setfont

NAME

       setfont - load EGA/VGA console screen font

SYNOPSIS

       setfont  [-o  font.orig]  [-fontsize] [font.new] [-m cmap]
       [-om cmap.orig] [-u umap] [-ou umap.orig]

DESCRIPTION

       The setfont command loads a font into the EGA/VGA  charac-
       ter  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
       -fontsize ), then a default font is loaded.

       As currently there is no mode  switching  support  in  the
       Linux  kernel,  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.

       Font  files are binary files of size 256*H bytes, contain-
       ing 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 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 -m none argument inhibits  the  loading
       and  activation  of a mapping table.  The previous mapping
       table can be saved to a file using the  -om  file  option.
       These options of setfont render mapscrn(8) obsolete.

       The correspondence between the glyphs in the font and Uni-
       code 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.   Setfont  will load such a Unicode mapping table,
       unless a -u none argument is given. The  previous  Unicode
       mapping  table  can  be saved to a file using the -ou file
       option.

       One may add a Unicode mapping table to a  psf  font  using
       psfaddtable(1).

FILES

       /usr/lib/kbd/consolefonts  is  the  default  directory for
       fonts.  /usr/lib/kbd/consoletrans is the default directory
       for mappings.

SEE ALSO

       mapscrn(8)

AUTHORS

       Eugene G. Crosser (crosser@pccross.msk.su)
       Andries E. Brouwer (aeb@cwi.nl)