[texhax] mathpazo font question: how to fix "\sl" when using package[sc]{mathpazo} (font hack solution)

[David J.C. MacKay]

Dear texhax,

I received one suggestion that seems to work, which 
is a modification of the font file, 
rather than a modification of the document style.

Here is the modification, expressed as  a diff.

diff /usr/share/texmf-tetex/tex/latex/psnfss/ot1pplx.fd  /usr/share/texmf-tetex/tex/latex/psnfss/ot1pplx.fd.bak
17,20d16
< \DeclareFontShape{OT1}{pplx}{m}{sl}{
<    <-> pplro8t
< }{}
< 
29c25
< % \DeclareFontShape{OT1}{pplx}{m}{sl}{<->ssub * pplx/m/it}{}
---
> \DeclareFontShape{OT1}{pplx}{m}{sl}{<->ssub * pplx/m/it}{}

I would be happy to hear other suggestions of how to fix 
the problem, but for the moment this is looking good.

thanks
	David 


* David J.C. MacKay <mackay at mrao.cam.ac.uk> [2008-07-14 12:07]:
> Dear texhax,
> 
> I tried using
> \usepackage[sc]{mathpazo}      (which invokes the pplx font family)
> instead of
> \usepackage{mathpazo}          (which invokes ppl font)
> and I found that it sets the text better, with nicer spacing. Nice!
> 
> However, the downside of using pplx is that it doesn't provide any "sl"
> fonts, so {\sl slant} comes out identical to {\em em}.
> (Example latex file appended below.)
> 
> Please could a latex2e wizard advise me 
> what magic one-liner to add to my document style
> so that when I say "{\sl ...}", the ppl font's "sl" is used?
> Replies direct to mackay at mrao.cam.ac.uk much appreciated.  
> 
> Thanks very much,
>  
> David MacKay
> 
> 
> \documentclass[12pt]{book}
> %                 demonstrates the 'no sl' behaviour of [sc] option of mathpazo
> \usepackage[sc]{mathpazo}
> %\usepackage{mathpazo}
> \begin{document}
> {\normalsize\em some writing with normalsize em (not sl)}\par
> {\normalsize\sl some writing with normalsize sl (not em)}\par
> {\large\em some writing with large em (not sl)}\par
> {\large\sl some writing with large sl (not em)}\par
> \end{document}
> 
>  
> -- 
> --  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> David J.C. MacKay                                 mackay at mrao.cam.ac.uk
>                              http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/mackay/
>       Cavendish Laboratory, 19 J J Thomson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0HE. U.K.
>     (01223) 339852 | fax: 337356 | home: 740511 international: +44 1223

-- 
--  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
David J.C. MacKay                                 mackay at mrao.cam.ac.uk
                             http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/mackay/
      Cavendish Laboratory, 19 J J Thomson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0HE. U.K.
    (01223) 339852 | fax: 337356 | home: 740511 international: +44 1223