Ubuntu
kdegraphics package

bad font rendering in okular

Asked by Diego

Hi,

I have kubuntu 9.04 on a 64bit machine.
I noticed that the font rendering is quite bad with okular.
I need a quite large zoom factor in order to read the text decently.

For example, this document
http://arxiv.org/pdf/0806.2793
displayed at 100% size is almost unreadable within okular.
With acrobat reader the font rendering can be improved through
Preferences/Page Display and selecting Smooth Text
for Laptops / LCD screens. In this way the text is much better readable.

Is there a similar trick or alternative ones within okular?

Thank you,
D

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Needs information
For:
Ubuntu kdegraphics Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
reini (rrumberger) said : 		#1

The only problem I have when viewing the PDF you provided with Okular in KDE 4.2.4 ist, that the "100%" it uses are way too small. Zooming to page width did the trick for me and provided a pretty decent rendering.

That said, if you come across actual rendering errors, you might want to consider filing a bug report. Keep in mind, though, that Okular is a relatively young project and has bigger issues than a few incorrectly rendered PDFs.

Revision history for this message
Diego (diego-guadagnoli) said : 		#2

If you wish, I can send a snapshot of the screen, with the pdf open.
I cannot say my rendering is "nice", at least when compared with that
in acrobat reader in my current laptop (kubuntu 9.04, KDE 4.2.2) and in kpdf
in my old laptop (openSUSE 11, KDE 3).

Basically my question would be whether okular supports subpixel rendering,
which was what helped with acrobat reader.

Best,
D

Revision history for this message
reini (rrumberger) said : 		#3

As Okular should use the KDE settings, you might try systemsettings -> Appearance -> Fonts, where you can set subpixel hinting in the advanced AntiAliasing settings (only available when AntiAliasing is activated).

If that does not fix things, posting a screenshot might be a good idea, since I have not problem here whatsoever.

Revision history for this message
Diego (diego-guadagnoli) said : 		#4

I posted a message (actually two messages) in the existing bug "Poor font rendering in kpdf"
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/kdegraphics/+bug/48146

Attached to the messages are screenshots showing the acroread vs okular rendering performances.

D

Revision history for this message
reini (rrumberger) said : 		#5

After reading the bug thread: does turning AntiAliasing *off* look any better?

Anyway, I propose closing this question, as this is quite onviously a bug.
As a workaround, zooming to page width works for me.

Revision history for this message
reini (rrumberger) said : 		#6

After reading the bug thread: does turning AntiAliasing *off* look any better?

Anyway, I propose closing this question, as this is quite obviously a bug.
As a workaround, zooming to page width works for me.

Revision history for this message
reini (rrumberger) said : 		#7

Sorry for the double post - my internet connection is currently flakey and the submit timed out.

Can you help with this problem?

Provide an answer of your own, or ask Diego for more information if necessary.

To post a message you must log in.