In reality, a font can make or break a desktop’s appearance and accessibility. KDE makes it incredibly easy to install and configure fonts, but since I could not find any one document that lists all of the features and functionality, MakeTakeEasier comes to the rescue again.
Choosing Fonts
KDE does not have a default font set. That completely depends on the Unix or Linux distribution you happen to be using. The font you choose should be both aesthetically pleasing and also easy to read. Whether you realize it or not, you do a lot of reading on your computer, from menus to emails, making font appearance a critical feature. To change KDE fonts, do the following:
In addition to selecting the font you want, you can also set some font rendering settings. Anti-aliasing will give the fonts a smoother look, removing jagged edges, but it can also make them slightly blurry. Some users must have this setting on while others cannot stand it. If you click “Configure” next to that option, you will see some options for “subpixel rendering“, which may vary depending on your monitor and graphics driver. “Hinting” may make your words clearer, but you should experiment with it to get the best results possible.
Installing Fonts
You can install fonts from within system settings, but this is not the only way to do it. You can also install them directly from Dolphin, KDE’s file manager. First, to install using System Settings:
Installing From Dolphin
When you download a font from the web or want to install one from a removable device, you do not have to go into the font installer. You can install fonts from anywhere using Dolphin. To do so: Alternatively, if you do not need a preview, you can skip the font viewer and simply right click on the font, go to “Actions” in the menu, and then click “Install”. In either case, it will prompt you to choose between Personal and System.
Other Apps
KDE applications will almost always use the global fonts you specify. In some cases, however, you can use custom fonts for individual applications like KMail. Furthermore, you may need to configure fonts manually for Qt-only apps and GTK apps, although this may happen automatically. For Qt, you can use qtconfig and qtconfig-qt4. For GTK, you can use gtk-chtheme. Once you are finished, you will have a beautiful KDE desktop with your fonts exactly the way you want them.
