[PLUG] Formulas

[John Jason Jordan]

On Tue, 7 Apr 2009 17:46:08 -0700 (PDT)
Rich Shepard <rshepard at appl-ecosys.com> dijo:

> On Tue, 7 Apr 2009, John Jason Jordan wrote:
> 
> > LyX creates dandy formulas, but if I want them in a specific font I can
> > get them out of LyX only in PDF format.
> 
>    Well, Knuth created TeX primarily to set mathematical equations so of
> course they are beautifully typeset.
> 
> > Why the problem with PDF, you ask? Because I really need the formulas
> > as individual graphics. I can export anything that I can print to PDF
> > with CUPS-PDF. But to convert that to a vector graphic does not seem
> > possible. I could use pdf2ps and then convert the PS. But pdf2ps
> > rasterizes the PDF. No more scaling for that image.
> 
>    How strange. Since PostScript is a vector language I'm shocked that the
> conversion from PDF changes the format from vector to bit-mapped.
> 
>    Regardless, pull up your knickers and take a look at pdftk. This PDF Tool
> Kit will burst a pdf file so each page is a separate pdf file.
> 
>    FWIW, I've converted text from PDF to PS with pdf2ps and ended up with
> vectors that are easily converted to ASCII text.

I didn't elaborate, but the issue is that I need something to import to
Scribus. And that is because after three days of working with it I have
concluded that there is probably no way I can lay out my textbooks with
LyX or LaTeX.

Scribus, unfortunately, is not very mature. It can import a PDF or a PS
file, but it rasterizes them in the process. The only vector graphics
files it can import and maintain as vectors are vector EPS and SVG.

So I need formulas in those formats. I can do them in LyX, and so far
that seems to be the best alternative. But that means PDF because I
can't get PS out of LyX if I use XeTeX. And I need XeTeX to get the
font I need. (The TeX-LaTeX community seriously needs to mount a
campaign to convert from their old font system to using the fonts that
are installed on the user's system. I have other issues with LyX-LaTeX,
but that is the showstopper.)

It may be that the problem is not in pdf2ps. Pdf2ps may be maintaining
the vectors and it is Scribus that is rasterizing the file. But that is
academic. Either way I am stuck. And I know for a fact that the only
files that Scribus can import and maintain as vectors are vector EPS
and SVG.

So I need something that will create simple formulas and let me export
them as vector EPS or SVG files. And since I have hundreds of formulas
per book it had better be something simple and quick. For example,
doing in LyX with XeTeX is a pain. I have to export to pdflatex, then
use xelatex to convert to PDF, then use something to convert to SVG or
EPS, then place in Scribus. And then I notice that I left out a comma.
Aaargh.