Fonts, Fonts, Fonts... |
Traditionally Tex uses bitmap fonts (.pk). One can use other types of fonts too, including Postscript fonts and Truetype fonts; both of these are "vector" fonts. If using PDFTeX, or some other utility to create PDF from TeX input/source, it is a good idea not to use TeX's own bitmap fonts --- output is currently of poor quality: Postscript fonts yield excellent quality documents, on the other hand.
A TeX/LaTeX document might require fonts not present on your system. METAFONT can build them! You can also use METAFONT to design your own fonts!
An easy way to handle postscript fonts within TeX is to use dvips and the fonts, installation procedure and utilities that come with it. Details are given at the dvips home page. In short one creates a virtual font corresponding to each postscript font for TeX to use; then dvips sorts out the test.
One can use True-Type fonts within TeX. A document at radamir.com explains how.
Postscript fonts offer a great alternative to the traditional TeX bitmap fonts, but there are limits with regard to mathematics: the standard postscript fonts simply don't support mathematics the way TeX's Computer Modern font does. Here are some alternatives.
Metafont is a system for producing shapes; it was designed for producing complete typeface families, but it can also produce geometric designs, dingbats, etc. And it has considerable mathematical and equation-solving capabilities which can be useful entirely on their own.
Metafont is a batch language, like C or Pascal: you compile a Metafont program into a corresponding font, rather than interactively drawing lines or curves. This approach has both considerable disadvantages (people unfamiliar with conventional programming languages will be unlikely to find it usable) and considerable advantages (you can make your design intentions specific and parameterizable).
When you (attempt to) compile a TeX/LaTeX input/source file to produce DVI (or PDF), TeX looks for a .tfm file corresponding to each required font (the font metric files); when you (attempt to) view a file with a DVI-viewer it looks for .pk files corresponding to each; ditto dvips. If these are not present on your system METAFONT can build them all from a corresponding .mf file. Usually DVI-viewers and dvips are configured to call METAFONT automatically. So if you see this...
prompt> dvips metafont-for-beginners.dvi
This is dvips(k) 5.86 Copyright 1999 Radical Eye Software
(www.radicaleye.com)
' TeX output 2000.06.20:1210' -> metafont-for-beginners.ps
kpathsea: Running mktexpk --mfmode ljfour --bdpi 600 --mag 1+0/600
--dpi 600 logo10
mktexpk: Running mf \mode:=ljfour; mag:=1+0/600; nonstopmode; input logo10
This is METAFONT, Version 2.7182 (Web2C 7.3.1)
(/usr/share/texmf/fonts/source/public/mflogo/logo10.mf
(/usr/share/texmf/fonts/source/public/mflogo/logo.mf [77] [69] [84] [65]
[70] [80] [83] [79] [78]) )
Font metrics written on logo10.tfm.
Output written on logo10.600gf (9 characters, 1908 bytes).
Transcript written on logo10.log.
mktexpk: /var/lib/texmf/pk/ljfour/public/mflogo/logo10.600pk:
successfully generated
...that's probably what's going on.
In addition, you may want to create your own fonts (for the ambitious!) or download fonts from the Web --- these often come in the form of a .mf file, a METAFONT input/source file. You must compile the .tfm and .pk files yourself.