Do you like to spruce up your documents with different fonts? Do you print a monthly newsletter for the office? You’re in luck! The Ubuntu Software Center is home to hundreds of fonts available for installation in just a few clicks. When a font package is installed through Ubuntu Software Center, any application that uses fonts will contain the new fonts the next time you open the app. Start by opening the Ubuntu Software Center. There’s a section called ‘Fonts’ on the left side of the window. After clicking ‘Fonts,’ the window will display a long list of options for installation. The best package if you’re looking for hundreds of decorative, creative fonts is the ‘465 free TrueType fonts by Brian Kent.’
If you click ‘Install,’ you’ll be prompted to enter your password and the installation will finish within a few seconds. If you have LibreOffice or Gimp etc. open, you’ll need to close the application and re-open it for the newly installed fonts to show up in the font list.
Installing Individual Fonts Without Ubuntu Software Center
Although there are hundreds of available fonts in the Ubuntu Software Center, if you’re looking for something specific, you can find open source fonts on Open Font Library. First, visit the Open Font Library and choose a font. There’s a large download button next to the font example. Click to download once you’ve chosen your desired font. Pay attention to where you save the file because you’ll need to access it next.
After downloading the file, you’ll need to open and unzip it. When you open the file, there will be an option in the file window menu called ‘Extract’ which you can go ahead and click. A new window will pop up asking you which folder you want to store your extracted files in. Some people find it helpful to create a new folder called ‘Fonts’ for easy access later. After you’ve determined where to extract the files, click the option to ‘Show the Files.’ Now, the .ttf files will be available for a quick install. Click on the .ttf file of your desired font. A new window will open up with an alphabet of the font. In the top of the window, you’ll see a button to ‘install font.’ You may need to install more than one .ttf file because the bold and italic options are separate from the normal font option.
Once your fonts are installed, you can close all the file windows you had open. Next time you open an application that has font options, the font you just installed will be available for use. To confirm the font installed, simply open Libre Office and find your font in the drop down. It’s in alphabetical order, so you can find it quickly.
Now you have plenty of creative choices to decorate your documents!