What is the default set of fonts available to web browsers after installation

Question

I don't have an install of Ubuntu but am hoping this community can answer a question for me — I am trying to build a CSS font stack that includes a font the majority of Ubuntu users will have available. I am looking for a font family as close to Tobias Frere-Jones' Gotham as possible.

We use three weights via @font-face; Light, Book and Medium, each with its accompanying italic, so the fallback font should also have six equivalent faces available. So far I have chosen Helvetica Neue for Macs and Segoe UI for Windows 7+ users.

What are the default font faces installed by Ubuntu [not just families, but weights, italic/oblique, small-caps faces too if any]; and of those that have three or more weights with italic, which would be suitable as a fallback for Gotham? (sans-serif, modernist, somewhat geometric)

If you need a special font, ensure it's available. You cannt trust in some "default". — frlan, Jul 28 '15 at 15:59
@frlan That's the whole point of CSS's fallback mechanism: you can't trust that the font you want will be available. Hence my need to find common look-a-like fonts. — Nicholas Shanks, Jul 28 '15 at 16:16

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 03 '19 at 14:10

Consider the following options:

Purchase WOFF2 font files to use on your site via CSS.
Find a suitable typeface on Google Fonts. After selecting some that you like, "Customize" to select the weights you want. Then follow the "Embed" instructions to use on your site.
Hope that users have sane defaults for serif, sans-serif, and monotype.

The default font set often changes. There is no guarantee that any particular font will be installed. Most fonts do not have all the weights you desire.

Ubuntu systems likely have Ubuntu installed.
Fedora and Red Hat systems may have Overpass installed. It is not currently available in Ubuntu repositories.
DejaVu was once used as the default on GNOME. Some still keep it around.
The current GNOME default is Cantarell. Many are likely to have it installed.
KDE users are likely to have Oxygen installed.
Noto is favored for its broad multilingual support.
Some font sets are automatically substituted when Arial, Times New Roman, or Courier are requested.
- Liberation. Often installed with LibreOffice.
- Croscore. Calibri and Cambria substitutes are available in Croscore Extra.
- TeXGyre. Based on originals by URW.

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 22 '17 at 00:04

Based on other reports with the fc-list command, what I have got on a generic Ubuntu 12.04 VM are:

