How to determine the true size of a font?
A colleague of mine is submitting a research proposal to one of the UK research councils, whose guidelines stipulate a minimum font-size of 10pt. My colleague, who is of course using LaTeX, uses the amsart
document class with the 10pt
option (which, in fact, I think it's the default). Looking at the .log
file one sees that the 10pt version of the fonts are indeed being loaded.
However word has come back that the proposal falls foul of the research council's guidelines because the font-size in the PDF file that my colleague submitted is actually 9.6pt! Alas, no information has been given as to how this font-size was determined.
Questions
When is 10pt not really 10pt?
And how can one determine the true font size of a LaTeX-generated PDF document?
Thanks in advance!
Added
This just in: it seems that the culprit was the default scaling of helvetica
, which according to the PSNFSS2e documentation (PDF file) is smaller than 1.
This still leaves the second question.
fonts pdftex
|
show 1 more comment
A colleague of mine is submitting a research proposal to one of the UK research councils, whose guidelines stipulate a minimum font-size of 10pt. My colleague, who is of course using LaTeX, uses the amsart
document class with the 10pt
option (which, in fact, I think it's the default). Looking at the .log
file one sees that the 10pt version of the fonts are indeed being loaded.
However word has come back that the proposal falls foul of the research council's guidelines because the font-size in the PDF file that my colleague submitted is actually 9.6pt! Alas, no information has been given as to how this font-size was determined.
Questions
When is 10pt not really 10pt?
And how can one determine the true font size of a LaTeX-generated PDF document?
Thanks in advance!
Added
This just in: it seems that the culprit was the default scaling of helvetica
, which according to the PSNFSS2e documentation (PDF file) is smaller than 1.
This still leaves the second question.
fonts pdftex
2
Not the problem, but worth knowing anyway: there isn't a single width of a point, but several: see oberonplace.com/dtp/fonts/point.htm - in particular the difference between Tex and Postscript points (1/72.27 and 1/72 inch, respectively) is a real nuisance.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 9 '10 at 15:33
Thanks - I knew about the many different points, although I confess I didn't think to check whether this could be the source of the problem. As you point out, the difference in the point size does not account for such a discrepancy in this case.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:44
1
Unless you are using a phototypesetter, be kind to your reviewers and use 11pt or greater thus obviating the problem. The definitive answer would come from the rejecting research council. Also, even if you agree on what size a point is, there is significant variation in the definition of what size a fontface is.
– msw
Aug 10 '10 at 2:29
msw: thanks -- can you point to some literature on (attempts at) a precise definition of the size of a fontface? I'm curious. Thanks in advance.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 10 '10 at 17:27
1
precise definition of the size of a fontface - The em-size the font designer states, the height of the tallest glyph in a font, and the vertical space Tex allocates to the text typeset in a font can all be different. The first is the usual measure, but you can't infer it from measuring the glyphs. This might be a good question to ask here.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 11 '10 at 6:30
|
show 1 more comment
A colleague of mine is submitting a research proposal to one of the UK research councils, whose guidelines stipulate a minimum font-size of 10pt. My colleague, who is of course using LaTeX, uses the amsart
document class with the 10pt
option (which, in fact, I think it's the default). Looking at the .log
file one sees that the 10pt version of the fonts are indeed being loaded.
However word has come back that the proposal falls foul of the research council's guidelines because the font-size in the PDF file that my colleague submitted is actually 9.6pt! Alas, no information has been given as to how this font-size was determined.
Questions
When is 10pt not really 10pt?
And how can one determine the true font size of a LaTeX-generated PDF document?
Thanks in advance!
Added
This just in: it seems that the culprit was the default scaling of helvetica
, which according to the PSNFSS2e documentation (PDF file) is smaller than 1.
This still leaves the second question.
fonts pdftex
A colleague of mine is submitting a research proposal to one of the UK research councils, whose guidelines stipulate a minimum font-size of 10pt. My colleague, who is of course using LaTeX, uses the amsart
document class with the 10pt
option (which, in fact, I think it's the default). Looking at the .log
file one sees that the 10pt version of the fonts are indeed being loaded.
