Exploring Font Options for TeX Documents

[caffeinemachine]

Hello MHB.
I have recently started using TeX to create math documents. I am using TeXworks.
The pdf created by the software looks good but the font style is something I don't like.
I would like my document to have fonts like that used in "Herstein's Topics in Algebra"...or something which feels "old"... The default font is "too modern". Is there a way, a package I guess, which can give me other than the default font? Or is that feature not at all there in TeX?

 

[Fantini]

Re: font help

Hello Caffeine! The place that almost always holds the answer I look for is LaTeX's Wikibook. In this case, it seemed best to plow through the "useful websites" section. Out of the five linked, this one is which seemed the most helpful to me. :D

On a side (and personal) note, Herstein's "Topics in Algebra" font doesn't look much different from LaTeX's original font, Computer Modern. I have the second edition borrowed from the library, perhaps you have a younger (or older) version. As a matter of fact, the font used in the book appears to be good old Times New Roman. :)

Cheers.

 

[Evgeny.Makarov]

Re: font help

Section 8.8.3 of The LaTeX Companion (2nd edition) has a collection of 16 examples typeset using existing packages that provide both text and math fonts. Also, chapter 7 describes fonts, including existing packages and external TrueType fonts. However, using TrueType fonts may be quite tricky and, since the book was published 8 years ago, there may be newer descriptions and/or tools on the Internet. I find the UK List of TeX Frequently Asked Questions very useful.

 

[Dustinsfl]

Re: font help

\usepackage{font name of your choice} as long as you have it.

 

[alphy]

Hello there,

Thank you for sharing your experience with using TeX to create math documents. I completely understand your desire to have a specific font style for your documents.

Fortunately, TeX offers a variety of font options that you can choose from. One way to change the font style is by using a different font package. For example, the "mathptmx" package will give you a Times New Roman font style, while the "mathpazo" package will give you a Palatino font style. You can also experiment with other font packages such as "mathdesign" or "newtxmath" to find a style that suits your preferences.

To use these font packages, you would need to add the package name in the preamble of your TeX document, before the \begin{document} command. For example, \usepackage{mathptmx}.

Another option is to use the "fontspec" package, which allows you to choose any font installed on your computer. This gives you even more flexibility in selecting a font style for your document.

I hope this helps you in exploring and finding the perfect font style for your TeX documents. Happy typesetting!