# Shear transform a symbol without bad baseline

I ask a questions a little similar to the following ones:

Shear transform a "box"

Importing single symbols in the sense of "How does the assignment work?"

So the question I asked in the comments of the latter question - how to shear a symbol - I figured out already. And I think it did not hurt the font too much - see below (except the dot on the j.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\DeclareFontEncoding{LS1}{}{}
\DeclareFontSubstitution{LS1}{stix}{m}{n}
\DeclareSymbolFont{stixsymbols}{LS1}{stixscr}{m}{n}
\SetSymbolFont{stixsymbols}{bold}{LS1}{stixscr}{b}{n}
\DeclareMathSymbol{\kkk}{\mathalpha}{stixsymbols}{"6B}
\DeclareMathSymbol{\jjj}{\mathalpha}{stixsymbols}{"6A}
\DeclareMathSymbol{\hhh}{\mathalpha}{stixsymbols}{'150}
\DeclareMathSymbol{\ppp}{\mathalpha}{stixsymbols}{"70}
\DeclareMathSymbol{\ggg}{\mathalpha}{stixsymbols}{'147}

\begin{document}
$k$
\begin{tikzpicture}[baseline=-0.67ex]
\begin{scope}[xslant=-.25] % Sets the coordinate trafo matrix entries.
\node[transform shape] at (0,0) {$\kay\jjj\hhh\ggg\ppp$};
\end{scope}
\end{tikzpicture}$k$

\end{document}


So now I wonder: 1. How to already define the new letters slanted? 2. How to avoid the extra gap coming from applying tikz? 3. How to avoid the modified baseline?

## 1 Answer

If all you need from the stix-mathscr font are the calligraphic letters, there's an easier way: tell pdflatex that the font should be slanted to the left.

\pdfmapline{=stix-mathscr STIXMathScript-Regular " -.25 SlantFont " <stix-mathscr.pfb}
\pdfmapline{=stix-mathscr-bold STIXMathScript-Bold " -.25 SlantFont " <stix-mathscr-bold.pfb}

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}

\DeclareFontEncoding{LS1}{}{}
\DeclareFontSubstitution{LS1}{stix}{m}{n}
\DeclareMathAlphabet{\stixcal}{LS1}{stixscr}{m}{n}
\SetMathAlphabet{\stixcal}{bold}{LS1}{stixscr}{b}{n}

\begin{document}
X$\stixcal{k}\stixcal{A}$X

$\stixcal{ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ}$

$\stixcal{abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz}$

\boldmath
$\stixcal{ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ}$

$\stixcal{abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz}$
\end{document}