This section describes how to customize the font settings for the desktop and frequently used applications.
If you have difficulty with the default font type and font size that is used on the desktop and desktop background, you can customize the font settings.
You can specify individual font settings for the following desktop components and applications:
Entire desktop (excluding the desktop background)
Desktop background only
Terminal
Text editor
Help
Web Browser
Email (Thunderbird or Evolution)
The Appearance preference tool enables you to specify the default fonts for the desktop.
To start the Appearance preference tool, choose System → Preferences → Appearance.
The Fonts tab contains the following options:
Sets the default font to use for the text that is displayed on the desktop, including the text displayed on the windows and dialog boxes associated with GNOME-compliant applications and panel applications.
Sets the font to use for displaying documents.
Sets the font to use for the text displayed on the desktop background only.
Sets the font to use for the text that is displayed in the title-bars of your windows.
Click this button to select a font to use when an application such as a terminal or text editor wants to display text in a nonproportional font.
To specify how to render fonts on the desktop, select one of the following options:
Monochrome
Best shapes
Best contrast
Subpixel smoothing
By default, the applications use the default font specified in the Appearances preference tool. The following applications allow the default font to be customized:
Help Browser
Text Editor
Terminal
Web Browser
Email (Thunderbird or Evolution)