Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 111814
Improved font selection
Last modified: 2014-01-29 12:38:29 UTC
A specific font is described by several attributes, like "font family", "manufacturer", "style", "weight", "size", etc. Unfortunately OOo does not display all attributes when offering a font to pick from a list, nor does it save all the attributes in the XML files. For example, there is a font named "Garamond" that is available from Monotype and from Adobe (and from Agfa, Linotype, ITC, etc.). Depending on the foundry there may be slight differences in kerning or visual appearance, so the user (especially if he has installed several of those choices) wants to pick a specific font from all the available ones. Another example is said to be "Frutiger Univers". OOo does not display/store the vendor/foundry of the font at the moment. Also OOo does not indicate whether a specific font is available in specific styles (normal, italic, oblique, slanted) or weights (norlam, light , bold, etc.) If a specific font is not available, OOo creates the shape synthetically, usually with sub-optimal results. For example, when OOo displays one font named "Tahoma", there are actually two fonts named "Tahoma" and "Tahoma-bold" installed, but not some "Tahoma-italic". I don't know all the English names, but OOo should display/store more of the attributes like (using German phrases): Schriftfamilie (font family) Hersteller (manufacturer/foudry) Schriftschnitt (specific "cut") Laufweite/Zeichenweite (pitch, like condensed, narrow, normal, expanded, etc.) Schriftlage (like regular, italic, slanted, oblique) Schriftgrad (point size)