User Guide

Chapter 7: Fonts, Styles, Sizes and Spacing
Last printed 8/20/2001 9:40 AM
Typesizes
Terminology for Sizes
Although MathType
attaches a special
meaning to the term
“typesizes”, we
sometimes refer to them
simply as “sizes”. We
use “typesize” only
where needed to avoid
confusion.
Let MathType Make
Font Size Decisions
You can use the Other
command on the Size
menu to explicitly
change character sizes.
But, you will create more
consistent equations
with less effort if you let
MathType make most
font size decisions.
Normally, MathType will automatically determine the proper point size to use
for the characters in your equations as you create them. This is unlike typical
word processors, where you normally choose a specific point size for your text.
MathType does this using a system of five “typesizes” (Full, Subscript, Sub-
subscript, Symbol, or Sub-symbol) that it automatically assigns to characters,
based on their position in the equation. One of the advantages of this scheme is
that you can change the size of all your subscripts and superscripts, for example,
by simply assigning a different point size to the Subscript typesize. For more on
this, see Automatic Size Assignments later in this chapter. Like all good
software, MathType allows you to override its automatic choices — see Explicit
Size Assignments later in this chapter.
Each typesize can be defined either as a specific point size or as a percentage of
the Full typesize. In MathType’s default settings, only the Full typesize is
actually set to a specific point size — the others are defined as percentages of
Full. This way, you can change the overall size of the text in your equation by
simply changing the Full typesize (using the Define command on the Size menu).
All the other sizes will adjust in proportion. For most equations, you will want to
define the Full typesize to be the same point size as the body text of the
document for which they are intended.
The following subsections describe each of MathType’s seven typesizes and how
they are used:
Full typesize
Assigned to ordinary characters within most slots. This typesize corresponds to
the size of text in the body of your word processing document.
Subscript typesize
Used for subscripts and superscripts attached to Full typesize characters. Also
used in limits in integrals, summations, and other templates.
Sub-subscript typesize
Used for subscripts and superscripts to Subscript typesize characters or any
other place a second level of size reduction is required. Also used for limit slots
of templates inside the limits of other templates. For example, the Sub–subscript
typesize would be used for a superscript occurring within a limit of integration.
Symbol typesize
Used for the oversize symbols in integral, summation, and product templates.
Sub-symbol typesize
Used for oversize symbols in Subscript typesize slots.
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