[texhax] could someone give me an explanation as to why fontsize fails with an overfull box

Carlos linguafalsa at gmail.com
Fri Jan 11 13:35:24 CET 2019


>On Fri, Jan 11, 2019 at 11:46:40AM +0000, Philip Taylor wrote:
>David has kindly pointed out (off-list) that my earlier suggested 
>replacement for \sloppy (in this example, not generally) is 
>sub-optimal.  Herewith an improved version.
>
>>\documentclass{article}
>>
>>
>>\usepackage{mathptmx}
>>
>>\setlength{\parindent}{9.94pt}
>>
>>\showoutput
>>
>>\overfullrule = 10 pt
>>
>>
>>\begin{document}
>>
>>
>>\fontsize{14.1}{17}\selectfont
>>
>>\fontdimen 2 \font = 0.99 \fontdimen 2 \font
>>
>>\fontdimen 3 \font = 1.05 \fontdimen 3 \font
>>
>>
>>The reason is that upon restarting the computer, there are also 
>>other programs
>>
>>that start running on the background, among them Antivirus programs and
>>
>>whatever other programs Windows deems necessary for the functionality of
>>
>>the system.
>>
>>
>>\end{document}
>>
>
>Philip Taylor



Philip thank you so much. Much appreciated.

Your examples made me tweak some more with the document and rather
than having values such as \font = 1.12 or \font = 0.99 or \font =
1.05,  null it all out instead.

This issue has convinced me however, that every single time I've used
`\fontsize` I've ran into some sort of problem. So the following is
generalizing.

I tend to forget that TeX breaks characters into words, words into
lines, lines into paragraphs into pages with glue holders in between.
And I would understand if I were to have the same sample document with
a textwidth of say 0.5in, I would expect to see some sort of
consistency with different textwidth values. For example:


\documentclass{article}
%\documentclass[14pt]{extarticle}

%\usepackage{MinionPro}
\usepackage{mathptmx}
%\usepackage{libertine}
%\usepackage{fontspec}

%\setmainfont{MinionPro}

\overfullrule = 10pt
\setlength{\parindent}{5.94pt} 

\setlength{\textwidth}{0.5in}

\hfuzz=39pt
\tolerance=-10

\showoutput
\begin{document}

%\fontsize{14.09}{14}\selectfont
\fontsize{14.0908}{17}\selectfont
%\fontsize{14.1}{17}\selectfont
%\fontsize{16.09}{17}\selectfont

%\tolerance=204
%\tolerance=-1
%\hfuzz=20pt
\fontdimen 2 \font = 0.00 \fontdimen 2 \font
\fontdimen 3 \font = 0.00 \fontdimen 3 \font

The reason is that upon restarting the computer, there are also other programs
that start running on the background, among them Antivirus programs and
whatever other programs Windows deems necessary for the functionality of
the system.\par


\end{document}


I would expect to see the word "resaon" in that case, hyphenated


....\hbox(0.0+0.0)x5.94
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 T
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 h
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 e
....\glue 0.0 minus 0.84541
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 r
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 e
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 a
....\discretionary
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 -
....\glue(\rightskip) 0.0
...\penalty 250
...\glue(\baselineskip) 7.2283

but if I were to have a 
\setlength{\textwidth}{2in} instead of a 0.5in of textwitdth

I wonder then, why is that word in particular treated the same as
before. But then again,  I tend to forget how it works on text mode.

I do not see the \penalty as before, and much less the glue in
between, but what I do see is an emdash or the dash with the
discretionary,  no doubt empty as it is the latter,  attached to it.  

Then the hyphenated word 'restart-ing' 

....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 r
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 e
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 s
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 t
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 a
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 r
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 t
....\discretionary
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 -
....\glue(\rightskip) 0.0
...\penalty 250
...\glue(\baselineskip) 4.3397


but then it failed to say recognize "other" with either the counterparts "o-ther" or better yet "oth-er" as the convention has it.


....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 a
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 l
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 s
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 o
....\glue(\rightskip) 0.0
...\glue(\baselineskip) 4.3397
...\hbox(9.60976+3.05054)x144.54, glue set - 1.0
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 o
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 t
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 h
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 e
....\OT1/ptm/m/n/14.0908 r
....\glue 0.0 minus 0.84541

The only orderly process which has made sense to me, ever since I
started with TeX, but one for which unfortunately I have no personal
use, has been in Math mode - which it's like a mirrored image which
perhaps can be deceptive to the eyes at first but relatively intuitive
-, anything else defeats common sense. Instead of working inwards or
working from the outside gradually towards the inside, on text mode
the process is outwards.  This is wrong.  To top it off, Throw in
there some mathematical perfection, and there you have the perfect
combination for disaster: that is,  if you were to take one piece out,
you'd better put another one back in or else the whole puzzle fails.

I'm fine with Twain and with it's better to remain silent and be
thought a fool than open the mouth and remove all doubt. I just
realized I may have inadvertently removed it. But it's the best that I
can put it from an inexperienced point-of-view. 

Thanks again Philip.
>


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