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Preface
we have write a blog about using TrueType Font under pdfTeX in TeX in the previous article. Here we will continue to discuss the details of using TrueType Font under pdfTeX. And the configuration under LaTeX.
This blog will be totally copy from the blog:Using TrueType fonts with TeX and pdfTeX. There will be some more information during the process and some error correction for the original blog.
Why i make a copy of this blog ? Just in case of the original blog is not available in the future. The author of the original blog says that: “This note describes how to add TrueType fonts support to TeX and LaTeX. This information is provided for educational purpose only. I do not know if procedures described here violate any copywrite/license agreement. Also, names ectimes and winfonts are used just for example. I do not know how they should be named correctly.”
All the following commands are running in Powershell in Windows 11. TeXLive 2024 is installed in the system.
Assume that PC is the username of the computer.
Before we begin (TeX)
Suppose, we want to typeset in Times New Roman instead of Computer Modern Roman (cmr). Times New Roman in Windows 9x/NT 4 is a Unicode font which has almost all symbols from Computer Modern. Certainly, they are in different places. To use these fonts in TeX (LaTeX) and PDF documents, it is necessary to create two more fonts: raw tex font, containing necessary characters but without kerning information, and virtual tex font with kerns and ligatures. For simplicity, we’ll use the rule that if TrueType font file has a name foo.ttf, than virtual tex font in T1 encoding will be named ecfoo and raw tex font will be named recfoo. Times New Roman family of fonts is presented by the files times.ttf, timesi.ttf, timesbd.ttf and timesbi.ttf, found in c:\windows\fonts directory in Windows 9x or c:\winnt\fonts in Windows NT. The family has Regular, Italic, Bold and BoldItalic members. We’ll also create oblique (slanted) versions of Regular and Bold members, which will be marked by letter “o” at the end of the name. The above is summarized in a table:
TrueType File Name (.ttf)
TeX Name (virtual font; .vf, .tfm)
Raw TeX Name (.tfm, .afm, .pk)
Regular
times
ectimes
rectimes
Italic
timesi
ectimesi
rectimesi
Bold
timesbd
ectimesbd
rectimesbd
BoldItalic
timesbi
ectimesbi
rectimesbi
Oblique
-
ectimeso
rectimeso
BoldOblique
-
ectimesbdo
rectimesbdo
Also we’ll need an encoding vector—a file which determines characters positions in a new fonts. We’ll use a file T1-WGL4.enc which corresponds to T1 encoding.
To be able to typeset with Cyrillic characters, you should use T2A-mod0.enc file or similar, found in T2 package.
Create a temporary working directory and copy font files ( times.ttf, timesbd.ttf, timesbi.ttf, timesi.ttf from c:\windows\fonts ) and encoding file (T1-WGL4.enc) there. Now we are ready for actual work.
Creating TeX Font Metrics (tfm)
Change to the working directory and run the following commands:
ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot find character `compwordmark' specified in input encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot find character `perthousandzero' specified in input encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot find character `dotlessj' specified in input encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot find character `ff' specified in input encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot find character `ffi' specified in input encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot find character `ffl' specified in input encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot find character `visualspace' specified in input encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Character `hyphen' encoded twice in input encoding (positions 2d and 7f; the latter is ignored). ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot map character `compwordmark' specified in output encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot map character `perthousandzero' specified in output encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot map character `dotlessj' specified in output encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot map character `ff' specified in output encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot map character `ffi' specified in output encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot map character `ffl' specified in output encoding. ttf2tfm: WARNING: Cannot map character `visualspace' specified in output encoding.
This will create a tfm files of raw fonts and vpl files of virtual fonts. To generate slanted versions of regular and bold font, command should be extended like this:
You will see such log when generating the virtual fonts:
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I had to round some heights by 12.0000000 units. I had to round some depths by 1.0000000 units. I had to round some italic corrections by 0.5000000 units.
