[tex-live] Metafont: DVI and PDF trouble

[Thomas Hühn]

Norbert Preining <preining at logic.at> writes:

First of all the source:

mode_setup;
em#:=10pt#; cap#:=7pt#;
thin#:=1/3pt#; thick#:=5/6pt#;
o#:=1/5pt#;
define_pixels(em,cap);
define_blacker_pixels(thin,thick);
define_corrected_pixels(o);
curve_sidebar=round 1/18em;
beginchar("O",0.8em#,cap#,0); "The letter O";
  penpos1(thick,10); penpos2(.1[thin,thick],90-10);
  penpos3(thick,180+10); penpos4(thin,270-10);
  x1l=w-x3l=curve_sidebar; x2=x4=.5w;
  y1=.49h; y2l=-o; y3=.51h; y4l=h+o;
  penstroke z1e{down}..z2e{right}
  ..z3e{up}..z4e{left}..cycle;
  penlabels(1,2,3,4); endchar;
def test_I(expr code,trial_stem,trial_width) =
  stem#:=trial_stem*pt#; define_blacker_pixels(stem);
  beginchar(code,trial_width*em#,cap#,0); "The letter I";
    penpos1(stem,15); penpos2(stem,12); penpos3(stem,10);
    x1=x2=x3=.5w; y1=h; y2=.55h; y3=0; x2l:=1/6[x2l,x2];
    penstroke z1e..z2e{down}..z3e;
    penlabels(1,2,3); endchar; enddef;

> GSview does not display DVI files, only ps (and maybe pdf).

Oops. I was totally sure that it was also a DVI viewer...

Which DVI viewers would you recommend for Windows? DVIOUT? YAP?

> It is pixel font, and acroread is good with vector fonts.

Okay.

>> After converting to PDF, the result is horrible:
>> http://www.thomas-huehn.de/mf/windows/exp3/io.pdf
>
> No idea, but you could try with dvipdfmx, or send the output of the
> dvipdfm command line.

>> Another thing: is there a way to get readline-like behaviour on
>> Metafont's prompt, just as in Windows?
>
> What do you mean "as in Windows"? On Windows metafont does not have
> readline support, does it?

No, not readline per se, but I can use the cursor to go left, right etc.
On Ubuntu I only get control characters.

>> And how do I get better resolution printouts, I suppose I need a
>> higher-resolution grey font?
>
> Probably yes.

Okay, I'll see whether those later chapters help me with that.

Thomas