[pdftex] Newbie questions on teTeX/texconfig/pdftex/metafont mode

[Thomas Esser]

> - Under the texconfig pdftex options, is "metafont mode".  What does this
> affect?  How would I know which value to choose?

If bitmap fonts have to be included (because no type1 font is found),
this affects the resolution. In general, you should avoid using bitmap
fonts with pdftex. Then, this setting does not make a difference at all.

> - How can I tell what is the current setting for texconfig pdftext metafont
> mode?

You can look at pdftex.cfg's pk_resolution and see which mode mktexpk
would use for this resolution. Unlike e.g. dvips or xdvi, pdftex does
not pass a mode to mktexpk, so bitmap generation only works for modes
that mktexpk knows.

[BTW: if pdftex takes bitmaps serious, this should be fixed]

> - I tried pdftex on a simple texinfo file, I works fine but the font is a
> bit fuzzy in Acrobat 5.0 reader.  Can this be the result of incorrect
> "metafont mode" setting?

Maybe. pdftex tells you at the end of the output which fonts it
embeds. There should only be pfb files, no pk files. If pk files are
embedded, this usually looks very bad (it is better with acrobat 6).

> - I haven't yet run a batch job to generate fonts (e.g. "allcm"), could that
> be the reason for fuzzy fonts?

If pdftex wants to embed a pk file and cannot find it, it usually telly
you that (font ... not found).  But, you can enable MKTEXPK for pdftex
by setting
  MKTEXPK.pdftex = 1
in your texmf.cnf file.

For the next teTeX release, pdftex will automatically build missing bitmap fonts
by default (without that MKTEXPK.pdftex setting).

Thomas