This creates vf and tfm files for virtual fonts. After that you can delete vpl files, just run command:
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rm -Force *.vpl
to delete them all. Now your project directory should contain the following files:
Now vf and tfm files should be moved to the place where TeXLive can find them. Move all vf files to <localtexmf>\fonts\vf\ms\times\, and all tfm files to <localtexmf>\fonts\tfm\ms\times\. What is the path of <localtexmf> ? In Linux this path is usually at:
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~/texmf/tex/latex/
For Windows, the <localtexmf> directory is usually at:
The directories ms\times are not mandatory, you can leave the files even in parent dirs, but this way it is easier to maintain them and it corresponds to the general rule of placement: <supplier>\<family>.
Now your project directory should contain the following files:
Open the file ttfonts.map in a temporary working directory with your favorite text editor (notepad, vscode, vim etc) and copy its contents to clipboard. ttfonts.map contains:
Now open a file C:\texlive\2024\tlpkg\dviout\map\ttfonts.map with the same editor and paste the lines from clipboard and save it. The added part looks like:
You may need to run the editor as administrator to be able to save the file.
This is sufficient for generating DVI file, but to view or print it, there should be a raster pk font. TeXLive will attempt to generate it automatically with new utility: ttf2pk. For successful generation ttf2pk should find both TrueType font and encoding file.
It happens that ttf2pk can find ttf files, if they are installed and are in a system fonts directory,
and it looks for encoding files in a directory C:\texlive\2024\texmf-dist\fonts\enc\ttf2pk\base (among others).Therefore if there is no such encoding file, you have to copy T1-WGL4.enc to C:\texlive\2024\texmf-dist\fonts\enc\ttf2pk\base.
In TeXLive 2024, there may be already a T1-WGL4.enc file in the directory C:\texlive\2024\texmf-dist\fonts\enc\ttf2pk\base, so you don’t need to copy it again.
Now we have to update databases, open the Powershell as administrator and run the following commands:
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texhash
Testing the installation in TeX (don’t skip this step)
Change current directory from temporary working to some other where there are no files related to fonts creation. To have a look at our brand new fonts, run a command
❯ tex testfont This is TeX, Version 3.141592653 (TeX Live 2024) (preloaded format=tex) (c:/texlive/2024/texmf-dist/tex/plain/knuth-lib/testfont.tex
Name of the font to test = ectimes Now type a test command (\help for help):) *\table\eject\init [1] Name of the font to test = ectimeso Now type a test command (\help for help): *\table\eject\init [2] Name of the font to test = ectimesbd Now type a test command (\help for help): *\table\eject\init [3] Name of the font to test = ectimesi Now type a test command (\help for help): *\table\eject\init [4] Name of the font to test = ectimesbd Now type a test command (\help for help): *\table\eject\init [5] Name of the font to test = ectimesbdo Now type a test command (\help for help): *\bye [6] Output written on testfont.dvi (6 pages, 53556 bytes). Transcript written on testfont.log.
It will ask about a font to test. Enter “ectimes”. It will ask about a command. Enter “\table\eject\init”. This time enter “ectimeso”, then “ectimesbd” and so on. After all fonts are tested, enter a command “\bye”. This will create a file testfont.dvi in current directory.
If you have problems at this stage, it is either wrong font names or tfm, vf files placement.
But do not hurry to open testfont.dvi with YAP. If something goes wrong, it is quite hard to trace the problem in YAP. Better try converting dvi to PostScript:
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dvips testfont.dvi
YAP is a viewer for DVI files in the past. Nowadays you should use dviout.exe which has already contained in TeXLive.
Here you will have plenty of messages about what is happening. In particular, the generation of pk for TrueType will look like this:
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❯ ttf2pk.exe -q rectimes 600 ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `compwordmark'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `perthousandzero'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `dotlessj'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `ff'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `ffi'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `ffl'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `visualspace'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `Germandbls'.
