bugThe FreeType Project - Bugs: bug #18374, Verdana bold is way too bold. ...

 
 

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bug #18374: Verdana bold is way too bold. (ClearType issue)

Submitter:  None
Submitted:  Sat 25 Nov 2006 07:52:23 PM UTC
Votes: 100
 
Severity:  3 - Normal Item Group:  Incorrect behaviour
Status:  Fixed Privacy:  Public
Assigned to:  wl Open/Closed:  Closed
Planned Release:  None

Jump to the original submission

Tue 01 Nov 2016 05:55:01 PM UTC, comment #12: 

Too many changes went in since this bug report was active to keep it open. We have v40 interpreter with the focus on LCD by default now, not to mention other improvements. On the other hand, the image links below are dead now unfortunately.

I am closing this as fixed.

Alexei Podtelezhnikov <podtelez>
Group Member
Tue 02 Mar 2010 06:29:29 AM UTC, comment #11: 

You can't.  Adding a special `FreeType rendering mode' flag would not be very useful IMHO – your font would benefit but not others which aren't aware of this mode.

However, one guy is currently playing with ClearType emulation, so maybe we eventually get something better.

Werner LEMBERG <wl>
Group administrator
Tue 02 Mar 2010 05:42:49 AM UTC, comment #10: 


>If LCD rendering is activated, it simply increases the horizontal resolution internally by a factor of three, that's all.


How can freetype inform the font that it is rendered in such the manner (not rounding in one dimension)?

Andrey V. Panov <panov>
Sat 27 Feb 2010 08:22:42 AM UTC, comment #9: 

FreeType does not have an algorithm for subpixel rendering.  How do you come to this impression?  If LCD rendering is activated, it simply increases the horizontal resolution internally by a factor of three, that's all.  Within the TrueType interpreter, there is nothing specially done.  ClearType, on the other hand, handles many instructions differently.

Consequently, returning MS font scaler version 1.7 is correct – the main goal of FreeType's TrueType engine, together with the B/W rasterizer, is to produce exactly the same results.

Remember that for TrueType, in an ideal world, any rasterizer should produce the same output.  This means that the font scaler version doesn't indicate which company's scaler is used but which capabilities are available.

Werner LEMBERG <wl>
Group administrator
Sat 27 Feb 2010 01:56:47 AM UTC, comment #8: 

FreeType has own algorithm for subpixel rendering.
But after several years FreeType does not return bits from GETINFO instruction when subpixel rendering is switched on as described at the end of The TrueType Instruction Set, Part 2, http://www.microsoft.com/typography/otspec/ttinst.htm . It also should return higher version of MS rasterizer on this occasion. This let a font to know about subpixel rendering and use instruction corrections for it.

The absense of this information prevent accurate displaying  fonts appreciating subpixel rendering.

Andrey V. Panov <panov>
Mon 04 Dec 2006 06:46:56 AM UTC, comment #7: 

[Continuing the last comment which was cut.]

Regarding other (minor) character differences: FreeType
doesn't support ClearType -- new fonts from MS set special
bits for the GETINFO bytecode command for that, running
extra bytecode if it is activated.  It will take some time
before we can support this (if at all due to patent problems).


    Werner

Werner LEMBERG <wl>
Group administrator
Thu 30 Nov 2006 07:27:30 PM UTC, comment #6: 

Well, I did some debugging of arialbd.ttf with FontForge.
Regarding the letter `W', the different rendering must be
caused by using a different color filter

Werner LEMBERG <wl>
Group administrator
Thu 30 Nov 2006 12:56:24 PM UTC, comment #5: 

Well let screenshots speak for themselves (Arial Bold, 9 in both pictures)
Windows, Cleartype, 96dpi
http://manta.univ.gda.pl/~rbonieck/arialbd_9_ct.png
Linux, Freetype2, BCI on, new LCD filtering on, 96dpi
http://manta.univ.gda.pl/~rbonieck/arialbd_9_ft.png

rb <boniek>
Mon 27 Nov 2006 09:08:01 PM UTC, comment #4: 

I really doubt that it is Arial Bold!  Just look at
the stem length of the `b' glyph -- it is definitely
longer in the `yahoo-ct.png' image.

Please check your collection of Windows fonts to find out
which one is really used.

Werner LEMBERG <wl>
Group administrator
Mon 27 Nov 2006 04:46:02 PM UTC, comment #3: 

It seems it is Arial Bold not Verdana Bold issue.
http://manta.univ.gda.pl/~rbonieck/ss.png
Arial Bold in ftview is rendered identically like in Firefox. And it is way bolder than in Windows (again "Web" link). Is it supposed to be like that?

rb <boniek>
Sat 25 Nov 2006 10:18:16 PM UTC, comment #2: 

In case you can reproduce the problem with the ftview demo
program of FreeType, we are the right persons to speak with.
For everything else please contact the authors who have written
the application -- in this case the firefox team.


    Werner

Werner LEMBERG <wl>
Group administrator
Sat 25 Nov 2006 08:11:16 PM UTC, comment #1: 

This also happens for Tahoma, and many other fonts. It's not related with antialias, bci and subpixel: they're rendered way too bold from the beginning.

Patrizio <crono>
Sat 25 Nov 2006 07:52:23 PM UTC, original submission:  

I'm using freetype2 from cvs (25.11.2006). BCI is enabled. New subpixel font rendering is enabled. Verdana fonts look way too bold. Compare "Web" or "Web Search" link in the upper part of both screenshots.
Linux, Freetype2
http://manta.univ.gda.pl/~rbonieck/yahoo.png
Windows, Cleartype
http://manta.univ.gda.pl/~rbonieck/yahoo_ct.png

Anonymous

 

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    There are 100 votes so far. Votes easily highlight which items people would like to see resolved in priority, independently of the priority of the item set by tracker managers.

     

    Follow 8 latest changes.

    Date Changed by Updated Field Previous Value => Replaced by
    2016-11-01 podtelez StatusPostponed Fixed
        Open/ClosedOpen Closed
    2007-03-10 wl SummaryVerdana bold is way too bold. Verdana bold is way too bold. (ClearType issue)
    2006-12-04 wl StatusNeed Info Postponed
    2006-11-30 wl Carbon-Copy- Added freetype
    2006-11-25 wl StatusNone Need Info
        Assigned toNone wl
    2006-11-25 crono Carbon-Copy- Added crono

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