Introduction

This set of files1 offers a sample working setup for LATEX2e's NFSS and POSTSCRIPT fonts; it is based on the system I created between 1989 and 1991 for Southampton Computer Science department, checked and updated for NFSS2, and subsequently LATEX2e. You should be familiar with the standard LATEX2e files and their use to follow this document.

Packages are offered to set documents in the common PostScript fonts, plus common free fonts (Charter, Utopia etc). All Lucida fonts are supported, and the MathTime fonts. It is assumed that Karl Berry's naming scheme is followed. Textures users, however, can get a basic set of .sty and .fd files using Textures font names by running TEX on textures.ins.

IMPORTANT NOTE: .fd files and .tfm files for the common setup are not included in this package. They can be found in the CTAN archives in the companion collection (fonts/metrics) for each font family separately. That collection also includes simpler LATEX2e package files for each font family. To install a font family, take the following steps:

  1. Locate the font family in the fonts/metrics directory, which is divided up by foundry (eg adobe, monotype etc). If, for instance, you want the `normal' Times Roman, this is in adobe/times. The family names for the directories are made by taking the first 8 letters of the full family name.
  2. Each family directory has subdirectories containing +.tfm+, +.vf+ and +.fd+ files. You need to install these where LATEX2e and your driver will find them. LATEX2e will need the +.tfm+ and +.fd+ files, and the driver needs the +.vf+ files (and possibly the +.tfm+ ones too).
  3. You now need to tell your driver that you are going to use these new PostScript fonts (to stop it looking for Metafont sources and +.pk+ files). Using +dvips+ this is accomplished by taking the +.map+ file in the family directory and appending it to the standard +psfonts.map+ file of dvips. Alternatively you can install the +.map+ and the config file (named +config.+short family name (eg Times' short name is ptm, so the config file is +config.ptm+) where dvips' support files live, and use eg +dvips -Pptm+ to load the extra +.map+ file on the fly. Refer to the dvips manual for full details of map and config files.

    If you don't use dvips, refer to your driver's manual for how to tell it about new PostScript fonts.

  4. If the font is not resident in the printer, you'll have to download it. You can use software supplied with the font to do this, or (if you use dvips) have it done on the fly. However, note that the names in the +.map+ files supplied on CTAN assume strict conformancy with the Berry scheme — you may have to rename your +.pfb+ or +.pfa+ font file.
  5. If you just want to load one font family, and have it replace the default roman, sans or typewriter family in your document, each of the font family directories has a simple LATEX2e .sty package file.

It is also Very Important to understand the naming system and generation of the fonts! This setup follows the latest version of the scheme by Karl Berry (on CTAN in +info/fontname+) religiously; this means that the default +psfonts.map+ file of +dvips+ does not use the same names as us, so you do need to use the procedure above. The metric and +.fd+ files are different from those distributed by all other suppliers as this time (June 1994). Thus, for Times Roman, the OT1-encoded font is called +ptmr7t+, the T1-encoded font is +ptmrq+ and the raw font is +ptmr0+. This system will be followed exactly in all PostScript font support in LATEX2e.

The font metric files whose use we assume are those generated using Alan Jeffrey's fontinst package. These generate quite tight setting compared to other systems, which may produce a lot of hyphenation or overfull boxes if you are not careful. If you are having trouble, Alan Jeffrey recommends the following settings: 

   \tolerance800
   \emergencystretch2em
   \doublehyphendemerits5000
   \hfuzz0pt
   \leftskip0pt minus 1pt
   \rightskip0pt minus 1pt