The FreeType backend (formerly xfsft) is a backend based on
the FreeType library (see the FreeType web site) and has support for the ``fontenc''
style of internationalisation (see Section
The fontenc layer). This backend supports TrueType Font files
(`*.ttf') and TrueType Collections (`*.ttc').
In order to access the faces in a TrueType Collection file, the face number must be specified in the fonts.dir file before the filename within colons. For example,
:2:mincho.ttc -misc-mincho-medium-r-normal--0-0-0-0-c-0-jisx0208.1990-0
mincho.ttc' TrueType Collection file.
The FreeType backend uses the fontenc layer in order to support recoding of fonts; this was described in Section The fontenc layer and especially Section FreeType-specific notes about fontenc earlier in this document.
The `X-TrueType' backend is another backend based on the FreeType library. X-TrueType doesn't use the `fontenc' layer for managing font encodings, but instead uses its own database of encodings. However, X-TrueType includes a large number of encodings, and any encoding you need is likely to be present in X-TrueType.
X-TrueType extends the `fonts.dir' syntax with a number of options,
known as `TTCap'. A `TTCap' entry follows the general syntax
:option=value:
The most useful TTCap option is used to specify the face number to use
with TTCs; this is the `fn' TTCap option. For example, face 2 of
font file `mincho.ttc' is specified using:
:fn=2:mincho.ttc -misc-mincho-medium-r-normal--0-0-0-0-c-0-jisx0208.1990-0