Linux users may not have a plethora of fonts, but there are many lovely and usable fonts. Different Linux fonts are supplied with different Linux distros.
A computer font is implemented as a digital data file containing a set of graphically related glyphs. A computer font is designed and created using a font editor.
Most computer fonts are in either bitmap or outline data formats. Bitmap fonts consist of a matrix of dots or pixels representing the image of each glyph in each face and size. Outline or vector fonts use Bézier curves, drawing instructions and mathematical formulae to describe each glyph, which make the character outlines scalable to any size.
This roundup highlights useful tools to view your fonts.
Here’s our verdict captured in a LinuxLinks-style chart. We only feature free and open source software in this article.
Let’s explore the font viewers. For each application we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, a screenshot, together with links to relevant resources.
| Font Viewers | |
|---|---|
| fontpreview | Search and preview fonts |
| KFontview | View and install different types of fonts |
| GNOME Fonts | View fonts on your system |
| fntsample | PDF and PostScript font samples generator |
| cfonts | Command line tool for sexy ANSI fonts |
| Opcion Font Viewer | Java based font viewer |
| Sitra | Get fonts from online sources |
| fontvuer | Cross-platform font viewer |
| Font Viewer | View and install fonts |
| Lipi | Install fonts from Google Fonts GitHub Repo |
This article has been updated to reflect the changes outlined in our recent announcement.
 Explore our comprehensive directory of recommended free and open source software. Our carefully curated collection spans every major software category.This directory is part of our ongoing series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. It features hundreds of detailed reviews, along with open source alternatives to proprietary solutions from major corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. You’ll also find interesting projects to try, hardware coverage, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Know a useful open source Linux program that we haven’t covered yet? Let us know by completing this form. |