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The Curious Case of LaTeX and Times New Roman: A Love-Hate Relationship?



We’ve all been there. Staring at a blank document, the cursor blinking mockingly, the pressure mounting to produce something polished and professional. The choice of font often feels like a trivial detail, a mere stylistic flourish. But what if the font choice isn't just about aesthetics? What if it speaks volumes about the integrity and accessibility of your document? This is the surprisingly complex question at the heart of the relationship between LaTeX, the powerful typesetting system, and Times New Roman, the ubiquitous serif font. Let's delve into the fascinating – and sometimes frustrating – interplay of these two giants of the publishing world.


Understanding LaTeX's Typography Philosophy



LaTeX, at its core, is a beast of logic and structure. It prioritizes semantic markup – telling the system what you're writing, rather than how it should look. This allows for incredible flexibility and consistency across different platforms and output formats. While you can directly specify font choices, LaTeX’s default font selection, Computer Modern, is designed to work harmoniously with its internal mechanisms, ensuring optimal readability and visual balance. Times New Roman, with its slightly more condensed character spacing and distinct serifs, often clashes with this philosophy. Think of it like trying to force a square peg into a round hole. The result might seem okay at first glance, but closer inspection reveals imperfections.


The Aesthetics Argument: Why Times New Roman?



Despite LaTeX's inherent preference, many users stubbornly cling to Times New Roman. The reasons are often rooted in familiarity and perceived professionalism. Times New Roman has a long history, deeply ingrained in many users' experience with Microsoft Word and other word processors. Its relatively neutral and conservative appearance lends itself to formal documents, legal briefs, and academic papers. In these contexts, the familiarity of Times New Roman can provide a sense of stability and trust, particularly for audiences accustomed to seeing it in established publications. For example, a legal contract using a less familiar font might seem unprofessional or even suspect to some.


The Technical Challenges: Implementing Times New Roman in LaTeX



Adding Times New Roman to a LaTeX document isn’t as straightforward as selecting it from a dropdown menu. It requires importing external font packages, often involving commands like `\usepackage{txfonts}` or `\usepackage{mathptmx}`. These packages provide access to Times-like fonts, but they don’t perfectly replicate the Microsoft version. Differences in kerning (spacing between letters), hinting (for crispness on screen), and overall character rendering can lead to inconsistencies, especially in equations or complex layouts. For instance, using `txfonts` might introduce subtle spacing issues that weren't present when using the default fonts, potentially disrupting the carefully balanced layout that LaTeX strives for.


Accessibility and Readability Considerations



The pursuit of aesthetic preferences must never overshadow the importance of accessibility. While Times New Roman is widely readable, its smaller x-height (the height of lowercase letters) compared to some other fonts can make it less accessible for individuals with visual impairments. Furthermore, the subtle differences between the various "Times New Roman" implementations across different systems can cause unpredictable rendering, making it less suitable for documents intended for wide distribution and diverse viewing environments.


When Times New Roman Might Be Justified



Despite the challenges, there are situations where using Times New Roman in LaTeX might be preferable. If you’re working on a project that requires strict adherence to a specific style guide mandating Times New Roman, then overriding LaTeX's default settings becomes a necessary compromise. Similarly, for documents intended primarily for print, where screen rendering concerns are less critical, the perceived professional image of Times New Roman might outweigh the technical hurdles. However, even in these scenarios, careful consideration and thorough testing are crucial to ensure consistency and avoid unexpected layout problems.


Conclusion:

The debate surrounding Times New Roman in LaTeX highlights the tension between aesthetics and functionality. While the familiarity and perceived professionalism of Times New Roman are undeniable, its integration into LaTeX presents technical challenges and can potentially compromise accessibility and readability. LaTeX's strength lies in its semantic approach, and forcing a font like Times New Roman can disrupt this delicate balance. The best approach often involves carefully weighing the pros and cons, prioritizing accessibility, and ensuring meticulous testing to avoid unforeseen complications. Choosing the right font is not just about aesthetics; it's about ensuring clear communication and a positive user experience.


