Let's All Go Back To Bitmap Fonts! (lgm2025)

Scalable vector fonts have been the norm for decades, but that doesn't mean artists and hackers don't have use cases where a bitmap font fits the bill (and it doesn't mean that classic bitmap font designs deserve to be forgotten, either). This session explores two distinct scenarios where bitmap fonts have a role to play and looks at the tooling needed to convert or repackage older bitmap formats for convenient usage in modern free-software applications. The first scenario is enabling vintage computing aesthetics in graphic design: there are several paths available to transform bitmap fonts into forms usable in Inkscape, GIMP, and other open-source design tools. The second scenario is getting text onto inexpensive LCD, LED, and OLED display hardware. Most such display hardware allows the runtime loading or flashing of bitmap characters, but pitfalls abound. Options and recommendations for both scenarios will be examined, with demos drawn from vintage arcade fonts and the classic Xorg/X11 font suite. To conclude, the talk will outline the licensing issues likely to arise when dealing with bitmap font packages that so often predate contemporary free-software licenses. Licensed to the public under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ about this event: https://pretalx.c3voc.de/lgm25-upstream-2025/talk/4042669152/