# cmex sizes, and BBF vs. Fractur.

• To: math-font-discuss@cogs.susx.ac.uk
• Subject: cmex sizes, and BBF vs. Fractur.
• From: mike@psarc.com (Michael D. Sofka)
• Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 11:02:01 -0400

>This is now specialy for people working in the printing industry, and
>concerns the loading of the cmex replacement font in three sizes.

Sorry, but I've been on vacation, and have spent the morning catching
up on mail.

>what is your present configuration ?

We (almost) always load the three sizes for those times when a cmex
(actually, mathex2 using the local fonts) is used in superscript, and
in textmode fractions.  It doesn't happen too often, and usually the
single size is good enough, but there are times when a smaller \int or
\sum is prefered.

This may also vary with the design of the book, the publisher
preferences, and the author's galley comments.  (A lot of math can
change with the author's galley comments!)

>- Blackboard bold    or
>- Fractur ?

Well, we don't use the cm fonts for most books.  But
MathematicalPi-Six (PostScript and Cora versions) have BBB like
symbols.  And, we have several fractur style fonts that have been used
in math.  I cannot say which is more common (both are rare).  The only
time I've seen BBB fonts have been in TeX documents.  If the author
does not use TeX then the BBB style of lettering is not used.  (I don't
know if any of the non-TeX authors wanted to use BBB, but it was just
not available.)  Usually the \cal symbols are used where BBB would have
been.

Regarding the use of bold upper/lowercase greek. We always load a
roman, italic, bold and bold italic font in math.  This is text and
greek (we placed them on the same font).  Mostly its just precaution
against the use of math in headings and openers, but several physics
books have make extensive use of the bold symbols (greek and text).
(The most unusual was bold variables except in super/subscripts, and
bold greek everywhere (or something like that).  Making ^ and _ active
was the solution used, but the book needed lots of hand tuning.)

Re background: I have a MS in Cognitive Psychology, have been working
for a typesetting company for 6 years (where I helped design the math
font layout, and wrote various programs to adjust non-CM math
fonts---they are not, unfortunately publicly available and take
advantage of several driver tricks anyway), and will be starting as a
part-time graduate student in computer science this fall.  In computer
science typesetting I like the increasing use of pseudo-code with
$\leftarrow$ over poorly typeset monospaced code.  But, many (most)
books in computer science are are writen with a particular language in
mind, and the typesetting world could use some nice monospaced fonts
for various styles (designers charge to much for special orders).

Mike

Michael D. Sofka                   mike@psarc.com
Publication Services, Inc.