# boldsymbol doesn't work with ASME template

I am using the ASME paper template http://iel.ucdavis.edu/code/ASME/, I am trying to use \boldsymbol{\theta} from \usepackage{amsmath} but it doesn't work, only shows a regular \theta. Does anyone know how to make it work? Thank you!

• Welcome to TeX.SX! Try bm package and the command \bm{\theta} ... \boldsymbol doesn's work on Greek characters ... bm package is used in such cases. Apr 2, 2021 at 17:43
• \boldsymbol should work fine for Greek characters, if you load a font that comes with a bold version. Apr 2, 2021 at 17:44
• Thanks for koleygr's suggestion, the bm package works perfectly with the asme template. Apr 2, 2021 at 17:52
• The classes do \RequirePackage{times,mathptm} and both packages have been obsolete and deprecated for 25 years. No reasonable bold math can be obtained with them. Yes, \bm{\theta} yields a not so bad output, but try with other letters and you'll see why it is not the solution. Apr 2, 2021 at 21:52

The template you link loads the obsolete mathptmx package. The simplest solution is probably to load bm (which will alias \boldsymbol to \bm). ETA: As @egreg warns, bm with mathptmx breaks on some installations, but you might not have an alternative if the publisher does not allow you to change the font.
You could also load newtxmath for a math font based on Times that does come in bold, but it is likely that the publisher won’t want you to do this.
• I would definitely not use \bm with mathptmx. I mean, unless you find output such as in this picture acceptable. I don't. Apr 2, 2021 at 21:48
• @egreg I wouldn’t use mathptmx by choice, ever—the package description itself warns that it’s obsolete! Upgrading to newtxtext and newtxmath solves rhe problem. Assuming, however, that someone is not allowed to change the fonts, what would you recommend? Apr 3, 2021 at 1:24
I recommend that you try the newer ASME conference paper template, https://ctan.org/pkg/asmeconf, which is based on the modern newtx fonts and which will support \boldsymbol{\theta} and many other math characters.