Bug 166027 - Document content is scaled incorrectly (blurry) when using fractional scaling, UI elements look fine
Summary: Document content is scaled incorrectly (blurry) when using fractional scaling...
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: UI (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
24.8.6.2 release
Hardware: All Linux (All)
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-04-03 13:46 UTC by James
Modified: 2025-04-06 12:51 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
Screenshot (120.55 KB, image/png)
2025-04-03 13:47 UTC, James
Details

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Description James 2025-04-03 13:46:32 UTC
Description:
I am using the official LibreOffice snap on Ubuntu 24.10 (Wayland).

On my main monitor, I have set up fractional scaling at 150%. The LibreOffice apps UI looks great (correctly scaled, and sharp as a tack), but the document contents look blurry.

I know fractional scaling on Linux desktop is a dog's dinner, so I am very understanding of any program which struggles to make it work, but I would really appreciate a fix or a workaround because that blurry text is hurting my eyes.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Set up 150% fractional scaling on Wayland
2. Open any LibreOffice app, e.g. Writer
3. Type some text at small-ish (like 10pt) font


Actual Results:
Everything looks scaled to 150% and sharp.

Expected Results:
The UI looks amazing, the text is a blurry mess.


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
Version: 24.8.6.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: d50be90c1d90f0f90a5235ffcbbafbbfa38a83c2
CPU threads: 12; OS: Linux 6.11; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3
Locale: en-US (en_US.UTF-8); UI: en-US
Calc: CL threaded
Comment 1 James 2025-04-03 13:47:36 UTC
Created attachment 200144 [details]
Screenshot
Comment 2 Paul Menzel 2025-04-06 11:20:32 UTC
Using Debian sid/unstable with  *gnome-shell* 48.0-1 (but also before) with Wayland, 200 % scaling, and *libreoffice* 4:25.2.2-1, I am *not* experiencing this.
Comment 3 James 2025-04-06 11:23:36 UTC
@Paul: 200% is not fractional scaling
Comment 4 Paul Menzel 2025-04-06 11:25:07 UTC
Also with

    gsettings set org.gnome.mutter experimental-features "['scale-monitor-framebuffer']"  

and setting it to 150 %, I am *not* able to reproduce it.
Comment 5 James 2025-04-06 11:25:56 UTC
(In reply to Paul Menzel from comment #4)
> Also with
> 
>     gsettings set org.gnome.mutter experimental-features
> "['scale-monitor-framebuffer']"  
> 
> and setting it to 150 %, I am *not* able to reproduce it.

Let me try that!
Comment 6 James 2025-04-06 11:31:29 UTC
(In reply to James from comment #5)
> (In reply to Paul Menzel from comment #4)
> > Also with
> > 
> >     gsettings set org.gnome.mutter experimental-features
> > "['scale-monitor-framebuffer']"  
> > 
> > and setting it to 150 %, I am *not* able to reproduce it.
> 
> Let me try that!

Tried just now, and I also tried all combinations of `['scale-monitor-framebuffer', 'xwayland-native-scaling']` (one or the other, or both, or neither) and it makes no difference.

I also just tried using flatpaks for 25.2.2.2 (in case the problem went away from 24 to 25) but no luck.

I honestly believe that if someone can be bothered to install a completely vanilla Ubuntu and set their scaling to 150% they'll see the problem. Let me know if I can help in any way.

Thanks again.
Comment 7 opp 2025-04-06 11:37:32 UTC
On ubuntu 24.04, I also have the blurriness when setting the scale to 150% in Settings->Displays->Display->Fractional Scaling On->Scale 150%


Version: 25.2.2.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 7370d4be9e3cf6031a51beef54ff3bda878e3fac
CPU threads: 8; OS: Linux 6.11; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3
Locale: en-US (en_US.UTF-8); UI: en-US
Flatpak
Calc: threaded
Comment 8 James 2025-04-06 11:40:25 UTC
(In reply to opp from comment #7)
> On ubuntu 24.04, I also have the blurriness when setting the scale to 150%
> in Settings->Displays->Display->Fractional Scaling On->Scale 150%
> 
> 
> Version: 25.2.2.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
> Build ID: 7370d4be9e3cf6031a51beef54ff3bda878e3fac
> CPU threads: 8; OS: Linux 6.11; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3
> Locale: en-US (en_US.UTF-8); UI: en-US
> Flatpak
> Calc: threaded

So the problem affects both the official Ubuntu packages (still on version 24) as well as the Flatpaks (which are already on version 25). Also, this person is on a very different KDE distro and has the same problem: https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=164232

Common denominator is probably Wayland.

Please fix this, a donation would help? I can't use LibreOffice with the text looking like that.
Comment 9 opp 2025-04-06 12:34:01 UTC
I think you can ask at their IRC chat https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA/IRC

Other answers about this questions that I found 
https://www.reddit.com/r/libreoffice/comments/13xdopu/paying_for_bugfixes_feature_additions/

https://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/2014/msg03728.html



Otherwise, I also found a user telling used steps as a workaround for blurry user interface 

> I solved this problem (on my 4k monitor 31.5") by keeping it 100% scaling, but > increasing the system font to 30% using the command (adjust the factor for your > needs, the effect is visible immediately):
> 
> gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface text-scaling-factor 1.3

> Also in the Settings under Appearance I changed the icon size to 48.

taken from https://askubuntu.com/questions/1415924/fractional-scaling-makes-browser-blurred
Comment 10 James 2025-04-06 12:37:48 UTC
(In reply to opp from comment #9)
> I think you can ask at their IRC chat
> https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA/IRC
> 
> Other answers about this questions that I found 
> https://www.reddit.com/r/libreoffice/comments/13xdopu/
> paying_for_bugfixes_feature_additions/
> 
> https://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/2014/msg03728.html
> 
> 
> 
> Otherwise, I also found a user telling used steps as a workaround for blurry
> user interface 
> 
> > I solved this problem (on my 4k monitor 31.5") by keeping it 100% scaling, but > increasing the system font to 30% using the command (adjust the factor for your > needs, the effect is visible immediately):
> > 
> > gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface text-scaling-factor 1.3
> 
> > Also in the Settings under Appearance I changed the icon size to 48.
> 
> taken from
> https://askubuntu.com/questions/1415924/fractional-scaling-makes-browser-
> blurred

Thank you. Fractional scaling is a dog's dinner in Wayland so I am very sympathetic, but increasing text scaling factor isn't quite the same and in many ways even worse.

I'll try and reach out on IRC, I am ready to offer my time as well as my money if needed.
Comment 11 m_a_riosv 2025-04-06 12:51:45 UTC
*** Bug 166050 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***