If the previous file location or file name is wrong, that causes mktexpk can not find the now font rectimes, you will see the following log:
The command name is C:\texlive\2024\bin\windows\mktexpk
kpathsea: Running mktexmf rectimes.mf
The command name is C:\texlive\2024\bin\windows\mktexmf name = rectimes, rootname = rectimes, pointsize = mktexmf: empty or non-existent rootfile! Cannot find rectimes.mf . I try ps2pk --> gsftopk --> ttf2pk --> hbf2gf. ps2pk cannot be used. I try gsftopk. gsftopk.exe rectimes 600 Cannot find font rectimes in map file(s). gsftopk cannot be used. Next I try ttf2pk. ttf2pk.exe -q rectimes 600 ttf2pk failed. Finally I try hbf2gf. hbf2gf.exe -q -p rectimes 600 All trials failed. kpathsea: Appending font creation commands to missfont.log. C:\texlive\2024\bin\windows\dvips.exe: PK font rectimes not found; using cmr10 <c:/Users/PC/.texlive2024/texmf-var/fonts/pk/ljfour/public/cm/cmr10.600pk> C:\texlive\2024\bin\windows\dvips.exe: ! [scanpage] invalid char 128 from font rectimes
Using new fonts in TeX
create a simple tex source file test.tex:
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\font\myfont=ectimes \font\mybigfont=ectimes at 36pt \myfont Hello, I am being typeset in Times New Roman
This is pdfTeX, Version 3.141592653-2.6-1.40.26 (TeX Live 2024) (preloaded format=pdftex) restricted \write18 enabled. entering extended mode (./test.tex [1{c:/texlive/2024/texmf-var/fonts/map/pdftex/updmap/pdftex.map}] )
The command name is C:\texlive\2024\bin\windows\mktexpk
kpathsea: Running mktexmf rectimes.mf
The command name is C:\texlive\2024\bin\windows\mktexmf name = rectimes, rootname = rectimes, pointsize = mktexmf: empty or non-existent rootfile! Cannot find rectimes.mf . I try ps2pk --> gsftopk --> ttf2pk --> hbf2gf. ps2pk cannot be used. I try gsftopk. gsftopk.exe rectimes 2160 Cannot find font rectimes in map file(s). gsftopk cannot be used. Next I try ttf2pk. ttf2pk.exe -q rectimes 2160 ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `compwordmark'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `perthousandzero'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `dotlessj'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `ff'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `ffi'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `ffl'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `visualspace'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `Germandbls'. mktexupd failed <c:/Users/PC/.texlive2024/texmf-var/fonts/pk/modeless/ms/times/rectimes.2160pk > kpathsea: Running mktexpk --mfmode / --bdpi 600 --mag 1+0/600 --dpi 600 rectimes
The command name is C:\texlive\2024\bin\windows\mktexpk
kpathsea: Running mktexmf rectimes.mf
The command name is C:\texlive\2024\bin\windows\mktexmf name = rectimes, rootname = rectimes, pointsize = mktexmf: empty or non-existent rootfile! Cannot find rectimes.mf . I try ps2pk --> gsftopk --> ttf2pk --> hbf2gf. ps2pk cannot be used. I try gsftopk. gsftopk.exe rectimes 600 Cannot find font rectimes in map file(s). gsftopk cannot be used. Next I try ttf2pk. ttf2pk.exe -q rectimes 600 ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `compwordmark'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `perthousandzero'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `dotlessj'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `ff'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `ffi'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `ffl'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `visualspace'. ttf2pk: WARNING: Cannot map character `Germandbls'. mktexupd failed <c:/Users/PC/.texlive2024/texmf-var/fonts/pk/modeless/ms/times/rectimes.600pk ><c:/texlive/2024/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmr10.pfb> Output written on test.pdf (1 page, 17004 bytes). Transcript written on test.log.
The second time you run it, you will see the following log:
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This is pdfTeX, Version 3.141592653-2.6-1.40.26 (TeX Live 2024) (preloaded format=pdftex) restricted \write18 enabled. entering extended mode (./test.tex [1{c:/texlive/2024/texmf-var/fonts/map/pdftex/updmap/pdftex.map}] ) <c:/Users/PC/.texlive2024/texmf-var/fonts/pk/modeless/ms/times/rectimes.2160pk > <c:/Users/PC/.texlive2024/texmf-var/fonts/pk/modeless/ms/times/rectimes.600pk ><c:/texlive/2024/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmr10.pfb> Output written on test.pdf (1 page, 17004 bytes). Transcript written on test.log.
