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Thunderbird now resets incoming fonts

  • 7 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by w1nt

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Until the recent Tbird updates, I could set the fonts to Georgia, navy, and compose and receive my email (to myself) in Georgia. Now, I compose in Georgia, it leaves as Georgia, but when I view it in my inbox it is displayed in a sans serif font.

If I view the source of the incoming email, it is clearly set to Georgia - yet Tbird displays the incoming email as sans serif (though still navy).

It means that I can never see the sent message as my recipient sees it (assuming they can display Georgia, of course).

Why has Tbird made this change and how can I fix it? There doesn't seem to be as much control over fonts as there was. I am using UTF8 encoding to display £€ correctly.

I can't see anything online about this.

Until the recent Tbird updates, I could set the fonts to Georgia, navy, and compose and receive my email (to myself) in Georgia. Now, I compose in Georgia, it leaves as Georgia, but when I view it in my inbox it is displayed in a sans serif font. If I view the source of the incoming email, it is clearly set to Georgia - yet Tbird displays the incoming email as sans serif (though still navy). It means that I can never see the sent message as my recipient sees it (assuming they can display Georgia, of course). Why has Tbird made this change and how can I fix it? There doesn't seem to be as much control over fonts as there was. I am using UTF8 encoding to display £€ correctly. I can't see anything online about this.

Chosen solution

You've found the answer for me - many thanks. Even if my default fonts are set to Georgia, an incoming email will now display in the Other Writing Systems font, and if that's set to sans serif then the incoming email will display in sans serif, even if my default font is set to Latin, and serif Georgia.

That doesn't seem sensible or intelligible to me but there it is.

I am grateful - I would never have tried this.

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All Replies (7)

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You shouldn't worry too much about what your recipient sees, as they (like you) can control the fonts that are displayed in received or composed mail. Options/General/Language & Appearance, Advanced... is where the display fonts are set. Set the fonts and sizes with Fonts for: Latin and repeat with Fonts for: Other Writing Systems. Uncheck 'Allow messages to use other fonts' if you want your fonts displayed instead of what may be embedded by the sender.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Font_settings_in_Thunderbird

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Thank you, I understand - but why does the email that I set in Georgia, and sent to myself, that always (until recently, an update or two ago) displayed in Georgia in my inbox, now refuse to display in Georgia, and instead displays in a sans font, which I do not like, when I have set all my Thunderbird fonts to Georgia?

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Chosen Solution

You've found the answer for me - many thanks. Even if my default fonts are set to Georgia, an incoming email will now display in the Other Writing Systems font, and if that's set to sans serif then the incoming email will display in sans serif, even if my default font is set to Latin, and serif Georgia.

That doesn't seem sensible or intelligible to me but there it is.

I am grateful - I would never have tried this.

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In the Advanced window, do you have Proportional set to Serif and Serif set to Georgia, for both Latin and Other Writing Systems? That makes the font Georgia in composed and received messages here.

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Yes, they're all set as you say, and Georgia now displays on emails sent and received.

If you know what "Other Writing Systems" is, and why it affects incoming emails, I'd be very interested.

Thanks again.

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I think it applies to received messages in Unicode UTF-8 format.

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Aha! Thank you. Not very intuitive, is it?