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Formatting Information — An introduction to typesetting with LATEX

Appendix B: Installing new fonts

Section 1: Installing METAFONT fonts

This is the simplest installation. When you download METAFONT fonts from CTAN, you’ll usually find a number of outline files (.mf files) and maybe some other types as well (see below).

    Installation of METAFONT fonts

  1. In your Personal TEX directory, create a new subdirectory called fonts/source/public/name named after the typeface you’re installing

  2. Copy all the .mf files to this directory

  3. Copy any .fd file[s] to your tex/latex/mfnfss subdirectory (create it if it doesn’t already exist)

  4. Copy any .sty (style) files to a subdirectory (create it too), named after the typeface, eg tex/latex/name

  5. If you are using MiKTEX, run your TEX indexer program (see step 4 above).

    UNIX & GNU/Linux systems, including Apple Macintosh OS X, don’t need this last step

That’s it. Unlike PostScript fonts, METAFONT fonts generate their own font metric files (.tfm files) automatically on-the-fly the first time the font is used, so there is normally nothing else to install.

Now you can put a \usepackage command in your Preamble with whatever name the .sty file was called, and read the documentation to see what commands it gives to use the font (refer to the para ‘Download the zip file to a …’ in § 3.2 above and step 2 above).

If the font came without .fd or .sty files, you’ll need to find someone who can make them for you (or follow the outline in , ).

  1. On UNIX & GNU/Linux systems, including Apple Macintosh OS X, the easiest way to do this is in a Terminal window, in your Personal TEX Directory, using the command mkdir -p fonts/source/public/whatever, as this creates any intervening subdirectories for you. Under Windows, you have to create each subsubdirectory individually.