TeXipedia

psnfss

Provides comprehensive support for professional-quality PostScript fonts in LaTeX documents, including the classic LaserWriter 35 font set and additional typefaces.

Overview

Serves as the primary interface for using professional PostScript fonts in LaTeX documents, offering a wide range of high-quality typefaces suitable for professional publishing and academic work.

  • Includes support for essential professional fonts like Times Roman, Helvetica, Palatino, and Bookman.
  • Features specialized packages for mathematics typesetting with Times (mathptmx) and Palatino (mathpazo).
  • Enables fine-tuned font scaling and individual glyph selection through dedicated packages like helvet and pifont.
  • Particularly valuable for academic publishing, professional documentation, and any documents requiring industry-standard fonts.
  • Ensures compatibility with professional printing requirements through proper font metrics and definitions.

Getting Started

To use the psnfss package and its PostScript fonts, include the specific font package you want in your document preamble:

\documentclass{article}
% Choose one of the following font packages:
\usepackage{times}      % Times Roman
\usepackage{palatino}   % Palatino
\usepackage{bookman}    % Bookman
\usepackage{avant}      % Avant Garde
\usepackage{courier}    % Courier
\usepackage{helvet}     % Helvetica (scaled appropriately)
\usepackage{newcent}    % New Century Schoolbook
\usepackage{charter}    % Bitstream Charter
\usepackage{utopia}     % Adobe Utopia
\usepackage{mathptmx}   % Times Roman with math support
\usepackage{mathpazo}   % Palatino with math support
\usepackage{pifont}     % For accessing symbols in Zapf Dingbats

The psnfss bundle is part of the standard LaTeX distribution, so no additional installation is typically required.

Examples

Using Times Roman as the main document font with PSNFSS.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{times}
\begin{document}
This document uses Times Roman as its main font. The Times font is a classic serif typeface that is widely used in professional publications.

Here is some math: $E = mc^2$ and some more text.
\end{document}

Using Palatino with mathematical support.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{mathpazo}
\begin{document}
\section{Palatino with Mathematical Support}

This document uses Palatino as its main font. Palatino is an elegant serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf.

The mathpazo package provides mathematical symbols that complement the Palatino text font:

\[
\int_{0}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}
\]

Note how the mathematical symbols harmonize with the text font.
\end{document}

Using Helvetica as a sans-serif font with size adjustment.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[scaled=0.92]{helvet}
\renewcommand{\familydefault}{\sfdefault}
\begin{document}
\section{Document in Helvetica}

This entire document uses Helvetica as its main font. Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface known for its clarity and neutrality.

The helvet package with the scaled option adjusts the size of Helvetica to better match other fonts when used in combination.

\textbf{This text is bold Helvetica.}

\textit{This text is italic Helvetica.}
\end{document}