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Using Custom Fonts

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to load and use custom fonts with gint.font() and dfont().

This allows you to create pixel-precise typography or match styles with a game.

Step 1: Convert a Font

Section titled “Step 1: Convert a Font”

First, you’ll need a font converted with fxconv.

Terminal window
fxconv --font font_shmup.png -o shmup.py \
  --py name:font_shmup charset:print \
  grid.size:10x13 grid.padding:0 grid.border:0 \
  proportional:true title:"Shmup"

This generates shmup.py with a font_shmup variable.

Step 2: Load the Font

Section titled “Step 2: Load the Font”
from shmup import font_shmup
from gint import *

Use dfont(font) to activate a font:

dfont(font_shmup)

To return to the default:

dfont(None)

Step 3: Draw Text

Section titled “Step 3: Draw Text”
dclear(C_WHITE)
dtext(10, 10, C_BLACK, "Before changing font")


dfont(font_shmup)
dtext(10, 50, C_RED, "After changing font")


dupdate()
getkey()

The font applies to all dtext() and dtext_opt() calls after dfont().

Example: Switching Between Fonts

Section titled “Example: Switching Between Fonts”
from shmup import font_shmup
from numworks import font_numworks
from gint import *


dclear(C_WHITE)


dtext(10, 10, C_BLACK, "Before changing font")


dfont(font_shmup)
dtext(10, 30, C_BLUE, "Shmup font - Proportional")


dfont(font_numworks)
dtext(10, 50, C_RED, "Numworks font - Monospaced")


dfont(None)
dtext(10, 70, C_GREEN, "Back to default")


dupdate()
getkey()

Notes

Section titled “Notes”
  • Fonts are drawn from VRAM, so call dupdate() to see changes.
  • Proportional fonts use a widths table and advances array.
  • You can convert any bitmap font using a grid format.

What’s next?

Section titled “What’s next?”

You can render scores, dialogue, or menus with pixel fonts.

Next up: Handling Input →