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IDProjectCategoryView StatusLast Update
0017217ScribusFontspublic2024-05-20 22:12
Reporterhebrides Assigned To 
PrioritynormalSeverityminorReproducibilityalways
Status newResolutionopen 
OSWindows 10 Pro 
Product Version1.6.0 
Summary0017217: Variable fonts only select one font (the thinnest) per .ttf file
DescriptionI've downloaded a bunch of variable fonts from Google Fonts. As variable fonts, these package all the different weights in one .ttf file (with separate files for all the italic weights, all the condensed weights, all the italic condensed weights, etc as applicable). This works fine for every other application I've used - Inkscape, Word etc.

However, Scribus only took the thinnest weight from each file. So Source Sans 3 only arrived with the ExtraLight and ExtraLight Italic options; Montserrat with only the Thin and Thin Italic options.

The workaround I've used is just to go to Github and pull a separate .ttf file for each weight. But that works for me because I'm only really interested in two fonts; if it were many more it would quickly get very tedious!
TagsNo tags attached.
PatchNo

Activities

ale

2024-05-15 06:58

manager   ~0051150

an example is https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Source+Sans+3

the .zip contains the two variable fonts and all the weights in a sub folder.

jghali

2024-05-15 20:44

administrator   ~0051155

At the moment variable fonts are not supported. Also Freetype sees a single face in these fonts.

The specifics of variable fonts would need work, for example just to subset or embed them in PDF files... because PDF format does not support variable fonts.

ale

2024-05-16 08:57

manager   ~0051156

I did some research and FreeType seems to support variable fonts:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57111097/does-freetype-support-variable-fonts

https://freetype.org/freetype2/docs/reference/ft2-multiple_masters.html

I cannot judge if this would allow Scribus to have variable fonts both in the UI and in the PDF export.

jghali

2024-05-20 22:12

administrator   ~0051163

Freetype would not help much as it does not do the job of converting variable fonts to static fonts for PDF export. We could embed variable fonts as Type 3 fonts or maybe look if harfbuzz subsetter could do the job for us.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
2024-05-14 21:45 hebrides New Issue
2024-05-15 06:58 ale Note Added: 0051150
2024-05-15 20:44 jghali Note Added: 0051155
2024-05-16 08:57 ale Note Added: 0051156
2024-05-20 22:12 jghali Note Added: 0051163