LyX ⇒ PDF output looks like crap

[robinashe]

I've got a fresh install of LyX on Windows 7 using the alternate installer. I wrote up a simple document using just paragraphs and a title. It looked actually quite good in LyX. I output it to a PDF and it looks horrible. Reminds me of books printed in the 1970s, it had squished text that wasn't even lined up properly, and it was serif. I don't like serif, so the first thing I tried to do was change the text style to sans serif. On outputting to PDF again, nothing has changed, the style is still in serif. I'm in a rather bizarre situation where I have a better looking output by taking a screenshot of the document in LyX and piecing together a PNG rather than using output.

So, first question: How do I make the entire document output in a sans serif font?

[johnjamessmith0]

Putting the LaTeX command \sffamily at the very beginning of the document should make everything sans-serif. There's probably a native LyX way of setting the font, though. I don't know anything about LyX.

And about the PDF output looking like crap: maybe you just don't like how TeX formats things. If I'm not mistaken, it's true that TeX by default makes tighter-set text than, say, MS Word. And I'm not sure where your aversion for serif fonts comes from, since, if you're doing anything sort of paper or something a sans serif font will just look awkward. Do explain what you mean by the text not lining up correctly -- is it a "bad box"?

Unfortunately there's no automatic setting that just makes everything look the way you want it to. So do please make more informative titles and addressable, specific questions.

[meho_r]

Please, post your PDF file here, I'm really curious to see how bad is it

[robinashe]

Putting the LaTeX command \sffamily at the very beginning of the document should make everything sans-serif. There's probably a native LyX way of setting the font, though. I don't know anything about LyX.

I just tried that, it made the title sans serif but the rest of the document remained serif.

And I'm not sure where your aversion for serif fonts comes from, since, if you're doing anything sort of paper or something a sans serif font will just look awkward.

I haven't used paper for years, and where it comes from is rather irrelevant, wanting output to be in sans serif is pretty basic, realistically I want the whole thing to output in Calibri, but I'm asking for more general stuff to start.

Do explain what you mean by the text not lining up correctly -- is it a "bad box"?

If I'm at a 100% zoom (200% or higher fixes it) the letter size isn't consistent, so sometimes a letter will dip higher or lower than adjacent ones, which is quite disconcerting.

So do please make more informative titles

The title is plenty informative, I have a lot of issues with PDF output so I can't narrow it down to one thing.

and addressable, specific questions.

*facepalm* It doesn't get more specific than "So, first question: How do I make the entire document output in a sans serif font?" and you even addressed it. I realise there's a thread at the top about making specific questions to be addressed, but that's not a license for you to just tag that on to the end of every post.

[robinashe]

Please, post your PDF file here, I'm really curious to see how bad is it

Here you go.

[Montag]

You are using Type3 fonts ( ), so what exactly are you confused about? Do you use MikTeX? If so, simply install the lmodern or tgheros font.

About the sans serif thing ... did you put

Code: Select all

\sffamily

behind

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\begin{document}

? That's where it belongs.

I haven't used paper for years, and where it comes from is rather irrelevant, wanting output to be in sans serif is pretty basic, realistically I want the whole thing to output in Calibri, but I'm asking for more general stuff to start.

Sure, why not, but if you aren't that familiar with LaTeX, maybe take a look at this font site. Most of the listed fonts you don't even install yourself (meaning "manually") if you have MikTeX.

[frabjous]

Don't use

Code: Select all

\sffamily

That will only last until the next \normalfont or similar command, which is built into a lot of ordinarily used commands.

Instead try:

Code: Select all

\renewcommand*{\familydefault}{\sfdefault}

which should make the document default to sans serif everywhere.

I do remember there being a LyX-specific way to choose what the default font for the document somewhere, but I can't remember the details, and don't have LyX installed at the moment.

It mainly looks like crap because of the Type 3 fonts, however, and just switching to sans won't cover that. Try editing the preamble to put in:

Code: Select all

\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

and see if that helps. It may be necessary to load and/or install lmodern or cm-super to get Type 1 versions of the Computer Modern fonts. You might prefer a different Sans font, however, like Helvetica; the post above mentions tgheros, which is a Helvetica clone, and also links to a place to find more.

But I'm concerned about why you're getting Type 3 fonts at all. I know your install of LyX is new, but that's not the issue here. How old is your LaTeX installation? Do you know what LaTeX distribution you have, and what version? See if upgrading it helps.

[Montag]

It mainly looks like crap because of the Type 3 fonts, however, and just switching to sans won't cover that. Try editing the preamble to put in:

Code: Select all

\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

and see if that helps. It may be necessary to load and/or install lmodern or cm-super to get Type 1 versions of the Computer Modern fonts. You might prefer a different Sans font, however, like Helvetica; the post above mentions tgheros, which is a Helvetica clone, and also links to a place to find more.

But I'm concerned about why you're getting Type 3 fonts at all. I know your install of LyX is new, but that's not the issue here. How old is your LaTeX installation? Do you know what LaTeX distribution you have, and what version? See if upgrading it helps.

Well, the command you named helps. I also get Type 3 fonts without that line.

[robinashe]

I'm actually not sure what Type 3 fonts are, I suppose that's part of the problem.

I'm seeing all the solutions are to enter code, so I gather if I'm to make any progress with this, particularly getting help from the community I'm better off learning to write the code? How does LaTeX compare to HTML in terms of difficulty/ease of use?

[Montag]

Hi!
The problem is, you are using them because ... well, doesn't really matter. No one should use Type 3 fonts.

Comparing TeX to html code is difficult, but if you understand that tags are to be regarded as an environments, and then these environments are in fact very often nested, that's a good start. But I understood that you intend to write these "articles" like the one you posted? Well, then you don't have to get in very deep. Also you won't have to use a lot of environments.
I think your title could be

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\begin{center}\LARGE %or \huge
3DS - Another Wii or Nintendo's return to
hardcore?\\~\\\large
\today\end{center}

And that's about it, I guess. If you can read the first chapter ("Things you need to know") of the Not so short introduction to LaTeX (lshort.pdf) without a lot of problems, then you are good to go.