Did you happen to update GD library?
And we really need a short example script too..

And this is wrong:

--with-ttf=/usr/local/lib 

It should be:

--with-ttf=/usr/local

1.  I have not updated or changed GD in anyway.
2.  I've  tried --with-ttf=/usr/local but there was no improvement.

Here is the script:

<?
Header("Content-type: image/png");
// note - must use the absolute font path
// be careful about blank lines in your code which will output a blank and confuse browser
$font = "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/drakfont/WORLDOFW.ttf";

$box = imagettfbbox($size, 0, $font, $text);

$xsize = $box[2]-$box[0]+10;
$ysize = $box[1]-$box[7]+10;

$xstart = ($xsize - ($box[2] - $box[0])) / 2;
$ystart = ($ysize - ($box[1] - $box[7])) / 2 - $box[7];

$im = imagecreate($xsize,$ysize);
$white = ImageColorAllocate($im, 255,255,255);
$black = ImageColorAllocate($im, 0,0,0);
$trans=ImageColorTransparent($im,$white);

ImageTTFText($im, $size, 0, $xstart, $ystart, $black, $font, $text);

Imagepng($im);
ImageDestroy($im);
?>

Provide a complete, self-contained script. The one here now can't be copy'pasted and run..

The very nature of this problem is generating an image using an externally referenced true type font.  There is no way that I know of to include the font in the php script.

Can you provide the font then?

Derick

Here is the URL for the font:

http://www.scifi2k.com/fonts85231647/download/worldofwater.zip

Does the suggestion from Dmitry fix this 'bug'?
Or setting 'register_globals=on' in php.ini? 

Apparently, $size and $text are undefined. To understand the reason, check this place:

http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.variables.predefined.php

Because of that, $xsize and $ysize gets equal to 10, and you end up generating blank 10x10 PNG image.

Try to add this at the beginning of your script (before $box =):

$size = $_GET['size'];
$text = $_GET['text'];

Hope it helps,
Dmitry

Setting register_globals = on did the trick.  Thanks!

Seems this is not a bug buy my own inexperience.  Sorry to have bothered everyone.

User Error -> Bogus