[comp.text] Bad spacing in old troff

simpson@trwrb.UUCP (Scott Simpson) (11/13/87)

My version of old troff doesn't always space large mathematical symbols
correctly when using eqn and I was wondering if anybody had a fix.  For
example, if I print the document ``Typesetting Mathematics - User's Guide''
using old troff, the Sigma in the equation on the first line of the abstract
is shifted over to the right about the same distance it is wide.  It looks
something like
		.   S
		k>=1

where S represents the Sigma and the period is the reference point where it
should be.  Ditroff does not suffer from this malady.  Also, I have tried
both the old version of eqn and ditroff's eqn with the -Tcat option so I think
I have ruled out eqn.  Also, the post-processor is not incorrect because
I looked at the raw output of troff (yuck!) and indeed it is shifted over too
far.  If you have ever looked at old troff source code, you know how unreadable
and uncommented it is.  I give up.
	On a lighter side, can anybody tell me what the ditroff sequences
l., L. and Sl are supposed to represent?  These sequences are located in the
file tc.c in the ditroff distribution but it doesn't say what they are!
	How many driver writers out there have implemented the spline
command of ditroff?  This is sure a bitch if your laser printer does not
support spline interpolation.
-- 
		Scott Simpson
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sverre@fesk.UUCP (Sverre Froyen) (11/14/87)

in article <3659@trwrb.UUCP>, simpson@trwrb.UUCP (Scott Simpson) says:
> My version of old troff doesn't always space large mathematical symbols
> correctly when using eqn and I was wondering if anybody had a fix.  For
> example, if I print the document ``Typesetting Mathematics - User's Guide''
> using old troff, the Sigma in the equation on the first line of the abstract
> is shifted over to the right about the same distance it is wide.  It looks
> something like
> 		.   S
> 		k>=1
> 
> where S represents the Sigma and the period is the reference point where it
> should be.  Ditroff does not suffer from this malady.

The CAT typesetter requires a shift of 55 units when inserting or
removing the so-called doubler lens (used to create large point sizes).
The output of troff contains this shift which has to be removed by
the post-processor. The sum sign is a large SIGMA (~point size 15),
involves the doubler lens, and therefore the shift. My guess would
be that the incorrect position is caused by your your post-processor
correcting for the shift in the wrong direction (or not at all).
Here I speak from experience having done this incorrectly myself
in an early version of the LaserJet driver recently posted to
comp.sources.misc.
-- 
Sverre Froyen
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