---
publish: true
permalink: /os/fonts
title: Fonts
created: 2026-01-29T15:24:42.068-07:00
modified: 2026-02-05T12:18:02.154-07:00
tags:
  - fonts
  - rendering
  - appearance
cssclasses: ""
---

Font installation and rendering improvements for Arch Linux.

## Essential Fonts

```bash
sudo pacman -S \
  ttf-dejavu ttf-liberation ttf-roboto \
  noto-fonts noto-fonts-cjk noto-fonts-emoji \
  ttf-jetbrains-mono ttf-fira-code \
  ttf-font-awesome
```

### Nerd Fonts (icons in terminal)

```bash
paru -S ttf-jetbrains-mono-nerd
# or download from https://www.nerdfonts.com/
```

## Font Rendering

Arch's default font rendering can look rough. These tweaks improve it significantly.

### Enable good defaults

```bash
sudo ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/10-sub-pixel-rgb.conf /etc/fonts/conf.d/
sudo ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/10-hinting-slight.conf /etc/fonts/conf.d/
sudo ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/11-lcdfilter-default.conf /etc/fonts/conf.d/
```

### User fontconfig

Create `~/.config/fontconfig/fonts.conf`:
```xml
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>
  <match target="font">
    <edit name="antialias" mode="assign">
      <bool>true</bool>
    </edit>
    <edit name="hinting" mode="assign">
      <bool>true</bool>
    </edit>
    <edit name="hintstyle" mode="assign">
      <const>hintslight</const>
    </edit>
    <edit name="lcdfilter" mode="assign">
      <const>lcddefault</const>
    </edit>
    <edit name="rgba" mode="assign">
      <const>rgb</const>
    </edit>
  </match>
</fontconfig>
```

### Rebuild font cache

```bash
fc-cache -fv
```

## Verify Settings

```bash
fc-match -v sans | grep -E "antialias|hinting|hintstyle|rgba"
```

## Default Fonts

Set preferred defaults:
```xml
<!-- Add to fonts.conf -->
<alias>
  <family>sans-serif</family>
  <prefer><family>Noto Sans</family></prefer>
</alias>
<alias>
  <family>serif</family>
  <prefer><family>Noto Serif</family></prefer>
</alias>
<alias>
  <family>monospace</family>
  <prefer><family>JetBrains Mono</family></prefer>
</alias>
```

## Resources

- Detailed guide: https://github.com/davgar99/arch-linux-font-improvement-guide
- Arch Wiki: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Font_configuration