Re: [Groff] Typesetting dashes

[Steve Izma]

On Mon, Nov 18, 2013 at 08:57:36PM +0100, Tadziu Hoffmann wrote:
> Subject: Re: [Groff] Typesetting dashes
> 
> ...
> Anyhow, 1/4 en thus corresponds to half a normal space in
> groff's TR font.  Don't ask me why the "\:" converts the
> following space into a nonstretchable (but discardable) space.
> 
> I'm not really happy with this solution.  I'd prefer space
> that stretches proportionally to the font size, but this
> doesn't seem to work in groff:  groff appears to compute the
> total stretch divided by the number of spaces, and then *adds*
> this to *all* spaces, independent of their nominal size.
> I think this is wrong and should be changed.

If I understand the question properly, the implication is that a
line might consist of words or characters at different point
sizes, therefore the the spaces separating words of the same
point size ought to stretch proportionately. (Am I in the ball
park here?)

If that's the idea, then I disagree. I can't think of a situation
where you would want to mix point sizes on a line. Small caps,
inferior or superior characters, and so on are ideally taken from
fonts at the same point size as the regular text (if they're
faked by changing point size, you wouldn't want the spacing
around them to reveal the fake). Adding the same amount of
stretch to each of the objects in the line maintains symetry and
rhythm.

I think the same holds true for a line with math characters in it
that may need to change their size as part of a formula.

My problem with a dash joined to adjacent words with a small
fixed space or no space is that it can easily pull those words
together; yet in terms of readability those words have a weaker
relationship to each other than they do to the rest of the words
in the phrase they are part of, so pulling them together makes
them look almost like a compound word, especially if the spaces
on the line are stretched.

        -- Steve

-- 
Steve Izma                                address@hidden  
    Computing Systems Administrator       519-884-0710 ext. 6125

    Wilfrid Laurier University Press      http://www.wlupress.wlu.ca  
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