.\" @(#)man/man8/setfont.8 1.0 941227 .TH SETFONT 8 "1 Feb 1994" "Local" "International Support" .SH NAME setfont \- load EGA/VGA console screen font .SH SYNOPSIS .B setfont .RI [ "-o font.orig" "] [" "-fontsize" "] [" "font.new" ] .RI [ "-m cmap" "] [" "-om cmap.orig" ] .RI [ "-u umap" "] [" "-ou umap.orig" ] .IX "setfont command" "" "\fLsetfont\fR command" .SH DESCRIPTION The .I setfont command loads a font into the EGA/VGA character generator, and optionally outputs the previous font. This command reads an 8xH font from the file and loads it into the character generator memory. Usually the font size H will be clear from the file size, but if the input file has code page format, containing the three fonts 8x8, 8x14 and 8x16, the option -8 or -14 or -16 must be used to select one. If no args are given (or only the option .I -fontsize ), then a default font is loaded. As currently there is no mode switching support in the Linux kernel, .I setfont has nothing to do with the current EGA/VGA mode. It's totally user's responsibility to choose a font matching the current video mode. .PP Font files are binary files of size 256*H bytes, containing bit images for each of 256 characters, one byte per scan line, and H bytes per character (0 < H <= 32). Also .psf files are accepted; these files have the same format but an additional 4 byte header. The ordering of the symbols in the font is described by a mapping table. Some fonts have a mapping table included in the font file, and .I setfont will load such a mapping table. If no explicit mapping table is included in the font, and no mapping table is provided using the -m option, the `trivial' mapping is assumed. In any case the mapping table just loaded is activated by outputting the string Esc ( K. Giving a .I "-m none" argument inhibits the loading and activation of a mapping table. The previous mapping table can be saved to a file using the .I "-om file" option. These options of setfont render mapscrn(8) obsolete. The correspondence between the glyphs in the font and Unicode values is described by a Unicode mapping table. Some fonts have a Unicode mapping table included in the font file, and an explicit table can be indicated using the -u option. .I Setfont will load such a Unicode mapping table, unless a .I "-u none" argument is given. The previous Unicode mapping table can be saved to a file using the .I "-ou file" option. One may add a Unicode mapping table to a psf font using .IR psfaddtable (1). .SH "FILES" /usr/lib/kbd/consolefonts is the default directory for fonts. /usr/lib/kbd/consoletrans is the default directory for mappings. .SH "SEE ALSO" .IR mapscrn (8) .SH "AUTHORS" Eugene G. Crosser (crosser@pccross.msk.su) .br Andries E. Brouwer (aeb@cwi.nl)