Fonts

Fix: Font Looks Fuzzy or Blurry in PDF (LaTeX)

If your LaTeX PDF has fuzzy or pixelated text — especially when zooming in — the most common cause is that LaTeX is using bitmap (Type 3) fonts instead of scalable vector (Type 1 or OpenType) fonts. This happens frequently with the default Computer Modern font in older TeX distributions. The fix is simple once you know what's wrong. Bibby AI uses a modern TeX distribution that defaults to vector fonts, so you're unlikely to encounter this issue — but if you're working locally or on Overleaf with older templates, read on.

Check for Bitmap Fonts and Switch to Vector Fonts

The most common fix is to load the cm-super or lmodern package, which provides vector versions of Computer Modern. You can also check your PDF for bitmap fonts using pdffonts:

% Fix 1: Use Latin Modern (vector replacement for Computer Modern)
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{lmodern}   % Scalable vector fonts
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}  % Proper font encoding

\begin{document}
This text should now be crisp and sharp at any zoom level.
\end{document}

% To check your PDF from the terminal:
% pdffonts output.pdf
% Look for "Type 3" entries — those are bitmap fonts causing fuzziness.

Ensure Proper Font Encoding and Embedding

Use T1 font encoding and verify all fonts are embedded in the PDF. Some journals reject PDFs with non-embedded fonts:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}    % T1 encoding (vector-friendly)
\usepackage{lmodern}        % Vector Computer Modern replacement
\usepackage{microtype}      % Improved typography and glyph rendering

% Force full font embedding in pdflatex
\pdfmapfile{+lm.map}

\begin{document}
All fonts in this document are fully embedded vector fonts.

Check with: {\ttfamily pdffonts output.pdf} — every font should
show \texttt{yes} under the \texttt{emb} column.
\end{document}

Switch to a Modern Font Package if Issues Persist

If lmodern doesn't solve the problem, switch to a completely different font family that ships as Type 1 or OpenType:

\documentclass{article}

% Option A: Use Times (always vector)
\usepackage{newtxtext}
\usepackage{newtxmath}

% Option B: Use Palatino (always vector)
% \usepackage{newpxtext}
% \usepackage{newpxmath}

% Option C: Use XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX with system fonts (always vector)
% \usepackage{fontspec}
% \setmainfont{Latin Modern Roman}

\begin{document}
No more fuzzy fonts — these packages always produce sharp, vector PDFs.
\end{document}

💡 Tips

•Always include \usepackage[T1]{fontenc} and \usepackage{lmodern} in pdfLaTeX documents to avoid bitmap fonts.
•Run 'pdffonts yourfile.pdf' from the terminal to identify any Type 3 (bitmap) fonts in your output.
•The microtype package subtly improves font rendering and can make text appear crisper.
•Bibby AI's compiler uses modern font maps by default, so bitmap font issues are rare — if you see fuzziness, it's usually a viewer setting.

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