matplotlib · QuLogic · May 3, 2025 · Nov 26, 2024 · Jun 10, 2025 · Jun 12, 2025
diff --git a/.appveyor.yml b/.appveyor.yml
@@ -60,6 +60,26 @@ install:
   - micromamba env create -f environment.yml python=%PYTHON_VERSION% pywin32
   - micromamba activate mpl-dev
 
+before_test:
+  - git config --global user.name 'Matplotlib'
+  - git config --global user.email 'nobody@matplotlib.org'
+  - git fetch https://github.com/QuLogic/matplotlib.git text-overhaul-figures:text-overhaul-figures
+  - git merge --no-commit text-overhaul-figures || true
+  # If there are any conflicts in baseline images, then pick "ours",
+  # which should be the updated images in the PR.
+  - ps: |
+      $conflicts = git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U `
+                     lib/matplotlib/tests/baseline_images `
+                     lib/mpl_toolkits/*/tests/baseline_images
+      if ($conflicts) {
+        git checkout --ours -- $conflicts
+        git add -- $conflicts
+      }
+      git status
+  # If committing fails, there were conflicts other than the baseline images,
+  # which should not be allowed to happen, and should fail the build.
+  - git commit -m "Preload test images from branch text-overhaul-figures"
+
 test_script:
   # Now build the thing..
   - set LINK=/LIBPATH:%cd%\lib

diff --git a/.github/workflows/cibuildwheel.yml b/.github/workflows/cibuildwheel.yml
@@ -140,6 +140,10 @@ jobs:
           name: cibw-sdist
           path: dist/
 
+      - name: Purge Strawberry Perl
+        if: startsWith(matrix.os, 'windows-')
+        run: Remove-Item -Recurse C:\Strawberry
+
       - name: Build wheels for CPython 3.14
         uses: pypa/cibuildwheel@95d2f3a92fbf80abe066b09418bbf128a8923df2  # v3.0.1
         with:

diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -95,6 +95,25 @@ jobs:
           fetch-depth: 0
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - name: Preload test images
+        run: |
+          git config --global user.name 'Matplotlib'
+          git config --global user.email 'nobody@matplotlib.org'
+          git fetch https://github.com/QuLogic/matplotlib.git text-overhaul-figures:text-overhaul-figures
+          git merge --no-commit text-overhaul-figures || true
+          # If there are any conflicts in baseline images, then pick "ours",
+          # which should be the updated images in the PR.
+          conflicts=$(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U \
+                      lib/matplotlib/tests/baseline_images \
+                      lib/mpl_toolkits/*/tests/baseline_images)
+          if [ -n "${conflicts}" ]; then
+            git checkout --ours -- ${conflicts}
+            git add -- ${conflicts}
+          fi
+          # If committing fails, there were conflicts other than the baseline images,
+          # which should not be allowed to happen, and should fail the build.
+          git commit -m 'Preload test images from branch text-overhaul-figures'
+
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@a26af69be951a213d495a4c3e4e4022e16d87065  # v5.6.0
         with:

diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -20,13 +20,13 @@ repos:
       - id: check-docstring-first
         exclude: lib/matplotlib/typing.py  # docstring used for attribute flagged by check
       - id: end-of-file-fixer
-        exclude_types: [svg]
+        exclude_types: [diff, svg]
       - id: mixed-line-ending
       - id: name-tests-test
         args: ["--pytest-test-first"]
       - id: no-commit-to-branch  # Default is master and main.
       - id: trailing-whitespace
-        exclude_types: [svg]
+        exclude_types: [diff, svg]
   - repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/mirrors-mypy
     rev: v1.15.0
     hooks:

diff --git a/azure-pipelines.yml b/azure-pipelines.yml
@@ -68,6 +68,25 @@ stages:
               architecture: 'x64'
             displayName: 'Use Python $(python.version)'
 
+          - bash: |
+              git config --global user.name 'Matplotlib'
+              git config --global user.email 'nobody@matplotlib.org'
+              git fetch https://github.com/QuLogic/matplotlib.git text-overhaul-figures:text-overhaul-figures
+              git merge --no-commit text-overhaul-figures || true
+              # If there are any conflicts in baseline images, then pick "ours",
+              # which should be the updated images in the PR.
+              conflicts=$(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U \
+                          lib/matplotlib/tests/baseline_images \
+                          lib/mpl_toolkits/*/tests/baseline_images)
+              if [ -n "${conflicts}" ]; then
+                git checkout --ours -- ${conflicts}
+                git add -- ${conflicts}
+              fi
+              # If committing fails, there were conflicts other than the baseline images,
+              # which should not be allowed to happen, and should fail the build.
+              git commit -m 'Preload test images from branch text-overhaul-figures'
+            displayName: Preload test images
+
           - bash: |
               choco install ninja
             displayName: 'Install dependencies'

