[XeTeX] Fwd: Re: [texhax] Defining a new font in Plain Tex

[Jonathan Kew]

On 12 Jan 2010, at 12:47, Philip TAYLOR wrote:

> 
> Paul Isambert wrote:
> 
> > \font\bankgothic="Bank Gothic" at 10pt % If you want 10pt of course
> 
> > If there are italic or bold variants, say:
> 
> > \font\bankgothicit="Bank Gothic /I" at 10pt
> > \font\bankgothicbf="Bank Gothic /B" at 10pt
> > \font\bankgothicitbf="Bank Gothic /IB" at 10pt
> 
> This appeared to be the most user-friendly introduction to XeTeX
> that I have yet seen, and for the first time I was tempted to
> try it.  Sadly my first attempt fell at the first fence :
> 
>     \font \defaultfont = Optima at 20pt
> 
> > kpathsea: Running mktextfm Optima
> >
> > The command name is H:\TeX\Live\2009\bin\win32\mktextfm
> >
> > kpathsea: Running mktexmf Optima.mf
> >
> > The command name is H:\TeX\Live\2009\bin\win32\mktexmf
> > name = Optima, rootname = Optima, pointsize =
> > mktexmf: empty or non-existent rootfile!
> > Cannot find Optima.mf.

Use quote marks:  \font defaultfont = "Optima" at 20pt

XeTeX supports both TFM-based files and "native" TrueType/OpenType/Type1 fonts on the platform. It should try both, if necessary, before finally giving up; but in the case where it tries TFM first, the result (if you have mktextfm, etc., enabled) can be a lot of unpleasant messages as those subsidiary tools fail. But if you quote the font name, it takes this as a hint to try for a platform font first.

So "best practice" is to ALWAYS quote font names, except when you really mean to use a traditional TFM file.

JK

> 
> Fortunately my second attempt was more successful :
> 
>    \font \defaultfont = "Palatino Linotype" at 20pt
> 
> and I am now motivated to continue.  The obvious difference
> between Optima and Palatino Linotype is that the former
> is in Type-1 format whilst the latter is in Truetype; are
> there problems (surmountable or otherwise) associated with
> the use of Type-1 fonts with XeTeX ?
> 
> Philip Taylor
> <Re: [texhax] Defining a new font in Plain Tex.eml>
> 
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