However word has come back that the proposal falls foul of the research council's guidelines because the font-size in the PDF file that my colleague submitted is actually 9.6pt! Alas, no information has been given as to how this font-size was determined.
Questions
When is 10pt not really 10pt?
And how can one determine the true font size of a LaTeX-generated PDF document?
Thanks in advance!
Added
This just in: it seems that the culprit was the default scaling of helvetica
, which according to the PSNFSS2e documentation (PDF file) is smaller than 1.
This still leaves the second question.
fonts pdftex
fonts pdftex
edited Aug 9 '10 at 15:50
José Figueroa-O'Farrill
asked Aug 9 '10 at 14:54
José Figueroa-O'FarrillJosé Figueroa-O'Farrill
2,64621931
2,64621931
2
Not the problem, but worth knowing anyway: there isn't a single width of a point, but several: see oberonplace.com/dtp/fonts/point.htm - in particular the difference between Tex and Postscript points (1/72.27 and 1/72 inch, respectively) is a real nuisance.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 9 '10 at 15:33
Thanks - I knew about the many different points, although I confess I didn't think to check whether this could be the source of the problem. As you point out, the difference in the point size does not account for such a discrepancy in this case.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:44
1
Unless you are using a phototypesetter, be kind to your reviewers and use 11pt or greater thus obviating the problem. The definitive answer would come from the rejecting research council. Also, even if you agree on what size a point is, there is significant variation in the definition of what size a fontface is.
– msw
Aug 10 '10 at 2:29
msw: thanks -- can you point to some literature on (attempts at) a precise definition of the size of a fontface? I'm curious. Thanks in advance.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 10 '10 at 17:27
1
precise definition of the size of a fontface - The em-size the font designer states, the height of the tallest glyph in a font, and the vertical space Tex allocates to the text typeset in a font can all be different. The first is the usual measure, but you can't infer it from measuring the glyphs. This might be a good question to ask here.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 11 '10 at 6:30
|
show 1 more comment
2
Not the problem, but worth knowing anyway: there isn't a single width of a point, but several: see oberonplace.com/dtp/fonts/point.htm - in particular the difference between Tex and Postscript points (1/72.27 and 1/72 inch, respectively) is a real nuisance.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 9 '10 at 15:33
Thanks - I knew about the many different points, although I confess I didn't think to check whether this could be the source of the problem. As you point out, the difference in the point size does not account for such a discrepancy in this case.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:44
1
Unless you are using a phototypesetter, be kind to your reviewers and use 11pt or greater thus obviating the problem. The definitive answer would come from the rejecting research council. Also, even if you agree on what size a point is, there is significant variation in the definition of what size a fontface is.
– msw
Aug 10 '10 at 2:29
msw: thanks -- can you point to some literature on (attempts at) a precise definition of the size of a fontface? I'm curious. Thanks in advance.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 10 '10 at 17:27
1
precise definition of the size of a fontface - The em-size the font designer states, the height of the tallest glyph in a font, and the vertical space Tex allocates to the text typeset in a font can all be different. The first is the usual measure, but you can't infer it from measuring the glyphs. This might be a good question to ask here.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 11 '10 at 6:30
2
2
Not the problem, but worth knowing anyway: there isn't a single width of a point, but several: see oberonplace.com/dtp/fonts/point.htm - in particular the difference between Tex and Postscript points (1/72.27 and 1/72 inch, respectively) is a real nuisance.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 9 '10 at 15:33
Not the problem, but worth knowing anyway: there isn't a single width of a point, but several: see oberonplace.com/dtp/fonts/point.htm - in particular the difference between Tex and Postscript points (1/72.27 and 1/72 inch, respectively) is a real nuisance.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 9 '10 at 15:33
Thanks - I knew about the many different points, although I confess I didn't think to check whether this could be the source of the problem. As you point out, the difference in the point size does not account for such a discrepancy in this case.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:44
Thanks - I knew about the many different points, although I confess I didn't think to check whether this could be the source of the problem. As you point out, the difference in the point size does not account for such a discrepancy in this case.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:44
1
1
Unless you are using a phototypesetter, be kind to your reviewers and use 11pt or greater thus obviating the problem. The definitive answer would come from the rejecting research council. Also, even if you agree on what size a point is, there is significant variation in the definition of what size a fontface is.