diff --git a/doc/api/next_api_changes/behavior/30318-ES.rst b/doc/api/next_api_changes/behavior/30318-ES.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+FT2Font no longer sets a default size
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+In the interest of handling non-scalable fonts and reducing font initialization, the
+`.FT2Font` constructor no longer sets a default size. Non-scalable fonts are sometimes
+used for bitmap-backed emoji fonts.
+
+If metrics are important (i.e., if you are loading character glyphs, or setting a text
+string), then explicitly call `.FT2Font.set_size` beforehand.
diff --git a/doc/api/next_api_changes/deprecations/30322-ES.rst b/doc/api/next_api_changes/deprecations/30322-ES.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+Font kerning factor is deprecated
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Due to internal changes to support complex text rendering, the kerning factor on fonts is
+no longer used. Setting the ``text.kerning_factor`` rcParam (which existed only for
+backwards-compatibility) to any value other than None is deprecated, and the rcParam will
+be removed in the future.
diff --git a/doc/api/next_api_changes/deprecations/30329-ES.rst b/doc/api/next_api_changes/deprecations/30329-ES.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+``font_manager.is_opentype_cff_font`` is deprecated
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+There is no replacement.
diff --git a/doc/api/next_api_changes/development/30143-ES.rst b/doc/api/next_api_changes/development/30143-ES.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+Glyph indices now typed distinctly from character codes
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Previously, character codes and glyph indices were both typed as `int`, which means you
+could mix and match them erroneously. While the character code can't be made a distinct
+type (because it's used for `chr`/`ord`), typing glyph indices as a distinct type means
+these can't be fully swapped.
diff --git a/doc/users/prev_whats_new/whats_new_3.2.0.rst b/doc/users/prev_whats_new/whats_new_3.2.0.rst
@@ -52,26 +52,15 @@ triangle meshes.
 
 Kerning adjustments now use correct values
 ------------------------------------------
-Due to an error in how kerning adjustments were applied, previous versions of
-Matplotlib would under-correct kerning. This version will now correctly apply
-kerning (for fonts supported by FreeType). To restore the old behavior (e.g.,
-for test images), you may set :rc:`text.kerning_factor` to 6 (instead of 0).
-Other values have undefined behavior.
-
-.. plot::
-
-   import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
-
-   # Use old kerning values:
-   plt.rcParams['text.kerning_factor'] = 6
-   fig, ax = plt.subplots()
-   ax.text(0.0, 0.05, 'BRAVO\nAWKWARD\nVAT\nW.Test', fontsize=56)
-   ax.set_title('Before (text.kerning_factor = 6)')
-
-Note how the spacing between characters is uniform between their bounding boxes
-(above). With corrected kerning (below), slanted characters (e.g., AV or VA)
-will be spaced closer together, as well as various other character pairs,
-depending on font support (e.g., T and e, or the period after the W).
+Due to an error in how kerning adjustments were applied, previous versions of Matplotlib
+would under-correct kerning. This version will now correctly apply kerning (for fonts
+supported by FreeType). To restore the old behavior (e.g., for test images), you may set
+the ``text.kerning_factor`` rcParam to 6 (instead of 0). Other values have undefined
+behavior.
+
+With corrected kerning (below), slanted characters (e.g., AV or VA) will be spaced closer
+together, as well as various other character pairs, depending on font support (e.g., T
+and e, or the period after the W).
 
 .. plot::
 

diff --git a/extern/meson.build b/extern/meson.build
@@ -13,11 +13,20 @@ else
   # must match the value in `lib/matplotlib.__init__.py`. Also update the docs
   # in `docs/devel/dependencies.rst`. Bump the cache key in
   # `.circleci/config.yml` when changing requirements.
-  LOCAL_FREETYPE_VERSION = '2.6.1'
+  LOCAL_FREETYPE_VERSION = '2.13.3'
 
   freetype_proj = subproject(
     f'freetype-@LOCAL_FREETYPE_VERSION@',
-    default_options: ['default_library=static'])
+    default_options: [
+      'default_library=static',
+      'brotli=disabled',
+      'bzip2=disabled',
+      'harfbuzz=disabled',
+      'mmap=auto',
+      'png=disabled',
+      'tests=disabled',
+      'zlib=internal',
+  ])
   freetype_dep = freetype_proj.get_variable('freetype_dep')
 endif
 

diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/__init__.py b/lib/matplotlib/__init__.py
@@ -751,6 +751,8 @@ def __setitem__(self, key, val):
                 f"a list of valid parameters)") from err
         except ValueError as ve:
             raise ValueError(f"Key {key}: {ve}") from None
+        if key == "text.kerning_factor" and cval is not None:
+           _api.warn_deprecated("3.11", name="text.kerning_factor", obj_type="rcParam")
         self._set(key, cval)
 
     def __getitem__(self, key):
@@ -1329,7 +1331,7 @@ def _val_or_rc(val, *rc_names):
 def _init_tests():
     # The version of FreeType to install locally for running the tests. This must match
     # the value in `meson.build`.
-    LOCAL_FREETYPE_VERSION = '2.6.1'
+    LOCAL_FREETYPE_VERSION = '2.13.3'
 
     from matplotlib import ft2font
     if (ft2font.__freetype_version__ != LOCAL_FREETYPE_VERSION or