On Wed, 09 Jul 2003 14:00:02 -0700 Keith Packard <keithp@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Around 23 o'clock on Jul 9, Ciprian Popovici wrote: > > > So what you're saying, basically, is that all apps that use > > freetype2+fontconfig+xft will not be able to render fonts that look > > good without AA at small sizes? > > You need decent fonts -- the freely available 'bitstream vera' > typefaces work quite well down to 8 pixels without anti-aliasing as > long as you have the bytecode interpreter running. Below that, they > don't have delta hints and so the shapes are pretty indistinct. > > > If so, it's quite the opposite of what I was wishing for back when > > AA was still in diapers: no AA for small font sizes and AA for big > > font sizes. > > The AA used by FreeType (and hence Xft) performs hinting and then > anti-aliasing, so you get sharp edges where possible and smooth edges > otherwise. The results, especially on LCD screens are now preferred by > many people to non-AA text, especially at small sizes. I figured it out eventually and it was my fault: I had the ft-smooth patch applied over freetype 2.1.3 and I suspect it was never meant for non-AA; that's what made fonts ugly at small sizes. Freetype 2.1.4 with the bytecode interpreter performs great with the AA off under size 12. AA off, hinting on, autohinter off for everything and the AA turned on again over 12. This is what I was looking for. -- Ciprian Popovici
