Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wuarchive!kuhub.cc.ukans.edu!1k1mgm
From: 1k1mgm@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Christopher Gunn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps
Subject: Re: Why does Mac output not look as good as LaTex?
Message-ID: <1991May21.083143.30947@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>
Date: 21 May 91 13:31:43 GMT
References: <20081@cs.utexas.edu> <1991May20.223955.22343@midway.uchicago.edu>
Organization: KU Molecular Modeling
Lines: 35

In article <1991May20.223955.22343@midway.uchicago.edu>, lrm3@ellis.uchicago.edu (Lawrence Reed Miller) writes:
> In article <20081@cs.utexas.edu> turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin) writes:
>>I notice that my papers, produced with Word 4.0 and printed on a
>>good laserwriter, do not look as good as papers produced with LaTex
>>on Unix boxes.  Looking closer, what I discovered is that the
>>individual characters are fine, but that their spacing (under
>>Microsoft Word 4.0) leaves much to be desired.  Adjacent characters
> [etc...]
> 
> Try turning on Fractional Widths in the Page Setup dialog.  This will improve
> the character spacing on the LaserWriter.  This is one of those weird MS Word
> features that you never find until you read the manual 5 times :^)  If you
> don't like the Times font, you might want to try another font.  This is largely
> a matter of personal preference, but New Century Schoolbook and Bookman, which
> are both included on the LaserWriter II, are nice in my opinion.  If you don't
> have a LaserWriter II, there are lots of PostScript (& TrueType) fonts
> available from companies like Adobe, Agfa & others, including NCS and Bookman.
> Look around and you are bound to find one you like.

When the LaserWriter IIs came out with all those new fonts, I played around
extensively (with Fractional Widths turned on!) with the various typefaces
only to be at least vaguely dissatisfied with the results, at least
at 10-12 pt. sizes.  Like the original poster, I found that many of them
tended to be overcompressed;  'Times' was one of the worst offenders.
The only LWII font I'm wholly satisfied with for blocks of normal small
text is Palatino.

Another helpful thing is to let more air into the copy as a whole.
Nearly everything done manuscript style (5"-6.5" lines, like you'd
do on a typewriter) looks better at 1.5 line spacing.  Single-spacing
seems to emphasize the overcompression.

Christopher Gunn	Molecular Graphics and Modeling Lab
SPAN--KUPHSX::GUNN	Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Malott Hall
913-864-4428 or -4495	University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS  66045