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The question is similar to Lowercase \mathcal, but I'm not after calligraphic math fonts. I'm in need of some calligraphic font in text mode (which, of course, supports lowercase).

Basically, I used calligra package, and something like \calligra{Some text goes here}. The result is good, but it uses bitmap fonts instead of vector fonts (I think they call it T3 fonts in the LaTeX world, but I'm not sure).

PS: The FAQ for STIX fonts states:

Several of the STIX organizations use TeX-based systems to produce their publications, so this is a necessary component of the STIX project. However, until the packaging of the fonts is reasonably stable, developing LaTeX support is difficult. A knowledgeable TeX specialist has agreed to develop the LaTeX support; completion of this phase of the project is expected by late Spring of 2008.

If you suggest STIX fonts (like Andrew Stacey suggested in the aforementioned topic), please tell me how to use it in LaTeX.

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2 Answers 2

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The easiest way to use arbitrary TrueType and OpenType fonts is by using LuaLaTeX or XeLaTeX and fontspec (be sure to use recent versions, as these engines and the fontspec package are still under heavy development).

For example after installing the Tangerine font,

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}

\newfontfamily\textcal[Ligatures=TeX]{Tangerine}

\begin{document}
ABCabc \textcal{ABCabc}
\end{document}

gives example.

At least with a quick google search I couldn't find an otf or ttf version of Calligra, so you might have to look for a suitable font.

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  • 1
    Thanks. It works fine. I was wondering if there's a solution which does not involve LuaLaTeX and XeLaTeX? (In the environment I work, compiling with those are problematic.)
    – Sadeq Dousti
    Dec 1, 2010 at 21:47
  • @Sadeq -- have you had a look at tug.dk/FontCatalogue/calligraphicalfonts.html ? Might be of some use.
    – Mica
    Dec 2, 2010 at 0:52
  • @Mica: Nice link, thanks. Alas, to my eyes, Calligra is has no match in the list :(
    – Sadeq Dousti
    Dec 2, 2010 at 1:17
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Until the STIX organizations themselves come up with packages for use with (pdf)LaTeX, perhaps with the easiest thing to do would be to use the the unicode-math package with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX, and load either STIXGeneral opentype font, or perhaps better, the XITS font created by Khaled Hosny, which is based on the STIX fonts but with some improvements for XeTeX/ConTeXt/LuaTeX in mind.

As Caradmir suggests, XeLaTeX would also allow you just to use some other script font that you like.

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  • How would you use the XITS Math calligraphic letters in text mode? I assume that needs some remapping in the font selection. Also they don't have any ligatures and probably incorrect spacing information (as they are supposed to represent single letter variables).
    – Caramdir
    Dec 1, 2010 at 20:49
  • I was thinking that for texmode you could just use fontspec commands and the direct unicode characters, e.g., \fontspec{XITS Math}{ℋℯ𝓁𝓁ℴ 𝒲ℴ𝓇𝓁𝒹}. Testing that just now, it doesn't look very good, but could perhaps be tweaked. I guess my answer was more aimed at someone who really didn't want to use STIX/XITS calligraphic letters, and not just any script font.
    – frabjous
    Dec 1, 2010 at 21:32
  • I'd not really do that, the calligraphic glyphs in STIX/XITS are designed and spaced for use in math so they will look ugly in text, besides using \fontspec{XITS Math}{ℋℯ𝓁𝓁ℴ 𝒲ℴ𝓇𝓁𝒹} makes that text unsearchable (unless if you are searching for math calligraphic using that same text verbatim).
    – خالد حسني
    Dec 1, 2010 at 23:20
  • Whatever font my browser is using to render ℋℯ𝓁𝓁ℴ 𝒲ℴ𝓇𝓁𝒹 looks astonishingly good, but only when inside backticks.
    – Caramdir
    Dec 2, 2010 at 1:55

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