[SOLVED] Web browser won't use (or can't find) Helvetica font

Question

I'm currently using Gnome 3.6.2, Firefox 17.0.1, and Chromium 23.0.1271.97.
Many sites that I visit use a Helvetica font variant: Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, or Helvetica World.
However, it seems as though the actual names of these fonts vary depending on where they were purchased.
For example, you will find the following names scattered across the internet:
- Helvetica Std
- Helvetica LT
- Helvetica LT Std
- Helvetica LT Com
and so forth...  and this includes the variants as well.
Nowhere, including the Adobe website, have I found just "Helvetica" alone.
However, I'm not a font expert and this may not matter. 
The family "Helvetica" may be specified within the font itself.
Yet, this does not seem to be the case because although I have Helvetica LT Std installed, no browser will render it for just "Helvetica".
I tried creating the following font alias:
<alias>
<family>Helvetica</family>
<prefer><family>Helvetica LT Std</family></prefer>
<default><family>fixed</family></default>
</alias>
But that does not work.
Where am I going wrong?
I'd also like to note that Firebug on Firefox is the only web developer tool that will show which font is actually being rendered on the page, as opposed to just listing the css rule.
Last edited by coproduct (2013-07-28 01:35:38)

Answer 1

bohoomil wrote:
coproduct wrote: I think I may have to resort to copying over the Helvetica.ttf file on my macbook, assuming that's possible.
Excuse me, do you mean you have not any Helvetica typeface installed yet? What is the output of
fc-list | grep Helvetica
in the first place?
No, that's not at all what I mean.  If you read the first post, then you'd realize that I'm struggling with getting Firefox to use something like 'Helvetica LT Std' in place of 'Helvetica' or 'Helvetica Neue LT Com' in place of 'Helvetica Neue'.  I'm now resorting to simply copying over 'Helvetica.ttf' under the assumption that it will provide simply 'Helvetica' without the 'LT whatever...' .
$ fc-list | grep Helvetica
/usr/share/fonts/OTF/HelveticaLTStd-BoldCondObl.otf: Helvetica LT Std,Helvetica LT Std Cond:style=Bold Condensed Oblique,Bold Italic
/usr/share/fonts/TTF/HelveticaNeueLTCom-LtCnO.ttf: Helvetica Neue LT Com,HelveticaNeueLT Com 47 LtCn:style=47 Light Condensed Oblique,Italic
/usr/share/fonts/OTF/HelveticaLTStd-Bold.otf: Helvetica LT Std:style=Bold
/usr/share/fonts/OTF/HelveticaLTStd-ExtraComp.otf: Helvetica LT Std,Helvetica LT Std ExtCompressed:style=Extra Compressed,Regular
/usr/share/fonts/TTF/HelveticaNeueLTCom-ThExO.ttf: Helvetica Neue LT Com,HelveticaNeueLT Com 33 ThEx:style=33 Thin Extended Oblique,Italic
/usr/share/fonts/TTF/HelveticaNeueLTCom-BdCnO.ttf: Helvetica Neue LT Com,HelveticaNeueLT Com 57 Cn:style=77 Bold Condensed Oblique,Bold Italic
/usr/share/fonts/TTF/HelveticaNeueLTCom-HvExO.ttf: Helvetica Neue LT Com,HelveticaNeueLT Com 63 MdEx:style=83 Heavy Extended Oblique,Bold Italic
/usr/share/fonts/OTF/HelveticaLTStd-BlkObl.otf: Helvetica LT Std,Helvetica LT Std Black:style=Black Oblique,Italic
/usr/share/fonts/TTF/HelveticaNeueLTCom-Md.ttf: Helvetica Neue LT Com,HelveticaNeueLT Com 65 Md:style=65 Medium,Regular
ETC....