Krutidev on Ubuntu Linux

Install the Font via Terminal

Download the Krutidev 010 TTF file from our font page. Then open a terminal and run:

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/fonts
cp ~/Downloads/kruti_dev_010.ttf ~/.local/share/fonts/
fc-cache -fv

The fc-cache -fv command rebuilds the font cache. The -f flag forces a full rebuild even if the cache looks current. Without it, some applications will not detect the new font until the next system restart.

To install for all users (requires sudo):

sudo cp ~/Downloads/kruti_dev_010.ttf /usr/local/share/fonts/
sudo fc-cache -fv

Verify Installation

Confirm the font is recognized:

fc-list | grep -i kruti

This should output a line like /home/user/.local/share/fonts/kruti_dev_010.ttf: Kruti Dev 010:style=Regular. If nothing appears, the TTF file name may have spaces or special characters. Rename it to kruti_dev_010.ttf (underscores, no spaces) and run fc-cache again.

GUI Installation (Alternative)

On GNOME (default Ubuntu), double-click the TTF file to open GNOME Font Viewer. Click "Install" in the top-right corner. This copies the font to ~/.local/share/fonts/ automatically. On KDE (Kubuntu), right-click the TTF file and choose "Install Font."

The GUI method sometimes fails to trigger a font cache update. If LibreOffice does not show Krutidev after GUI installation, run fc-cache -fv in the terminal and restart LibreOffice.

LibreOffice Writer Setup

Open LibreOffice Writer, click the font name dropdown, and type "Kruti" to filter. Select "Kruti Dev 010" and set size to 16pt. Linux font rendering makes Krutidev appear smaller than on Windows at the same point size, so go 2pt higher than you would on Windows (16pt instead of 14pt).

To set Krutidev as the default font: go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Writer > Basic Fonts (Western). Change "Default" to "Kruti Dev 010" and set size to 16pt. Click OK. All new documents will use Krutidev.

LibreOffice saves documents in ODT format by default. If you need to share with MS Word users, save as DOCX (File > Save As > Microsoft Word 2007-365). The Krutidev text transfers correctly because it is stored as ASCII characters. The recipient just needs Krutidev installed.

Font Rendering Differences

Krutidev was designed for Windows font rendering (GDI/DirectWrite). Linux uses FreeType, which applies different hinting algorithms. The result: some Krutidev characters have thinner strokes, different spacing, or slightly misaligned matras on Linux. This is most noticeable at small sizes (12pt and below).

To improve rendering on GNOME, install GNOME Tweaks:

sudo apt install gnome-tweaks

Open GNOME Tweaks > Fonts. Set Hinting to "Full" and Antialiasing to "Subpixel (for LCD screens)." This produces the closest match to Windows rendering. On high-DPI (HiDPI) displays, increase the scaling factor to 1.25 instead of changing font size.

BOSS Linux (Government Systems)

BOSS (Bharat Operating System Solutions) is the Linux distribution used in Indian government offices. It is based on Debian and uses the MATE desktop environment. BOSS comes with some Hindi fonts pre-installed but not Krutidev.

Installation on BOSS is the same as Ubuntu: copy TTF to ~/.local/share/fonts/ and run fc-cache -fv. BOSS 9.x uses LibreOffice 7.x, which supports Krutidev without issues. If your government machine restricts sudo access, the per-user installation (~/.local/share/fonts/) works without admin privileges.

Troubleshooting