In order to use AbiWord, you may have to add one or more lines to your XF86Config file, usually located in /etc/X11/XF86Config or /etc/XF86Config. For XFree86 >= 4, add the following line to the "Module" section: Load "type1" For other X servers, please consult your documentation. Also, if you are going to display AbiWord on a remote X server, besides following the instructions above, please make sure that the files in the ${PREFIX}/share/AbiSuite/fonts directory are available to the remote X server and add the ${PREFIX}/share/AbiSuite/fonts into server's font path. For XFree86, add the following line to the "Files" section: FontPath "${PREFIX}/share/AbiSuite/fonts" If you use a different X server, please see its documentation on how to do this. Finally, re-start your X server.