[Tex/LaTex] Running pdftex with specific map file

fontspdftex

Is it possible to run pdftex with a specific map file that is not named pdftex.map? I am aware that I can specify a search path for map files using the environmentvariable TEXFONTMAPS, but it seems that pdftex only uses a map file from this path if it is called pdftex.map.

Some background: I am developing a font package and would like to generate a font chart using fontchart.tex from the build directory without the need to install the font. pdftex has access to all necessary files (TFM, PFB and ENC files plus the map file), but doesn't process the map file since it is not called pdftex.map.

Best Answer

See documentation of pdfTeX (pdftex-a.pdf). You can use e.g. \pdfmapfile in you document. Or to quote the documentation:

If you want to use a base map file name other than pdftex.map, or change its processing options through a pdfTeX format, you can do this by appending the \pdfmapfile command to the \everyjob{} token list for the -ini run, e. g.: \everyjob\expandafter{\the\everyjob\pdfmapfile{+myspecial.map}} \dump This would always read the file myspecial.map after the default pdftex.map file.

Explanation

You have a multi user installation with an admin and a user mode. And in contrast to the widespread prejudice the admin mode is not the more powerful. In general, user settings (packages, configurations, map files, texmf trees, ...) take precedence over the default settings from the admin. What you do in user mode will normally work directly and without problems - but only for this user. What you do in admin mode will work for all user - as long as they don't have personal settings. See for more in Difference between administrative and user mode of MiKTeX.

Note

Exactly the same happens on Unix systems. Running updmap and not updmap-sys (with superuser privileges) will leave a pdftex.map in the user space that will have precedence over the system wide one. This may have undesirable effects in case of an update to the distribution that changes the font subsystem.

Example

(from http://docs.miktex.org/manual/advanced.html, using problem cited in Font display error in windows, which produces the error The mathkerncmssi source file could not be found.)

Run initexmf --edit-config-file updmap.
Insert the following line at the end of the file (relevant to the font in question):
Map sansmathaccent.map
Save the file and close the editor.
Run initexmf --mkmaps to rebuild the font map files.

For a general guidance see Manual font installation.

[Tex/LaTex] “Wedding” font in plain TeX

If using the XeTeX or LuaTeX engine with the Plain TeX format is an option, there is a quite simple solution:

%\input luaotfload.sty % uncomment this line if using luatex; not required for xetex

\font\scriptheadingone="[ITCEDSCR.TTF]" at 24pt
\font\scriptheadingtwo="[ITCEDSCR.TTF]" at 18pt

{\scriptheadingone A wedding}

{\scriptheadingtwo of at least one \TeX\ user to someone who may or may not be a \TeX\ user}

\bye

Best Answer

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[Tex/LaTex] New map file with MikTeX

Explanation

Note

Example

[Tex/LaTex] “Wedding” font in plain TeX

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