# Positions of variable indices: use of package "subdepth"

For some reasons I like to align top of indices regardless if variable has exponents or not and if exponent is a, 1 or g, p, q, y. With use of package [low-sup]{subdepth} the aligning is improved, hover small differences in positioning still remain.

Is it possible to improve subdepth package so that manual tweaking of indices positions become unnecessary? Or exist similar newer packages with more independent indices align?

\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\usepackage{fouriernc}
\usepackage[low-sup]{subdepth}

\begin{document}
\Huge
$x_a,\quad x_b,\quad x_B,$
$x_a^2,\quad x_b^c,\quad x_b^p,$
\end{document}


Result without subdepth package:

Result with subdepth package:

• Could you clarify? First, the alignment you speak of is for subscripts, regardless of the presence of superscripts, is that right? Second, when you say "top align", do you mean (for your examples above) that you want the top of the a subscript to be at the same depth as the top of the b subscript? That seems very unnatural to me...for example, same baseline would seem to be a more natural request. May 21, 2020 at 14:11
• @StevenB.Segletes, huh ... four year old question, I already forgot on it :-). My wish then was that subscripts are aligned at their baseline regardless what character is in superscript. Then I like to have that superscripts are aligned at their baseline. May 21, 2020 at 18:17
• 4 years? That's nothing...I just answered one over 5 years old: tex.stackexchange.com/questions/237470/… May 21, 2020 at 18:19
• As a start, here are some ideas, but i will think more: tex.stackexchange.com/questions/524526/… May 21, 2020 at 18:25
• @StevenB.Segletes, you are amazing (+1 for answer in link)! I will be very happy if subdepth` package can be improved a bit, or find some other solution which not require extra markup at writing indices and exponents. Your answer in given link is intriguing! May 21, 2020 at 18:28