[csswg-drafts] [css-fonts] Interaction between font-synthesis-style and variable fonts (#9391)

frivoal has just created a new issue for https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts:

== [css-fonts] Interaction between font-synthesis-style and variable fonts ==
[The definition of font-synthesis-style](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-fonts-4/#font-synthesis-style) says:

> This property controls whether user agents are allowed to synthesize oblique font faces when a font family lacks oblique faces.

But step 3 of "If the value of font-style is oblique[…]" in [Matching font styles](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-fonts-4/#font-style-matching) says:

> If font-synthesis-style has the value auto, then for variable fonts with a slnt axis a match is created by setting the slnt value with the specified oblique value; otherwise, a fallback match is produced by geometric shearing to the specified oblique value.

Which means that `font-synthesis-style: none` not only turns off browser synthesis of oblique fonts, but also usage of the slnt axis in variable fonts that have it. This is unexpected: the definition of font-synthesis-style talks about its effects when a font family lacks oblique faces, but variable fonts with a slnt axis don't lack oblique, they have a whole range of them. I don't think we should talk about synthesis when the user agent is rendering a font as designed by the font designer.

I'd suggest splitting this step 3 into two distinct ones:
3.1. For variable fonts with a slnt axis, a match is created by setting the slnt value with the specified oblique value.
3.2 If font-synthesis-style has the value auto, a fallback match is produced by geometric shearing to the specified oblique value



Please view or discuss this issue at https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts/issues/9391 using your GitHub account


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Received on Thursday, 21 September 2023 07:13:58 UTC