Helpful Tips for Working with Fonts in Fonty Python Under Ubuntu Linux

Ubuntu Linux, much like Microsoft Windows, offers the ability to use various fonts. Some are installed by default and others are available through the repository. Still many more fonts are available across the Internet, both for free and for a fee. Perform any number of searches through your favorite search engine and you will find a listing of places offering fonts.

The main location of fonts used by Ubuntu Linux is found under /usr/share/fonts. This is the where the fonts installed by Ubuntu or through the Repositories are located. I do not recommend placing self downloaded fonts in this location. Instead, we will be looking at Fonty Python, which will make things much easier for us.

What is Fonty Python?

Fonty Python is a tool I personally use for organizing fonts. You create pogs, which will hold a link to your fonts (as your fonts can be placed anywhere) and will do the work to place pointers under /usr/share/fonts. The reason I like this approach rather than simply dumping them where the base fonts are is two fold: 1) It doesn't clutter up the main font folder with unused fonts and 2) you can choose which Pogs are installed.

Why is the second item important? You can choose which fonts are available to a program at any given point. Having many fonts installed on your system at one time can use quite a bit of memory. Often times it might be difficult to find just the font you wish to use. This can reduce the amount of memory used and list only those fonts you wish to have listed. Not only that, but you can let the Fonty Python program do all the behind the scene work to get the fonts made available to a program.

How Do I Get Fonty Python? How Do I use it?

Fonty Python, while not a default installed program, should be available to you under a default installation of Ubuntu Linux. Simply open your choice method of installing program under Ubuntu.

If you are using the command line, enter:

sudo apt-get install fontypython

You can also use either the Ubuntu Software Center or Synaptic Package Manager and search for fonty python. If using the Ubuntu Software Center, the program will appear as "Fonty Python Font Manager".

Working With Fonty Python

Fonty Python works by placing pointers to your fonts inside Pogs. This allows you to do as I have, place your fonts where you want them. For myself, I have a main tools folder under my user name and the fonts organized under that in a folder properly titled Fonts. I have some pogs I leave installed by default and others I install only for certain projects. Working with Pogs should be easy, but if you need further assistant read "Working With Pogs in Fonty Python under Ubuntu Linux".