and you will get the pdf test.pdf. But the pdf looks a little bit weird, see below:
Using new fonts in LaTeX
LaTeX requires some additional efforts. Create a font definition file t1tnr.fd in <localtexmf>\tex\latex\winfonts directory with the following contents:
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\ProvidesFile{t1tnr.fd}[Put your description of font here]
Hello, I am being typeset in \textsl{Times New Roman Slanted}
\end{document}
Now you can try use pdftex and pdflatex to create PDF documents but new fonts will be embeded as bitmaps which makes the whole pdf-story half useless. Let’s see how to embed TrueType fonts in PDF documents in native format.
Before we begin (pdfTeX)
First you shoulld check that your pdfTeX is up and running. A command
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pdftex story
will give the following screen messages:
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C:\texmf>pdftex story This is pdfTeX, Version 3.14159-12r (MiKTeX 1.11c) (pdftex.cfg) (story.tex [1<cm.map>]) *
Enter a command \bye and you should get
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*\bye <cmtext.enc><cmr10.pfb><cmsl10.pfb><cmbx10.pfb> Output written on story.pdf (1 page, 31672 bytes). Transcript written on story.log.
There are two important things in these lines. First is (pdftex.cfg) and <cm.map>, which means that pdftex has found its configuration file and loaded the Computer Modern fonts map. Second is <cmtext.enc><cmr10.pfb>…, which means that Type 1 PostScript fonts CMR10, CMSL10 and CMBX10 were included in document along with encoding file.
Creating Adobe Font Metrics (afm)
To create afm files, go back to temporary working directory and run the following commands:
The program will complain it can not find few characters but will create desired afm files.
Gathering map file
Now we have to create a map file whiich will map raw tex font names to actual TrueType names. Though this can be done by copying necessary strings from afm files, it also can be accomplished by afm2tfm program. As the name implies, it creates tfm files whcih we already have. But a side effect of this proram is outputting a string which is necessary for map file. Run the following commands:
Create a directory in localtexmf tree <localtexmf>\fonts\afm\ms\times and move all afm files there.
Create a directory in localtexmf tree <localtexmf>\pdftex\base and move winfonts.map file there.
Edit the file c:\texmf\miktex\config\miktex.ini: find the line which starts with “TrueType Font Dirs=” and add windows fonts directory:
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TrueType Font Dirs=.;%R\fonts\truetype//;c:\windows\fonts
Open c:\texmf\pdftex\base\pdftex.cfg file for editing and add the following line:
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map +winfonts.map
As you can see, there are a lot of other map files available in this dir, but most of them require that you additionaly purchase font files.
Now we have to update databases:
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Start=>Programs=>MiKTeX=>Refresh databases
Testing the installation in pdfTeX
Change current directory from temporary working to some other where there are no files related to fonts creation and run a command
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pdftex testfont
It will ask about a font to test. Enter “ectimes”. It will ask about a command. Enter “\table\eject\init”. This time enter “ectimeso”, then “ectimesbd” and so on. After all fonts are tested, enter a command “\bye”. Screen output will be like this:
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pdftex testfont This is pdfTeX, Version 3.14159-12r (MiKTeX 1.11c) (pdftex.cfg) (testfont.tex Name of the font to test = ectimes Now type a test command (\help for help):) *\table\eject\init [1<cm.map><winfonts.map>] Name of the font to test = ectimesbdo Now type a test command (\help for help): *\table\bye [2]<T1-WGL4.enc><timesbd.ttf><cmttext.enc><cmtt10.pfb><times.ttf><cmitext.enc>< cmti10.pfb><T1-WGL4.enc><cmr10.pfb><cmr7.pfb> Output written on testfont.pdf (2 pages, 195888 bytes). Transcript written on testfont.log.
As you can see, this time pdftex has found winfonts.map and embeded encodingg file T1-WGL4.enc and TrueType fonts times.ttf and timesbd.ttf into resulting PDF document. Open testfont.pdf with GSview and you will see:
Adobe Acrobat users, please read a Bug Note at the end of the document.
