Re: Semi-OT: font advice

[giacomo boffi]

jester@panix.com (Jesse Sheidlower) writes:

> In article <n9m3c6uznc6.fsf@polimi.it>,
> giacomo boffi  <giacomo.boffi@polimi.it> wrote:
>>jester@panix.com (Jesse Sheidlower) writes:
>>
>>> I recently got a new computer, and the monitor's resolution at
>>> 1400 x 1050 is such that the default font, which seems to be
>>> "-adobe-courier-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-m-70-iso8859-1",
>>                                      ----**-**----
>>> is too small to comfortably read.
>>
>>look above the *'s:
>>that font is intended for use with a monitor that does ~75dpi
>>
>>your monitor is likely to work something in the 110-120dpi range,
>
> Thanks. While this might

might? thank you for the confidence you place in my words...

> be true for a normal monitor at 1400 x 1050, I'm using a laptop with
> a 15" screen, so according to xdpyinfo, it is displaying at
> 75dpi.

oh no Jesse!

it's your X server that's lying to you, not your faithful!

let's do a bit of math... monitors have an aspect ratio of 4:3, ok?
the hypotenuses is then in ratio of 5:4:3 to the other dimensions, so
that the diagonal of your screen, the base and the height are, to be
in the same ratios, 15":12":9".

lets'do:
(insert (format "1400(dots)/12\" = %ddpi." (/ 1400 12)))
1400(dots)/12" = 116dpi.

try again:
(insert (format "1050(dots)/9\" = %ddpi." (/ 1050 9)))
1050(dots)/9" = 116dpi.

in CRT monitors the diagonal length is nominal, so you have to
increase the dpi count by a 3-5%, but your monitor is a LCD, do all
that i can say, as don't know about LCD's, is that, _at least_, you
have a resolution of 116dpi, i.e., you see fonts that are
(insert (format "%d%% " (/7500. 116.)))

                    64% of the height you expected

> So the 100dpi fonts aren't necessarily right given this setup.

trust me: it's your X server that's lying...

ciao
                                                        gb

ps: the X server is not lying to you only (not a problem, as you
    demonstrated, at least to me, that you're a skeptical)
    it's lying to all of your apps, and what's worse, it's lying to
    the font server

-- 
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