– msw
Aug 10 '10 at 2:29
Unless you are using a phototypesetter, be kind to your reviewers and use 11pt or greater thus obviating the problem. The definitive answer would come from the rejecting research council. Also, even if you agree on what size a point is, there is significant variation in the definition of what size a fontface is.
– msw
Aug 10 '10 at 2:29
msw: thanks -- can you point to some literature on (attempts at) a precise definition of the size of a fontface? I'm curious. Thanks in advance.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 10 '10 at 17:27
msw: thanks -- can you point to some literature on (attempts at) a precise definition of the size of a fontface? I'm curious. Thanks in advance.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 10 '10 at 17:27
1
1
precise definition of the size of a fontface - The em-size the font designer states, the height of the tallest glyph in a font, and the vertical space Tex allocates to the text typeset in a font can all be different. The first is the usual measure, but you can't infer it from measuring the glyphs. This might be a good question to ask here.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 11 '10 at 6:30
precise definition of the size of a fontface - The em-size the font designer states, the height of the tallest glyph in a font, and the vertical space Tex allocates to the text typeset in a font can all be different. The first is the usual measure, but you can't infer it from measuring the glyphs. This might be a good question to ask here.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 11 '10 at 6:30
|
show 1 more comment
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
PDFedit will be able tell you what the size of particular bit of text in a PDF document is.
11
A hint on how would be great.
– bluenote10
Apr 8 '14 at 12:47
add a comment |
Adobe Acrobat professional: Tools -> Advanced Editing -> Touchup text tool. Select text, right click -> Properties. Text tab, Font Size box.
Thanks. Alas, I do not have access to this software. I did download the Acrobat Reader (for which I have no other use in principle) since I had vague memories that it did have a way to show the fonts being used, but it only gave the names of the fonts, their encoding,... but no information on the size beyond the one gleaned from the name of the font.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:53
add a comment |
There are several definitions of the word “point,” and LaTeX itself has two different units, the pt
and the bp
(for “big point”).
Since you say that’s a minimum size, the easiest solution is probably to load documentclass[11pt]
.
With fontspec
and a modern TeX engine, you have the option of setting defaultfontfeatures{ Scale = MatchUppercase }
and then loading your main font with setmainfont[Scale = 1.042]
. This should scale your main font to the size the publisher requested, and scale all the other fonts in the document to the same height.
If you’re using 8-bit fonts, many legacy font packages support a scale=
option.
add a comment |
This question is related to many other questions dealing with "font size".
I wrote this simple tex file for myself. I have taken out my (pure XeTeX) formatting commands
so as to make it readable and changeable.
See the attached PDF file where the font was Libertine Roman at a nominal point size of 12.5pt
Introductory material
When we speak of the point size of a classical (i.e. engraved in metal) this is a nominal value. Each character will have a different
combination of height (total distance above the base line), depth (total distance below the base line) and
width. Similarly in TeX
if we define a font to have a size of 14.0 pt
then 14.0
points is the nominal size. In TeX
we can precisely determine the above values by looking at the
bounding box of a letter. We do this by placing the letter, or letters, in a hbox and the using the
command the
as applied to the ht
, dp
and wd
of the box.
