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Re: Re: Font changes on plots??

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg3686] Re: [mg3671] Re: [mg3632] Font changes on plots??
  • From: "Ross Moore <ross at mpce.mq.edu.au>" <ross at zeus.mpce.mq.edu.au>
  • Date: Fri, 5 Apr 1996 02:53:50 -0500
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com



This is a common recurring problem. 
A good solution has indeed been available, for a couple of years.
However it is not so well known.


> > >I plan to use them in a TeX document and would like the fonts to be the
> > > same.  Also, can mathematica do super and subscripts????  just asking.
> > 
> > I would be interessed too if someone had the solution...
> > 
> 

Yes indeed, we do have the solution;
and also to everything lamented here...

> As far as super/sub-scripts, changing fonts midstream, and all the rest
> involved in making publication quality plots: I gave up on Mma a long time
> ago. I now use Mma for exploratory analysis of my equations and
> calculation of characteristic curves; I then shunt those curves over to
> Igor Pro on a PMac for proper plotting. I made this rather drastic shift
> after a hellish night of trying to get plots ready for a conference, where
> I had to resort to literal cutting and pasting to get what I wanted. Never
> again!

> For the life of me, I do not understand the pathological fear of proper
> text handling that is clearly possessed by anyone who's even thought of
> programming a plotting package. Mathematica sucks, Kaleidagraph sucks,
> every package I've ever seen on a PC sucks... for that matter, Igor sucks;
> it just sucks less than the rest.


I do not understand this desire that a single package should contain
the complete solution to everything.


What one needs is a dose of the Unix philosophy of ...
... having a suite of tools that do an excellent job at smaller tasks.

The output of each tool can be used as input to other tools.

--- sounds familiar, doesn't it ?
--- like the functional programming techniques in Mathematica


Alternatively, the outputs from the various tools can be combined
compatibly within an integrated document, so to speak.

All that is required in a specific situation, is to identify which
tools to use, and then to spend some time working out how
to effectively combine them for the task at hand.




For the question concerning labelling axes on Mathematica
graphs, the tools are:

	Mathematica  TeX (or LaTeX) and  Xy-pic


Xy-pic is a macro package for TeX, which provides all the
graphics capabilities required for the highest quality
in typesetting mathematical and technical diagrams.

The idea is to have Mathematica place *no labels* at all.
Leave that part to TeX+Xy-pic, which can do a much better job.


Xy-pic works with *all* TeX implementations, on *all* platforms
and provides the ability to use special features that may
be available with the printer or on-screen; 
e.g. color, direct use of PostScript, special fonts, ...

... and it is *free*.

It is fully compatible with LaTeX, LaTeX-2e, AMS-TeX, AMS-LaTeX
as well as Plain-TeX. It should also be compatible with other
macro-packages such as Eplain, eeplain, etc. 
(If not, then inform the authors, who will make-it-so. :-)


If you are already familiar with TeX, then the extensions
provided by Xy-pic are very easy to use 
( i.e. there is a *learning curve*, but it is not too steep).


Browse the Web sites:  

	http://www.mpce.mq.edu.au/~ross/Xy-pic.html
	http://www.mpce.mq.edu.au/~ross/xyguide-html/
	
	http://www.diku.dk/users/kris/Xy-pic.html
	(the guide is here in Denmark too)

...from where you can download the manuals, in either PostScript
or .dvi format. The macros themselves can be obtained from these
sites, or from CTAN archives.

Section 15 of the  Xy-pic Reference Manual describes the \xyimport
feature. This is specially designed for using graphics imported
from other programs as a background over which other graphic elements
(such as perfectly typeset pieces of mathematics or text)
may be placed...
``using the coordinate system within inherent in the imported graphic''.



The example in this Reference Manual uses a graphic created with 
Mathematica.

More examples of  Mathematica + Xy-pic can be found in a recently
published book:

	``Notes on Fermat's Last Theorem'' by Alf van der Poorten
	publisher: Wiley-Interscience, New York and Canada, 1996


Other diverse examples of Xy-pic can be found in:

	``Computational Algebra and Number Theory''
	W Bosma & A. v.d. Poorten (eds)
	Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 1995

and on the Web:
	http://www.mpce.mq.edu.au/~ross/maths/Quantum/


Regards to all,

	Ross

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ross Moore                         Internet: ross at mpce.mq.edu.au
Mathematics Department                Work:       +61 2 850-8955
Macquarie University                   Home:   please do not try
North Ryde, Sydney                     Fax:       +61 2 850-8114
Australia  2109			http://www.mpce.mq.edu.au/~ross/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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