View Issue Details
ID | Project | Category | View Status | Date Submitted | Last Update |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0007713 | Scribus | Usability | public | 2009-01-09 18:01 | 2025-05-28 22:00 |
Reporter | park | Assigned To | |||
Priority | normal | Severity | tweak | Reproducibility | always |
Status | new | Resolution | open | ||
Platform | P4 HT 3GHz 3Gb Radeon x1600 | OS | Ubuntu | OS Version | 8.10 |
Product Version | 1.3.3.12 | ||||
Summary | 0007713: It should always be obvious if font size, weight or variant is present in the font file or made by the program. | ||||
Description | When a user changes font size, weight or variant, the user inteface should make it clear beyond doubt if this is something intended by the publisher, or if it is a manipulation produced by Scribus. In high quality typefaces, the designer often has adapted proportions to suit various sizes, weights and variants. I have read about, and appreciated, the teams view on faux italics and bold, but I think it is of equal importance for the professional user to be sure that the size he/she is using is one intended by the type designer, or if the small caps are a real, specially drawn variant of the typeface or just regular capitals set in a smaller size. Sizes are presented as a list in the menu, with the option "other", but in the properties box, you don't have the option of that fixed list. I am not opposed to the possibility to manipulate typefaces (for instance by producing faux small caps), but the distinction between the type designers' intentions and my own manipulations has to be clear. | ||||
Tags | discussion, fonts, gui, menus, palette, small caps, typography, usability | ||||
Patch | |||||
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That menu has gone in 1.3.5svn. How would you propose we indicate this difference for such things as small caps? |
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Almost two years ago. But here we go again. - Font size. This is still relevant in 1.3.6 SVN. My suggestion would be a drop-down menu with the standard/traditional sizes while retaining a possibility to manually input your own custom size. - Font variant Things like weight and italics, regular font variants. Seems to work all right with the existing drop down menu in 1.3.6 SVN. This still leaves rhe problem with real vs faux small caps. One possible solution might be to remove the possibility for small caps, if the font in it self does not contain "real" small caps. And then add an option for faux small caps if the user wish to fake it (and hope nobody notices). A bit like the option to lean a font that does not have a italic or oblique variant in it self. I don't know anything about possible technical issues regarding this. To me it seems like primarily a UX problem, but I am a designer, not a programmer. I think this kind of transparency ought to be stated in some sort of design guideline for a program such as Scribus: "The differece between variants contained in a font file and local manipulations should always be obvious to the user", or something like that. This is from a professional standpoint, the casual user propably don't care and may even be confused. |
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verdict ? |
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From what I understand, Scribus seems to have real small caps in the OpenType features and fake small caps in the "Typography" buttons. This seems to go in the direction of OP request, but, very likely, that most people will not notice and use the fake ones anyway. And some of them, would be thinking they are using "real" small caps. Should the fake one be disabled when the font does have real drop caps? Or should Scribus then "automatically" use the real one (and use a different tooltip)? On the other side do modern fonts really have preferred sizes? |
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the fake small caps look really poor. (sometimes it helps to add an outline of something like 2%. but who does this?) i would like to have them removed for fonts without real small caps. (but this may not be good enough for anyone…) the rest of the request is obsolete, as scribus does not support stuff like fake italics and font sizes may have been from interest in times of low resolution outputs and bitmap fonts. |
Date Modified | Username | Field | Change |
---|---|---|---|
2009-01-09 18:01 | park | New Issue | |
2009-01-09 21:12 | cbradney | Note Added: 0020898 | |
2010-11-28 12:00 | park | Note Added: 0024918 | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: gui | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: interface | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: menus | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: options | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: palette | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: scribus | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: text | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: usability | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: typography | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: font size | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: fonts | |
2010-11-28 12:06 | park | Tag Attached: small caps | |
2014-10-08 22:37 | Kunda | Tag Detached: scribus | |
2014-10-11 18:37 | Kunda | Tag Renamed | options => preferences |
2014-10-13 15:57 | Kunda | Tag Detached: font size | |
2016-03-10 14:21 | Kunda | Note Added: 0039105 | |
2016-03-10 14:21 | Kunda | Status | new => feedback |
2016-04-13 03:01 | Kunda | Tag Detached: interface | |
2016-04-13 03:20 | Kunda | Tag Attached: discussion | |
2025-05-28 21:02 | ale | Note Added: 0052668 | |
2025-05-28 21:02 | ale | Tag Detached: preferences | |
2025-05-28 21:02 | ale | Tag Detached: text | |
2025-05-28 21:03 | ale | Status | feedback => new |
2025-05-28 22:00 | utnik | Note Added: 0052669 |