About fonts and LibreOffice Writer documents
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I'm currently using Debian 10 “Buster” (amd64 with MATE desktop), only with the “main” repository inside the “sources.list”, because I'm trying to keep it as a 100% libre/free/open-source operative system.
I'm also starting to write my thesis/dissertation to earn my “bachelor's degree”, and I have a question related to this work. So, I'm gonna give you some context:
1) My university and my thesis supervisor demands that thesis must be presented with Times New Roman font.
2) Searching for a possible work-around about the font issue, I found out that there it's at least two collection of libre/free/open-source fonts that can actually replace (and have a very similar look to) Times New Roman. I'm talking about “Nimbus Roman 9 L” (which I discover inside Trisquel 8 some time ago), that was part URW fonts inside the package “fonts-urw-base35”. And, of course, about “TeX Gyre Termes” inside the package “fonts-texgyre”.
3) So, my question is this: “can I embed the font inside a LibreOffice Writer document, so, even if someone haven't installed the font they would look at it just fine?”. What I mean is that I know that my thesis supervisor, and probably my whole college inside the university, use Windows and Office Word as their main operative system and suite program. So, I would like to have a way to make me sure that they would see the “TeX Gyre Termes” font just like I would see it when working inside LibreOffice Writer.
I know that I could do that easily just exporting the .odt document as .PDF, but my thesis supervisor always asks for a .docx document so he can edit and share his comments about my work. So, that's why I need to make sure that he would see the “TeX Gyre Termes” in his general/normal look, even if he doesn't have that font installed inside his Windows/Word.
Hope that someone of you can help me with this (embed a font inside a LibreOffice Writer, for those who haven't installed).
Some helpful links:
1) Nimbus Roman 9: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimbus_Roman_No._9_L
2) More info in TeX Gyre collection: http://www.gust.org.pl/projects/e-foundry/tex-gyre
3) More info about TeX Gyre Termes in particular: http://www.gust.org.pl/projects/e-foundry/tex-gyre/termes/index_html
For English/Western fonts, embedding them in ODF files is recommended, because they are small. But I've no idea whether Microsoft OOXML (docx, as requested by your supervisor) supports font embedding, too.
It were very painful for me to submit my papers for Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. degrees. My university's library required us to use exact fonts Times New Roman (serif), Arial (sans serif) and Courier New (monospaced). I temporarily installed them from Debian's contrib repository.
About this: “But I've no idea whether Microsoft OOXML (docx, as requested by your supervisor) supports font embedding, too.”
I guess that I try to embed the font with LibreOffice and wait for the comments of my thesis supervisor.
Thanks for the info!
You can write "Times New Roman" in LibreOffice's text box for the font. LibreOffice will actually use a metric-compatible font. Liberation Serif I believe (provided by the "fonts-liberation" package, by default in Trisquel). Nimbus Roman No9 L should be available as well.
LibreOffice Writer has been able to embed the fonts in the font since version 4.1: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/4.1#Writer
As shown in the screenshot in the release notes, you only have to check the box in the "Font" tab of "Properties" window you can access from the "File" menu.
Being metrically compatible only means that each character (e.g. in Liberation Serif) occupies the same width as its counterpart (e.g. in Times New Roman). The actual typeface may be very different (owing to copyright "protection"). And I'm not sure how does the ODF file containing the "manufactured Times New Roman" font looks like when it's opened by Microsoft Office.
I notice that Liberation series fonts (fonts-liberation and fonts-liberation2) have very large spaces above and below the characters. So even if this method can be used to trick Microsoft Office, there may still be line spacing problems.
According to the appendices of the book entitled "Designing with LibreOffice" (CC BY-SA 3.0 licensed), Nimbus Roman No.9 is intended to be used to replace Georgia, whereas Linux Libertine is a replacement for Times New Roman.
“According to the appendices of the book entitled "Designing with LibreOffice" (CC BY-SA 3.0 licensed), Nimbus Roman No.9 is intended to be used to replace Georgia, whereas Linux Libertine is a replacement for Times New Roman.”
Well, I didn't know that. I'm gonna try to use TeX Gyre Termes. I made some test before using Debian as my only operative system, and between “Free Serif” and “Termes”, the last one was the only that it's almost identical to Times New Roman.
About: “As shown in the screenshot in the release notes, you only have to check the box in the "Font" tab of "Properties" window you can access from the "File" menu.”
Thank you very much! This is the first thing that I would try.
> My university and my thesis supervisor demands that thesis must be presented with Times New Roman font.
One can demand something only if one has supplied everything that is necessary for it and if the demand does not violate any law or human right. So I would recommend that you check that before obeying. It might turn out that your professor has something to learn from you.
As for a workaround:
You can write your thesis as an HTML and add a CSS which chooses the default serif font of the browser. Then on your browser it will choose some free font, on Windows it may choose Times New Roman and your professor may Print-to-PDF it if he wants a PDF. Then you don't need to install anything.
I am a member!
I would go with MB's “You can write ‘Times New Roman’ in LibreOffice's text box for the font”, and/or what zigote wrote.
But if you want a metrically compatible font and neither Termes, Liberation Serif nor Free Serif are close enough for you in terms of line spacing or what else, I offer yet another candidate:
Package fonts-croscore — “width-compatible fonts for improved on-screen readability”.
The description says:
“Arimo, Cousine and Tinos were designed […] as […] designs that are metrically compatible with Arial, Courier New and Times New Roman, respectively” (emphasis mine).
«The description says:
“Arimo, Cousine and Tinos were designed […] as […] designs that are metrically compatible with Arial, Courier New and Times New Roman, respectively” (emphasis mine).»
Thank you very much! I will have that as another option.
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