PostScript and LaTex/Tex files

[Keith Engwall]

>We're trying to provide links to relevant e-journals for
>sci/tech...and there are a number of good ones.  One problem,
>however, is that a lot of them post the articles in .ps or LaTex/Tex
>format. ( By the way, our browsers in the library run on Windows
>boxes).

...

>LaTex/TeX is another problem altogether.  We really haven't found any
>good windows viewers for this.
>
>Anyway, with the amount of material out there in these formats, I'm
>surprised there aren't any decent helper apps out there for viewing
>and printing easily.  Does anyone have any suggestions/experiences?

Back when I was the Grad. Assistant at the Math Library at U of IL -
Urbana/Champaign, I had to investigate a similar problem with Math
e-journals.  The solution we came up with (after a great deal of
researching, asking around, etc.) was to provide access to the journals in
three formats:

DVI (from TeX), for easy printing (and miniscule download time) from X-Windows
PS (using dvips on UNIX), for better viewing on X-Windows
PDF (using the Acrobat Distiller on the PC) for everyone... not great to
look at on the screen, but easy to print on all platforms.

Adobe Acrobat Distiller is VERY expensive, and the screen quality of the
materials is not fabulous (the font often looks small and distorted on the
screen), but will produce great printouts on any platform.  Plus, Acrobat
Viewers are freeware (or were, at least).  You can grab a viewer, and judge
the ease of printing for yourself.

By no means was this a great solution... but it's all we could find at the
time.  I wish you luck, and let me know how it turns out.

Keith

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Keith Engwall          Just one thing before we talk about computers:
Systems Librarian      PCs are just great... PCs are infuriating
Briscoe Library        Macs are just great... Macs are infuriating
UTHSCSA                Neither one will help you scratch the middle
engwall at uthscsa.edu    of your back worth a darn.  Ok, go on...
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