Liberation Mono:style=Regular
Umpush:style=Oblique
Saab:style=Regular
Nimbus Sans L:style=Regular Italic
Liberation Sans Narrow:style=Regular
FreeMono:style=Oblique,наклонен,Cursiva,kurzíva,kursiv,Πλάγια,Kursivoitu,Italique,Dőlt,Corsivo,Cursief,Kursywa,Itálico,oblic,Курсив,İtalik,huruf miring,похилий,ležeče,slīpraksts,pasvirasis,nghiêng,Etzana
URW Palladio L:style=Roman
Century Schoolbook L:style=Bold Italic
Liberation Sans:style=Regular
Lohit Punjabi:style=Regular
mry_KacstQurn:style=Regular
Norasi:style=Oblique
FreeSans:style=Oblique,наклонен,kurzíva,kursiv,Cursiva,Kursivoitu,Italique,Dőlt,Corsivo,Cursief,kursywa,Itálico,oblic,Курсив,İtalik,huruf miring,похилий,Ležeče,slīpraksts,pasvirasis,nghiêng,Etzana
TlwgTypewriter:style=Oblique
Liberation Serif:style=Bold Italic
Ubuntu Mono:style=Bold
TlwgMono:style=Medium
Tlwg Typo:style=Medium
Nimbus Sans L:style=Bold
OpenSymbol:style=Regular
Norasi:style=BoldOblique
Ubuntu,Ubuntu Light:style=Light,Regular
Tlwg Typo:style=BoldOblique
Purisa:style=BoldOblique
URW Chancery L:style=Medium Italic
Bitstream Charter:style=Bold Italic
Ubuntu:style=Bold Italic
Ubuntu Mono:style=Bold Italic
Mukti Narrow,à¦®à§à¦•à§à¦¤à¦¿:style=Regular
KacstOne:style=Bold
Pothana2000:style=Regular,Pothana2000
Liberation Sans Narrow:style=Bold
Nimbus Roman No9 L:style=Regular
Loma:style=Oblique
Century Schoolbook L:style=Bold
Century Schoolbook L:style=Italic
Ubuntu Mono:style=Regular
Mukti Narrow,মুক্তি  পাতনা,Mukti Narrow Bold:style=Regular,Bold
Khmer OS:style=Regular
WenQuanYi Micro Hei Mono,文泉驛等寬微米黑,文泉驿等宽微米黑:style=Regular
KacstDecorative:style=Medium
Norasi:style=BoldItalic
gargi:style=Medium
Nimbus Sans L:style=Regular
Ubuntu:style=Bold
KacstBook:style=Medium
URW Palladio L:style=Italic
Garuda:style=Oblique
Meera:style=Regular
Mallige:style=Bold
Nimbus Sans L:style=Bold Condensed
TlwgTypewriter:style=Medium
URW Gothic L:style=Demi
Liberation Serif:style=Bold
Liberation Mono:style=Bold Italic
Liberation Sans Narrow:style=Italic
Nimbus Roman No9 L:style=Medium Italic
Bitstream Charter:style=Regular
Purisa:style=Bold
Garuda:style=BoldOblique
Nimbus Mono L:style=Bold Oblique
Kinnari:style=Medium
Norasi:style=Italic
Dingbats:style=Regular
TlwgMono:style=Bold
FreeSans:style=Bold,получерен,tučné,fed,Fett,Έντονα,Negrita,Lihavoitu,Gras,Félkövér,Grassetto,Vet,Halvfet,Pogrubiony,Negrito,gros,Полужирный,Fet,Kalın,huruf tebal,жирний,Krepko,treknraksts,pusjuodis,đậm,Lodia
Loma:style=BoldOblique
Waree:style=Oblique
NanumMyeongjo,나눔명조:style=Bold
Nimbus Roman No9 L:style=Medium
Kedage:style=Bold
Nimbus Sans L:style=Bold Italic
Courier 10 Pitch:style=Bold Italic
KacstOffice:style=Medium
Ubuntu:style=Italic
FreeMono:style=Bold,получерен,Negreta,tučné,fed,Fett,Έντονα,Negrita,Lihavoitu,Gras,Félkövér,Grassetto,Vet,Halvfet,Pogrubiony,Negrito,gros,Полужирный,Fet,Kalın,huruf tebal,жирний,polkrepko,treknraksts,pusjuodis,đậm,Lodia
Nimbus Mono L:style=Regular
Umpush:style=Book
Umpush:style=Bold
Norasi:style=Regular
Khmer OS System:style=Regular
FreeSans:style=BoldOblique,получерен наклонен,tučné kurzíva,fed kursiv,FettKursiv,Έντονη Πλάγια,Negrita Cursiva,Lihavoitu Kursivoi,GrasItalique,Félkövér dőlt,Grassetto Corsivo,VetCursief,Halvfet Kursiv,Pogrubiona kursywa,Negrito Itálico,gros oblic,Обычный Курсив,Tučná kurzíva,Fet Kursiv,Kalın İtalik,huruf tebal miring,жирний похилий,polkrepko ležeče,treknais  slīpraksts,pusjuodis pasvirasis,nghiêng đậm,Lodi etzana
Bitstream Charter:style=Italic
URW Gothic L:style=Book
FreeSerif:style=Italic,курсивен,kurzíva,kursiv,Λειψίας,Cursiva,Kursivoitu,Italique,Dőlt,Corsivo,Cursief,kursywa,Itálico,cursiv,Курсив,ตัวเอียง,İtalik,kursif,Ležeče,kursīvs,kursivas,nghiêng,Etzana
Kinnari:style=Oblique
KacstLetter:style=Medium
KacstFarsi:style=Medium
Sawasdee:style=Bold
Liberation Sans:style=Bold
TlwgTypewriter:style=Bold
KacstNaskh:style=Medium
Rachana:style=Regular
Rekha:style=Medium
Waree:style=BoldOblique
Tlwg Typist:style=BoldOblique
Courier 10 Pitch:style=Italic