Suppose that we are interested in the letter "g", which dips below the baseline. We first write:
setbox0 hbox{g}
and then determine the values as follows:
height = theht0
depth = thedp0
width = thewd0
Here is the entire program:
setbox0 hbox{g}
centerline {
height = theht0
depth = thedp0
width = thewd0
}
We can also obtain the maximum range for a given nominal point size by placing the entire alphabet inside
a hbox:
setbox1 hbox{abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz}
centerline {
height = theht1,qq
depth = thedp1,qq
width = thewd1
}
link 1 PDF output
link 2 original TEX file (plain XeTeX, the macro commands are available
link to macro files if desired
add a comment |
Many documents include Scale=MatchLowercase
or Scale=MatchUppercase
as default font features with fontspec
, which makes sense, except that this causes the package to scale the main font against the prior default (normally Latin Modern). To check what LaTeX considers to be the font size, you can use something like this:
documentclass[12pt]{article}
usepackage{fontspec}
defaultfontfeatures{Scale=MatchLowercase}
% font will be rendered at 11.02771pt with the following line removed
defaultfontfeatures[rmfamily]{Ligatures=TeX,Scale=1}
setmainfont{TeX Gyre Pagella}
begin{document}
The quick fox --- thefontdimen6fontrelax
end{document}
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "85"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2ftex.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f1401%2fhow-to-determine-the-true-size-of-a-font%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
PDFedit will be able tell you what the size of particular bit of text in a PDF document is.
11
A hint on how would be great.
– bluenote10
Apr 8 '14 at 12:47
add a comment |
PDFedit will be able tell you what the size of particular bit of text in a PDF document is.
11
A hint on how would be great.
– bluenote10
Apr 8 '14 at 12:47
add a comment |
PDFedit will be able tell you what the size of particular bit of text in a PDF document is.
PDFedit will be able tell you what the size of particular bit of text in a PDF document is.
answered Aug 9 '10 at 18:28
Taco HoekwaterTaco Hoekwater
12.9k3366
12.9k3366
11
A hint on how would be great.
– bluenote10
Apr 8 '14 at 12:47
add a comment |
11
A hint on how would be great.
– bluenote10
Apr 8 '14 at 12:47
11
11
A hint on how would be great.
– bluenote10
Apr 8 '14 at 12:47
A hint on how would be great.
– bluenote10
Apr 8 '14 at 12:47
add a comment |
Adobe Acrobat professional: Tools -> Advanced Editing -> Touchup text tool. Select text, right click -> Properties. Text tab, Font Size box.
Thanks. Alas, I do not have access to this software. I did download the Acrobat Reader (for which I have no other use in principle) since I had vague memories that it did have a way to show the fonts being used, but it only gave the names of the fonts, their encoding,... but no information on the size beyond the one gleaned from the name of the font.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:53
add a comment |
Adobe Acrobat professional: Tools -> Advanced Editing -> Touchup text tool. Select text, right click -> Properties. Text tab, Font Size box.
Thanks. Alas, I do not have access to this software. I did download the Acrobat Reader (for which I have no other use in principle) since I had vague memories that it did have a way to show the fonts being used, but it only gave the names of the fonts, their encoding,... but no information on the size beyond the one gleaned from the name of the font.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:53
add a comment |
Adobe Acrobat professional: Tools -> Advanced Editing -> Touchup text tool. Select text, right click -> Properties. Text tab, Font Size box.
Adobe Acrobat professional: Tools -> Advanced Editing -> Touchup text tool. Select text, right click -> Properties. Text tab, Font Size box.
answered Aug 9 '10 at 15:35
Lev BishopLev Bishop
36.8k693150
36.8k693150
Thanks. Alas, I do not have access to this software. I did download the Acrobat Reader (for which I have no other use in principle) since I had vague memories that it did have a way to show the fonts being used, but it only gave the names of the fonts, their encoding,... but no information on the size beyond the one gleaned from the name of the font.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:53
add a comment |
Thanks. Alas, I do not have access to this software. I did download the Acrobat Reader (for which I have no other use in principle) since I had vague memories that it did have a way to show the fonts being used, but it only gave the names of the fonts, their encoding,... but no information on the size beyond the one gleaned from the name of the font.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:53
Thanks. Alas, I do not have access to this software. I did download the Acrobat Reader (for which I have no other use in principle) since I had vague memories that it did have a way to show the fonts being used, but it only gave the names of the fonts, their encoding,... but no information on the size beyond the one gleaned from the name of the font.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:53
Thanks. Alas, I do not have access to this software. I did download the Acrobat Reader (for which I have no other use in principle) since I had vague memories that it did have a way to show the fonts being used, but it only gave the names of the fonts, their encoding,... but no information on the size beyond the one gleaned from the name of the font.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:53
add a comment |
There are several definitions of the word “point,” and LaTeX itself has two different units, the pt
and the bp
(for “big point”).
