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To the few remaining Textures users,<br>
<br>
I've been a Textures user since the beginning (sometime in the 1980s) and I would like to use it as long as possible because the current version (2.2.0) is so fast and can handle figures both in eps and pdf formats. I currently use version 2.2.0b12x. The "x"
indicates a special interim version that I received from Gordon Lee in 2009. The \special command in the previous version placed PDF figures in wrong locations, so I wrote to Gordon. He responded by saying:<br>
<br>
-------------------------------<br>
Date: Tue 27 Jan 09:03:10 PST 2009<br>
From: Blue Sky TeX Help <help2@bluesky.com> Add To Address Book | This is Spam<br>
Subject: Re: problem with pdf files<br>
To: david.salomon@csun.edu<br>
<br>
Hello Dr. Salomon,<br>
<br>
I looked at the PDF files you sent, and I was wrong;<br>
there are -five- different bounding boxes used by PDF illustrations!<br>
(Media, Crop, Trim, Bleed, and Art.) The PDF file produced<br>
by Adobe Illustrator seems to use the Art box (and only that box)<br>
in the way that would work here, so I changed Textures to use<br>
the Art box instead of the Trim box. (There seem to be theoretical<br>
reasons that either of these could be correct, sigh.)<br>
<br>
Attached is an interim version with this change; please let me know<br>
how it works for you.<br>
<br>
Best regards,<br>
<br>
Gordon Lee<br>
Blue Sky TeX Systems<br>
----------------------------<br>
<br>
It worked for me and I have been using this 2.2.0b12x interim version since 2009 under OS 10.6.8. Today, OS 10.6 is outdated and I would like to update to OS 9, but I don't dare make any changes because I assume that Textures may decide to call home.<br>
<br>
Back in March 2014 we all received Textures 2.2.0b19, a version that does not call home and does not ask for a serial or activation code. Recently, I installed it on my wife's computer and it works (under OS 10.7.5), except the all-important \special command.
It again places PDF figures in strange places, although eps figures are handled just fine.<br>
<br>
I attach a short test, both the TeX source and output files. The source file (in PLAIN format) uses \special{illustration filename} as part of macro \illustration, to place figures in the document. The output file (only the first page is attached) shows that
the PDF figure is way outside the typeset page, while the EPS figure was placed correctly.<br>
<br>
I therefore wonder if any of you have had the same problem and if anyone can come up with a solution.<br>
<br>
The only workarounds I can think of are the following:<br>
<br>
1. Convert all my PDF figures (about 350 right now) to EPS and save any future new figures in EPS. This is possible, because Adobe Illustrator can save figures in EPS and read and edit them later in this format. This is also cumbersome, because many old PDF
figures may contain legacy text and may require manual editing before being saved in EPS.<br>
<br>
2. Use PDF figures and the \special command, and manually move each figure back to its correct place by including vertical \kern before and after each call of macro \illustration. This seems a terrible kludge.<br>
<br>
I would rather stay with Textures as long as possible because the alternative, TeXshop, is slow and its output is only in pdf. There is no dvi or PS. For me, this is a problem, because I need to prepare the final manuscript as a pdf file in a special format
for the publisher. Also, TeXshop accepts figures in PDF only.<br>
<br>
Any ideas are welcome.<br>
<br>
A general question: Does Textures 2.2.0b19 work under OS 10.9? Under OS 10.10?<br>
<br>
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<div class="BodyFragment"><font size="2">
<div class="PlainText">David Salomon<br>
Computer Science Dept. (Retired) dsalomon@csun.edu<br>
California State University<br>
Northridge, CA 91330-8281<br>
http://www.davidsalomon.name/ (619) 443-6528<br>
USA fax (619) 749-5229</div>
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