FreeSerif:style=BoldItalic,получерен курсивен,tučné kurzíva,fed kursiv,FettKursiv,Negrita Cursiva,Lihavoitu Kursivoi,Gras Italique,Félkövér dőlt,Grassetto Corsivo,Vet Cursief,Halvfet Kursiv,Pogrubiona kursywa,Negrito Itálico,gros cursiv,Обычный Курсив,Tučná kurzíva,Fet Kursiv,ตัวเอียงหนา,Kalın İtalik,huruf tebal kursif,жирний курсив,Polkrepko Pežeče,treknais kursīvs,pusjuodis kursyvas,nghiêng đậm,Lodi etzana
TlwgTypewriter:style=BoldOblique
Liberation Serif:style=Regular
Purisa:style=Medium
KacstScreen:style=Medium,KacstScreen
KacstTitle:style=Medium
Tlwg Typist:style=Bold
Tlwg Typo:style=Oblique
Kinnari:style=BoldItalic
Kinnari:style=BoldOblique
Liberation Sans:style=Bold Italic
Nimbus Sans L:style=Regular Condensed Italic
Norasi:style=Bold
URW Bookman L:style=Demi Bold
URW Bookman L:style=Light
FreeMono:style=Medium,нормален,Normal,obyčejné,Standard,µεσαία,Normaali,Normál,Normale,Standaard,Normalny,Обычный,Normálne,menengah,прямій,navadno,vidējs,normalusis,thường,Arrunta
URW Gothic L:style=Demi Oblique
FreeSerif:style=Bold,получерен,tučné,fed,Fett,Negrita,Lihavoitu,Gras,Félkövér,Grassetto,Vet,Halvfet,Pogrubiony,Negrito,gros,Обычный,Fet,ตัวหนา,Kalın,huruf tebal,жирний,Polkrepko,treknraksts,pusjuodis,đậm,Lodia
Standard Symbols L:style=Regular
Mallige:style=Normal
ori1Uni,utkal:style=Medium
Sawasdee:style=Regular
Ubuntu,Ubuntu Light:style=Light Italic,Italic
KacstTitleL:style=Medium,Regular
Courier 10 Pitch:style=Regular
Liberation Mono:style=Bold
WenQuanYi Micro Hei,文泉驛微米黑,文泉驿微米黑:style=Regular
Vemana2000,Pothana2000:style=Regular,Pothana2000
KacstArt:style=Medium
Lohit Hindi:style=Regular
URW Palladio L:style=Bold
Nimbus Sans L:style=Regular Condensed
KacstDigital:style=Medium
FreeMono:style=BoldOblique,получерен наклонен,Negreta cursiva,tučné kurzíva,fed kursiv,Fett Kursiv,Έντονα Πλάγια,Negrita Cursiva,Lihavoitu Kursivoi,Gras Italique,Félkövér dőlt,Grassetto Corsivo,Vet Cursief,Halvfet Kursiv,Pogrubiona kursywa,Negrito Itálico,gros oblic,Полужирный Курсив,Tučná kurzíva,Fet Kursiv,Kalın İtalik,huruf tebal miring,жирний похилий,polkrepko ležeče,treknais  slīpraksts,pusjuodis pasvirasis,Lodi etzana
Sawasdee:style=BoldOblique
KacstPoster:style=Medium
Loma:style=Bold
Loma:style=Book
URW Bookman L:style=Light Italic
Umpush:style=Light
Phetsarath OT:style=Regular
FreeSans:style=Medium,нормален,obyčejné,normal,Mittel,µεσαία,Normaali,Normál,Medio,Gemiddeld,Odmiana Zwykła,Обычный,Normálne,menengah,прямій,Navadno,vidējs,normalusis,vừa,Arrunta
Century Schoolbook L:style=Roman
TlwgMono:style=Oblique
Nimbus Roman No9 L:style=Regular Italic
TlwgMono:style=BoldOblique
Courier 10 Pitch:style=Bold
Garuda:style=Book
Garuda:style=Bold
Lohit Tamil:style=Regular
DejaVu Sans:style=Bold
DejaVu Sans:style=Book
Ubuntu:style=Regular
TakaoPGothic,Takao Pゴシック:style=Regular
Kinnari:style=Italic
URW Gothic L:style=Book Oblique
FreeSerif:style=Medium,нормален,obyčejné,normal,Mittel,µεσαία,Normaali,Normál,Normale,Gemiddeld,odmiana zwykła,Обычный,Normálne,ปกติ,menengah,прямій,Navadno,vidējs,normalusis,vừa,Arrunta
URW Palladio L:style=Bold Italic
Kinnari:style=Bold
Untitled1:style=Medium
NanumGothic,나눔고딕:style=Bold
Ubuntu Mono:style=Italic
NanumMyeongjo,나눔명조:style=Regular
KacstQurn:style=Medium,Regular
Sawasdee:style=Oblique
NanumGothic,나눔고딕:style=Regular
Nimbus Mono L:style=Regular Oblique
Symbol:style=Regular
Lohit Gujarati:style=Regular
Liberation Sans Narrow:style=Bold Italic
DejaVu Sans Mono:style=Book
DejaVu Sans Mono:style=Bold
Liberation Serif:style=Italic
KacstOne:style=Regular
Umpush:style=BoldOblique
Kedage:style=Normal
Lohit Bengali:style=Regular
Umpush:style=LightOblique
Nimbus Mono L:style=Bold
Ubuntu Condensed:style=Regular
Liberation Mono:style=Italic
Tlwg Typist:style=Medium
Bitstream Charter:style=Bold
Waree:style=Book
Waree:style=Bold
Nimbus Sans L:style=Bold Condensed Italic
URW Bookman L:style=Demi Bold Italic
Tlwg Typist:style=Oblique
Tlwg Typo:style=Bold
Liberation Sans:style=Italic
KacstPen:style=Medium
Purisa:style=Oblique
DejaVu Serif:style=Book
DejaVu Serif:style=Bold

Umpush Light appears to be the closest choice to gothamsm-light.

Umpush is a family of Thai fonts. Anyone who doesn't speak Thai would not be expected to have it installed. — xiota, Jun 03 '19 at 13:28

What is the default set of fonts available to web browsers after installation

2 Answers2