Since you say that’s a minimum size, the easiest solution is probably to load documentclass[11pt]
.
With fontspec
and a modern TeX engine, you have the option of setting defaultfontfeatures{ Scale = MatchUppercase }
and then loading your main font with setmainfont[Scale = 1.042]
. This should scale your main font to the size the publisher requested, and scale all the other fonts in the document to the same height.
If you’re using 8-bit fonts, many legacy font packages support a scale=
option.
add a comment |
There are several definitions of the word “point,” and LaTeX itself has two different units, the pt
and the bp
(for “big point”).
Since you say that’s a minimum size, the easiest solution is probably to load documentclass[11pt]
.
With fontspec
and a modern TeX engine, you have the option of setting defaultfontfeatures{ Scale = MatchUppercase }
and then loading your main font with setmainfont[Scale = 1.042]
. This should scale your main font to the size the publisher requested, and scale all the other fonts in the document to the same height.
If you’re using 8-bit fonts, many legacy font packages support a scale=
option.
add a comment |
There are several definitions of the word “point,” and LaTeX itself has two different units, the pt
and the bp
(for “big point”).
Since you say that’s a minimum size, the easiest solution is probably to load documentclass[11pt]
.
With fontspec
and a modern TeX engine, you have the option of setting defaultfontfeatures{ Scale = MatchUppercase }
and then loading your main font with setmainfont[Scale = 1.042]
. This should scale your main font to the size the publisher requested, and scale all the other fonts in the document to the same height.
If you’re using 8-bit fonts, many legacy font packages support a scale=
option.
There are several definitions of the word “point,” and LaTeX itself has two different units, the pt
and the bp
(for “big point”).
Since you say that’s a minimum size, the easiest solution is probably to load documentclass[11pt]
.
With fontspec
and a modern TeX engine, you have the option of setting defaultfontfeatures{ Scale = MatchUppercase }
and then loading your main font with setmainfont[Scale = 1.042]
. This should scale your main font to the size the publisher requested, and scale all the other fonts in the document to the same height.
If you’re using 8-bit fonts, many legacy font packages support a scale=
option.
answered 57 mins ago
DavislorDavislor
5,4921127
5,4921127
add a comment |
add a comment |
This question is related to many other questions dealing with "font size".
I wrote this simple tex file for myself. I have taken out my (pure XeTeX) formatting commands
so as to make it readable and changeable.
See the attached PDF file where the font was Libertine Roman at a nominal point size of 12.5pt
Introductory material
When we speak of the point size of a classical (i.e. engraved in metal) this is a nominal value. Each character will have a different
combination of height (total distance above the base line), depth (total distance below the base line) and
width. Similarly in TeX
if we define a font to have a size of 14.0 pt
then 14.0
points is the nominal size. In TeX
we can precisely determine the above values by looking at the
bounding box of a letter. We do this by placing the letter, or letters, in a hbox and the using the
command the
as applied to the ht
, dp
and wd
of the box.
Suppose that we are interested in the letter "g", which dips below the baseline. We first write:
setbox0 hbox{g}
and then determine the values as follows:
height = theht0
depth = thedp0
width = thewd0
Here is the entire program:
setbox0 hbox{g}
centerline {
height = theht0
depth = thedp0
width = thewd0
}
We can also obtain the maximum range for a given nominal point size by placing the entire alphabet inside
a hbox:
setbox1 hbox{abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz}
centerline {
height = theht1,qq
depth = thedp1,qq
width = thewd1
}
link 1 PDF output
link 2 original TEX file (plain XeTeX, the macro commands are available
link to macro files if desired
add a comment |
This question is related to many other questions dealing with "font size".
I wrote this simple tex file for myself. I have taken out my (pure XeTeX) formatting commands
so as to make it readable and changeable.
