[Solved] Using Windows fonts in Linux

[richardglobal]

When I open an OOo writer document composed under Windows in Linux, only some of the fonts display correctly, the others are substituted as under Linux there are only a relatively few fonts available. Can I copy the Windows fonts in /windows/fonts to somewhere in Linux where they will be recognised and used, both on screen and printer? Using Ubuntu 10.10. I'm new to Linux so simple language, please! Many thanks.

[Villeroy]

Ubuntu? Get a console and run
sudo apt-get install msttcorefonts

[richardglobal]

Thanks. I did that a while ago but it downloads only a few fonts. I want all the ones in windows, if possible.

[Robert Tucker]

Many of the fonts on Windows are proprietary fonts for which you pay when you buy Windows. You will probably just have to look at the ones you want to use, find out if they are free or proprietary and if they are proprietary decide whether you want to buy them or look for free alternatives. Note also some fonts are free to download but stipulate you may need to pay if you want use them in a commercial application or presentation or at least contact someone representing the font author to consent to their use.

[RGB]

Can I copy the Windows fonts in /windows/fonts to somewhere in Linux where they will be recognised and used, both on screen and printer?

Technically, yes; legally... I'm not sure. As the previous posts say, those fonts have licences, sometimes quite restrictive.
If you find that it is legal to use the font you need on another system, just copy it to, for example, ~/fonts (it is a hidden folder in your home directory)
But as general advice: if you want to go the free software path, follow it on all its consequences: try fonts like Liberation, Linux Libertine, DejaVu, Gentium... there are many really good free (as in speech) fonts out there.

[richardglobal]

Many thanks everybody. My home folder didn't have a /fonts directory, hidden or not (why does this always happen!!) so I created one and copied the fonts into it. Restarted Linux - no joy. On investigating other folders it looked as if the name should be .fonts so I changed it and success!!!! Regarding copyright, I quite take your points (I wrote software in a previous existence so am quite sensitive to this!) but I bought this computer with windows on it so have paid to use these fonts. I appreciate the legally technical argument that the fonts are licensed for windows use but it seems a bit strange logically that it's OK to use them in a non-MS application under windows but not in a non-MS operating system on the same computer. I'm not using them for any business or commercial purposes. I just wanted to display correctly documents I composed and .doc's from others. Thanks again for your help.

[Robert Tucker]

You can also install fonts (for all users) in (a folder in) /usr/share/fonts.

I haven't read the Microsoft EULA closely enough to know if it's legal to install Windows fonts on a Linux machine in lieu of a legal full installation of Windows.

[RGB]

Many thanks everybody. My home folder didn't have a /fonts directory, hidden or not

My fault. it is ~/.fonts of course (with a dot before the f): sometimes my fingers tend to be faster than my brain. You can also use the directory mentioned by Robert.

[Vareg]

Use ~/.fonts instead of /usr/share/fonts for local, single-user installation which does not require root access

I took this from this link http://www.oooninja.com/2008/01/calibri ... nload.html

Works for me on my Fedora box