Font question, new Mac 1.4.6 install

[dave9988]

I installed the stable 1.4.6 version last night on a mac (10.12).  Got past the gate-keeper, no issues.  I did not install Ghostscript.

I then generated a quick test page, shared it with my printer, he's good with the bleeds, resolution, etc.  So that's all promising!

My questions are around fonts ... I know that there are a lot more fonts available on other programs I run on my Mac than what I see in Scribus.  Does Scribus only recognize existing TT fonts?  Does it only include those that came in the install package?  Most of what's available out of the box looks to be fairly "plain," and I'm looking for a fairly "clean" (not overly fancy) calligraphic font. 

Also, I don't see any sort of font "preview" until I've already used it in the text box.  I guess that's OK if I know ahead of time what font I'm looking for, but it seems rather odd.  Maybe I missed something (ghostscript?) that would remedy that.

Not sure if I have to find/downlaod/install something, or if Scribus can use other fonts that are already residing "somewhere" on my Mac.  For clarification, I've never intentionally installed a font on this Mac, anything currently on it either came with the OS or one of few Apps I've installed.

[GarryP]

Welcome to the forum dave9988.

Ghostscript has nothing to do with fonts. Scribus only uses it for certain functions. See here https://wiki.scribus.net/canvas/OS_X_-_Installing_Scribus_on_your_Mac_the_easy_way (the "Installing Ghostscript" section) for a quick overview.

Scribus only allows you to use fonts that behave in certain ways. It can use OTF and TTF (and PS, I think) but they have to be created "properly". A lot of fancy fonts are created just to be used in simple ways for posters and the like and they don't contain all of the features that Scribus needs to properly use them. If Scribus doesn't think it can use them fully then it will not allow you to use them at all. This can seem a bit restrictive but it is saving you from having all kinds of weird problems down the line.

The amount of fonts that Scribus installs - and whether it installs anything is dependant on the OS - is very small. It's unlikely that you would notice them.

You can get a font preview via menu "Extras -> Font Preview...". It's basic but usable but you still have to come away from your normal workflow to see what the fonts look like, rather than seeing what they look like in the font selection drop-downs (like in many other applications).

If you have fonts installed anywhere other than the standard location you can use "File -> Preferences / Fonts / Additional Paths" to add extra paths to installation folders. (Close all open documents first.)

You can also put a "single use" font in the same folder as your SLA document to use it without installing it.

Having said all that, I can't remember having many font problems with Scribus on my old Mac. If you can give a selection of fonts that you can't see in Scribus with a link to where you got them from I'm sure someone can have a look and see what the problem is.

[dave9988]

Thanks for the response!

I went into the font manager, verified the path for the fonts, went back to Sribus and ... they were there and available!  So either I'm just getting old and my vision is worse than I thought, maybe the scrolling isn't as smooth as I'm used to, or they magically appeared?! 

Sadly, it seems to me that of those possible causes, the most logical is related to my age.  Because I really didn't change anything, so I feel a bit sheepish.  Working with texts & changing fonts does seem a little quirky, but I am up and running.

I'll be sure to check out "Extras -> Font Preview..."

Thanks again.

[GarryP]

You're welcome.

Glad to hear it's all sorted.

TIP: When you're scrolling through the fonts, if you have SHIFT or CTRL pressed down when you use the scroll-wheel on your mouse you will scroll by "page of fonts" rather than by single fonts. Sometimes it makes it easier to scroll through a lot of fonts.