diff --git a/app/src/processing/app/ui/Toolkit.java b/app/src/processing/app/ui/Toolkit.java
index e30b9f98a5..8bc4d4b9c3 100644
--- a/app/src/processing/app/ui/Toolkit.java
+++ b/app/src/processing/app/ui/Toolkit.java
@@ -975,10 +975,14 @@ static public Font getSansFont(int size, int style) {
    * the Preferences window, and can be used by HTMLEditorKit for WebFrame).
    */
   static private Font createFont(String filename, int size) throws IOException, FontFormatException {
+    boolean registerFont = false;
+
     // Can't use Base.getJavaHome(), because if we're not using our local JRE,
     // we likely have bigger problems with how things are running.
     File fontFile = new File(System.getProperty("java.home"), "lib/fonts/" + filename);
     if (!fontFile.exists()) {
+      // any of the fallbacks below is a custom location, so try to register the font as well
+      registerFont = true;
       // if we're debugging from Eclipse, grab it from the work folder (user.dir is /app)
       fontFile = new File(System.getProperty("user.dir"), "../build/shared/lib/fonts/" + filename);
     }
@@ -986,6 +990,10 @@ static private Font createFont(String filename, int size) throws IOException, Fo
       // if we're debugging the new Java Mode from Eclipse, paths are different
       fontFile = new File(System.getProperty("user.dir"), "../../shared/lib/fonts/" + filename);
     }
+    if (!fontFile.exists()) {
+      // this if for Linux, where we're shipping a second copy of the fonts outside of java
+      fontFile = Platform.getContentFile("lib/fonts/" + filename);
+    }
     if (!fontFile.exists()) {
       String msg = "Could not find required fonts. ";
       // This gets the JAVA_HOME for the *local* copy of the JRE installed with
@@ -1003,6 +1011,13 @@ static private Font createFont(String filename, int size) throws IOException, Fo
     BufferedInputStream input = new BufferedInputStream(new FileInputStream(fontFile));
     Font font = Font.createFont(Font.TRUETYPE_FONT, input);
     input.close();
+
+    // this makes Font() work for font files in custom locations
+    if (registerFont) {
+      GraphicsEnvironment ge = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment();
+      ge.registerFont(font);
+    }
+
     return font.deriveFont((float) size);
   }
 
diff --git a/build/build.xml b/build/build.xml
index eaaf4dc94f..b1140e02a2 100644
--- a/build/build.xml
+++ b/build/build.xml
@@ -611,17 +611,10 @@
     <copy todir="macosx/work/Processing.app/Contents/Java">
       <fileset dir=".." includes="core/library/**" /> <!-- why this? -->
       <!--<fileset dir="shared" includes="launch4j/**" />-->
-      <fileset dir="shared" includes="lib/**" excludes="lib/fonts/**" />
+      <fileset dir="shared" includes="lib/**" />
       <fileset file="shared/revisions.txt" />
     </copy>
 
-    <!--
-    Processing.app/Contents/PlugIns/jdk1.7.0_40.jdk/Contents/Home/jre/lib/fonts
-    -->
-    <copy todir="macosx/work/Processing.app/Contents/PlugIns/jdk${jdk.esoteric}.jdk/Contents/Home/jre/lib/fonts">
-      <fileset dir="shared/lib/fonts" includes="*" />
-    </copy>
-
     <antcall target="assemble">
       <param name="target.path" 
              value="macosx/work/Processing.app/Contents/Java" />
@@ -756,7 +749,7 @@
     <copy todir="linux/work">
       <fileset dir=".." includes="core/library/**" />
       <fileset dir="shared" includes="launch4j/**" />
-      <fileset dir="shared" includes="lib/**" excludes="lib/fonts/**" />
+      <fileset dir="shared" includes="lib/**"  />
       <fileset dir="shared" includes="modes/**" />
       <fileset file="shared/revisions.txt" />
     </copy>
@@ -857,11 +850,6 @@
       -->
       <fileset refid="jre-optional-linux" />
     </delete>
-
-    <copy todir="linux/work/java/lib/fonts">
-      <fileset dir="shared/lib/fonts" includes="*" />
-    </copy>
-
   </target>
   
   <target name="linux-run" depends="linux-build" 
@@ -1053,7 +1041,7 @@
     <copy todir="windows/work">
       <fileset dir=".." includes="core/library/**" />
       <fileset dir="shared" includes="launch4j/**" />
-      <fileset dir="shared" includes="lib/**" excludes="lib/fonts/**" />
+      <fileset dir="shared" includes="lib/**" />
       <fileset dir="shared" includes="modes/**" />
       <fileset file="shared/revisions.txt" />
     </copy>
@@ -1119,10 +1107,6 @@
       -->
       <fileset refid="jre-optional-windows" />
     </delete>
-
-    <copy todir="windows/work/java/lib/fonts">
-      <fileset dir="shared/lib/fonts" includes="*" />
-    </copy>
   </target>
   
   <target name="windows-run" depends="windows-build"