See the attached PDF file where the font was Libertine Roman at a nominal point size of 12.5pt
Introductory material
When we speak of the point size of a classical (i.e. engraved in metal) this is a nominal value. Each character will have a different
combination of height (total distance above the base line), depth (total distance below the base line) and
width. Similarly in TeX
if we define a font to have a size of 14.0 pt
then 14.0
points is the nominal size. In TeX
we can precisely determine the above values by looking at the
bounding box of a letter. We do this by placing the letter, or letters, in a hbox and the using the
command the
as applied to the ht
, dp
and wd
of the box.
Suppose that we are interested in the letter "g", which dips below the baseline. We first write:
setbox0 hbox{g}
and then determine the values as follows:
height = theht0
depth = thedp0
width = thewd0
Here is the entire program:
setbox0 hbox{g}
centerline {
height = theht0
depth = thedp0
width = thewd0
}
We can also obtain the maximum range for a given nominal point size by placing the entire alphabet inside
a hbox:
setbox1 hbox{abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz}
centerline {
height = theht1,qq
depth = thedp1,qq
width = thewd1
}
link 1 PDF output
link 2 original TEX file (plain XeTeX, the macro commands are available
link to macro files if desired
add a comment |
This question is related to many other questions dealing with "font size".
I wrote this simple tex file for myself. I have taken out my (pure XeTeX) formatting commands
so as to make it readable and changeable.
See the attached PDF file where the font was Libertine Roman at a nominal point size of 12.5pt
Introductory material
When we speak of the point size of a classical (i.e. engraved in metal) this is a nominal value. Each character will have a different
combination of height (total distance above the base line), depth (total distance below the base line) and
width. Similarly in TeX
if we define a font to have a size of 14.0 pt
then 14.0
points is the nominal size. In TeX
we can precisely determine the above values by looking at the
bounding box of a letter. We do this by placing the letter, or letters, in a hbox and the using the
command the
as applied to the ht
, dp
and wd
of the box.
Suppose that we are interested in the letter "g", which dips below the baseline. We first write:
setbox0 hbox{g}
and then determine the values as follows:
height = theht0
depth = thedp0
width = thewd0
Here is the entire program:
setbox0 hbox{g}
centerline {
height = theht0
depth = thedp0
width = thewd0
}
We can also obtain the maximum range for a given nominal point size by placing the entire alphabet inside
a hbox:
setbox1 hbox{abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz}
centerline {
height = theht1,qq
depth = thedp1,qq
width = thewd1
}
link 1 PDF output
link 2 original TEX file (plain XeTeX, the macro commands are available
link to macro files if desired
This question is related to many other questions dealing with "font size".
I wrote this simple tex file for myself. I have taken out my (pure XeTeX) formatting commands
so as to make it readable and changeable.
See the attached PDF file where the font was Libertine Roman at a nominal point size of 12.5pt
Introductory material
When we speak of the point size of a classical (i.e. engraved in metal) this is a nominal value. Each character will have a different
combination of height (total distance above the base line), depth (total distance below the base line) and
width. Similarly in TeX
if we define a font to have a size of 14.0 pt
then 14.0
points is the nominal size. In TeX
we can precisely determine the above values by looking at the
bounding box of a letter. We do this by placing the letter, or letters, in a hbox and the using the
command the
as applied to the ht
, dp
and wd
of the box.