Expert-Level FAQs:

1. How can I ensure consistent kerning with Times New Roman in LaTeX? There's no single solution; experimenting with different packages and meticulously checking the output is key. Consider using a high-quality font management system alongside LaTeX for better control.

2. What are the best practices for embedding fonts to ensure cross-platform compatibility? Explore tools like `pdflatex` with embedded fonts, or consider converting to a format like PDF/A, which explicitly includes fonts.

3. How can I mitigate the accessibility issues associated with Times New Roman's x-height? Consider using larger font sizes, optimizing line spacing, and providing alternative formats (e.g., braille, screen reader-friendly versions) for users with visual impairments.

4. Are there any alternative serif fonts that integrate better with LaTeX and offer comparable readability? Explore fonts like Palatino or Garamond, which often provide a smoother integration with LaTeX's default settings while maintaining a professional appearance.

5. How can I troubleshoot layout issues caused by using Times New Roman in LaTeX? Systematically examine the output, compare it to documents using Computer Modern, and investigate potential conflicts between the font package and other LaTeX commands. Consider isolating problematic sections to pinpoint the source of the issue.

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On Using Times New Roman as the Default Font - TeX 11 Jul 2023 · I would like to use Times New Roman as the default font for the text in a book I have put together. After checking this site, it seems that all I have to do is type \\usepackage{times} in the preamb...

fonts - Does \setmainfont {Times New Roman ... - LaTeX Stack … 6 Aug 2024 · In Times new roman font? the sole answer (and with many upvotes) states "Compile with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX, and use: \\usepackage{fontspec} \\setmainfont{Times New Roman} This is true Times New R...

How to get a "Times New Roman" font in a LaTeX pdf document? 30 Dec 2016 · The package mathptmx is giving "Times Roman" font. Instead, I need "Times New Roman" font in my LaTeX pdf document.

Times New Roman - LaTeX.org 26 Jan 2011 · Is \usepackage {mathptmx} consider as Times new Roman? I use the word \usepackage {times}\renewcommand\rmdefault {stb} this is Times new roman, but no bold and italic. It also increases the pages. SO which one is appropriate for times new roman.

How to set document font to times new roman by command I wanted to know how to set font of a document to Times New Roman and size to 12 for text and for Chapter Heading 14 only, for the whole document. I don't want to use the fontspec package for this.

Times New Roman in LaTeX just some text - LaTeX Stack … 24 Sep 2016 · I have some text in my document in primary font what is in LaTeX but I would like to get some text in font Times New Roman but just some text between primary text, as a local command (something as \textit{}, \textbf{} etc.), an example below.

How do I use Times/Times Roman/Times New Roman in LaTex? 26 Apr 2015 · Ive been using LaTeX for a few days and have written up my entire document but am unable to change the font to any variant of Times/Times Roman/Times New Roman. I swapped from MS word on the

Times new roman font? - TeX - LaTeX Stack Exchange 8 Jul 2013 · Note: mathptmx and times packages (and txfonts) both use URW NimbusRomNo9L font, a clone of Times. AFAIK, it is very similar to Times. You can also use TeX Gyre Termes (based on Nimbus Roman), and XITS (based on STIX project) available in TeX dist. There is indeed a timesnew package (in pclnfss bundle, without actual fonts) available in CTAN.

How to set a Times New Roman in Latex? - LaTeX Stack Exchange 5 Jun 2022 · I am writing an article using LaTeX, and I want to set a Times New Roman font. Does anyone know how I can do it? When I don't use the package, the text renders as below: When I set \usepackage{newtxtext} in the header of my document, the text gets shrunk.

math mode - Using Times New Roman - TeX - LaTeX Stack … That's because mathptmx doesn't use Times New Roman directly. It's also obsolete, with the suggestion to use newtx. There's always a direct use of Times available via XeLaTeX; see Times new roman font?