Suppose that we are interested in the letter "g", which dips below the baseline. We first write:
setbox0 hbox{g}
and then determine the values as follows:
height = theht0
depth = thedp0
width = thewd0
Here is the entire program:
setbox0 hbox{g}
centerline {
height = theht0
depth = thedp0
width = thewd0
}
We can also obtain the maximum range for a given nominal point size by placing the entire alphabet inside
a hbox:
setbox1 hbox{abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz}
centerline {
height = theht1,qq
depth = thedp1,qq
width = thewd1
}
link 1 PDF output
link 2 original TEX file (plain XeTeX, the macro commands are available
link to macro files if desired
edited 33 mins ago
Phelype Oleinik
21.7k54381
21.7k54381
answered 1 hour ago
morris rogermorris roger
612
612
add a comment |
add a comment |
Many documents include Scale=MatchLowercase
or Scale=MatchUppercase
as default font features with fontspec
, which makes sense, except that this causes the package to scale the main font against the prior default (normally Latin Modern). To check what LaTeX considers to be the font size, you can use something like this:
documentclass[12pt]{article}
usepackage{fontspec}
defaultfontfeatures{Scale=MatchLowercase}
% font will be rendered at 11.02771pt with the following line removed
defaultfontfeatures[rmfamily]{Ligatures=TeX,Scale=1}
setmainfont{TeX Gyre Pagella}
begin{document}
The quick fox --- thefontdimen6fontrelax
end{document}
add a comment |
Many documents include Scale=MatchLowercase
or Scale=MatchUppercase
as default font features with fontspec
, which makes sense, except that this causes the package to scale the main font against the prior default (normally Latin Modern). To check what LaTeX considers to be the font size, you can use something like this:
documentclass[12pt]{article}
usepackage{fontspec}
defaultfontfeatures{Scale=MatchLowercase}
% font will be rendered at 11.02771pt with the following line removed
defaultfontfeatures[rmfamily]{Ligatures=TeX,Scale=1}
setmainfont{TeX Gyre Pagella}
begin{document}
The quick fox --- thefontdimen6fontrelax
end{document}
add a comment |
Many documents include Scale=MatchLowercase
or Scale=MatchUppercase
as default font features with fontspec
, which makes sense, except that this causes the package to scale the main font against the prior default (normally Latin Modern). To check what LaTeX considers to be the font size, you can use something like this:
documentclass[12pt]{article}
usepackage{fontspec}
defaultfontfeatures{Scale=MatchLowercase}
% font will be rendered at 11.02771pt with the following line removed
defaultfontfeatures[rmfamily]{Ligatures=TeX,Scale=1}
setmainfont{TeX Gyre Pagella}
begin{document}
The quick fox --- thefontdimen6fontrelax
end{document}
Many documents include Scale=MatchLowercase
or Scale=MatchUppercase
as default font features with fontspec
, which makes sense, except that this causes the package to scale the main font against the prior default (normally Latin Modern). To check what LaTeX considers to be the font size, you can use something like this:
documentclass[12pt]{article}
usepackage{fontspec}
defaultfontfeatures{Scale=MatchLowercase}
% font will be rendered at 11.02771pt with the following line removed
defaultfontfeatures[rmfamily]{Ligatures=TeX,Scale=1}
setmainfont{TeX Gyre Pagella}
begin{document}
The quick fox --- thefontdimen6fontrelax
end{document}
answered 11 mins ago
Andrew DunningAndrew Dunning
522212
522212
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to TeX - LaTeX Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2ftex.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f1401%2fhow-to-determine-the-true-size-of-a-font%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
2
Not the problem, but worth knowing anyway: there isn't a single width of a point, but several: see oberonplace.com/dtp/fonts/point.htm - in particular the difference between Tex and Postscript points (1/72.27 and 1/72 inch, respectively) is a real nuisance.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 9 '10 at 15:33
Thanks - I knew about the many different points, although I confess I didn't think to check whether this could be the source of the problem. As you point out, the difference in the point size does not account for such a discrepancy in this case.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 9 '10 at 15:44
1
Unless you are using a phototypesetter, be kind to your reviewers and use 11pt or greater thus obviating the problem. The definitive answer would come from the rejecting research council. Also, even if you agree on what size a point is, there is significant variation in the definition of what size a fontface is.
– msw
Aug 10 '10 at 2:29
msw: thanks -- can you point to some literature on (attempts at) a precise definition of the size of a fontface? I'm curious. Thanks in advance.
– José Figueroa-O'Farrill
Aug 10 '10 at 17:27
1
precise definition of the size of a fontface - The em-size the font designer states, the height of the tallest glyph in a font, and the vertical space Tex allocates to the text typeset in a font can all be different. The first is the usual measure, but you can't infer it from measuring the glyphs. This might be a good question to ask here.
– Charles Stewart
Aug 11 '10 at 6:30