Why does latex not have /magnification?

[unruh]

Why does latex not havee the equivalent of the \magnification command in
tex? From what I read, you can use [10pt], [11pt] or [12pt] commands
(and no bigger) or use the slides class but that hardly makes up the
flexibility of the magnification in tex.

On a slightly tangential topic, why are the number so horrible in the
slides class? (the superscripts especially for the numbers become a too
large san serif set of ugly numbers in the slides class)

[terryc]

Post by unruh
Why does latex not havee the equivalent of the \magnification command in
tex?

Like \Huge \huge \lagre ........\tiny?

or \scale or \rescale or whatever else is avaialble.

[Paweł Wlaź]

Post by unruh
Why does latex not havee the equivalent of the \magnification command in
tex? From what I read, you can use [10pt], [11pt] or [12pt] commands
(and no bigger) or use the slides class but that hardly makes up the
flexibility of the magnification in tex.

I think it has, but it is not "recomended". Write

\mag=1500

at the begining of your latex file and pdflatex it. It works, it
scales, the pdf file looks as you would expect.

You can even use \usepackage[width=17truecm,height=25truecm]{geometry}
and the "truecm" will be honoured.

Pawel

[unruh]

Post by Paweł Wlaź

Post by unruh
Why does latex not havee the equivalent of the \magnification command in
tex? From what I read, you can use [10pt], [11pt] or [12pt] commands
(and no bigger) or use the slides class but that hardly makes up the
flexibility of the magnification in tex.

I think it has, but it is not "recomended". Write
\mag=1500
at the begining of your latex file and pdflatex it. It works, it
scales, the pdf file looks as you would expect.

That works. Thanks. (This is for use in klatexformula).

Why is it not recommended?

[Paweł Wlaź]

[ . . . ]

Post by unruh

Post by Paweł Wlaź
I think it has, but it is not "recomended". Write
\mag=1500

[ . . . ]

Post by unruh
That works. Thanks. (This is for use in klatexformula).
Why is it not recommended?

I am not sure. I never saw anyone recomend it, that is all. I use it,
it's handy sometimes.

Pawel

[Nicola Talbot]

Post by unruh
Why does latex not havee the equivalent of the \magnification command in
tex? From what I read, you can use [10pt], [11pt] or [12pt] commands
(and no bigger)

The extsizes package provides additional options, such as [17pt] and
[20pt]. As long as you're using a scalable font, you can adapt one of
the sizexx.clo files. The a0poster class provides even larger fonts.

Post by unruh
or use the slides class but that hardly makes up the
flexibility of the magnification in tex.
On a slightly tangential topic, why are the number so horrible in the
slides class? (the superscripts especially for the numbers become a too
large san serif set of ugly numbers in the slides class)

The slides class is very old. I suggest you use a modern alternative,
such as beamer.

Regards
Nicola Talbot

[unruh]

Post by Nicola Talbot

Post by unruh
Why does latex not havee the equivalent of the \magnification command in
tex? From what I read, you can use [10pt], [11pt] or [12pt] commands
(and no bigger)

The extsizes package provides additional options, such as [17pt] and
[20pt]. As long as you're using a scalable font, you can adapt one of
the sizexx.clo files. The a0poster class provides even larger fonts.

Post by unruh
or use the slides class but that hardly makes up the
flexibility of the magnification in tex.
On a slightly tangential topic, why are the number so horrible in the
slides class? (the superscripts especially for the numbers become a too
large san serif set of ugly numbers in the slides class)

The slides class is very old. I suggest you use a modern alternative,
such as beamer.

I am using klatexformula and altering the source code to put in slides
class so that the symbols are of reasonable size when inserted into
Impress. The \mag= works. Thanks. Much better than having to keep
recompiling if I want something else.

[Markus Kohm]

Post by unruh
From what I read, you can use [10pt], [11pt] or [12pt] commands
(and no bigger)

This is very old fashioned. See, e.g., KOMA-Script manual, scrguien.pdf
<http://mirror.ctan.org/macros/latex/contrib/koma-script/doc/scrguien.pdf>,
section 3.5 (to use a KOMA-Script class) or section 9.5 (to use another
class), or memoir manual
<http://mirror.ctan.org/macros/latex/contrib/memoir/memman.pdf>, section
1.2.

[Robin Fairbairns]

Post by Markus Kohm

Post by unruh
From what I read, you can use [10pt], [11pt] or [12pt] commands
(and no bigger)

This is very old fashioned. See, e.g., KOMA-Script manual, scrguien.pdf
<http://mirror.ctan.org/macros/latex/contrib/koma-script/doc/scrguien.pdf>,
section 3.5 (to use a KOMA-Script class) or section 9.5 (to use another
class), or memoir manual
<http://mirror.ctan.org/macros/latex/contrib/memoir/memman.pdf>, section
1.2.

indeed. the range of font sizes (in the "standard" latex classes) is
limited to those that lamport provided in his first "stable" latex,
deliberately.

as markus says, there are two excellent distributions that provide
alternatives to the latex standard classes. i would recommend using the
alternative classes in preference to packages that make extra sizes
available on the standard class of your choice.

[corporal]

Why does latex not have the equivalent of the \magnification command in
tex?

Some time later

\mag=1500 -- recommended by Pawel

That works. Thanks. (This is for use in klatexformula).
Why is it not recommended?

I am not sure. I never saw anyone recomend it, that is all. I use it,
it's handy sometimes.
Pawel

\magnification is a command in plain TeX that was disabled by the designer of LaTeX. The def of \magnification relies on \mag (or \***@g)
\mag is a primitive TeX command and as far as I know, can't be disabled. It is rare to use \mag in a LaTeX doc, but here is an example in a standard LaTeX distribution, in MFPIC.

% File: lapictures.tex
% A part of mfpic 1.06 2011/03/08
%
% Magnify to same scale as pictures.tex :
% (Use of \mag is against the law of LaTeX, but Bugs Bunny set a precedent.)
\mag=1200
\documentclass{article}

%%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
% adjust these to your liking:
\setlength{\paperheight}{11truein}
\setlength{\paperwidth}{8.5truein}

. . .

-- the file then goes on to give code to draw some mfpic diagrams.
Notice the use of TRUE for the lengths.

-----------
From Lamports book on LaTeX2e (1994) page 233:

The \magnification command of Plain \TeX has no counterpart in \LaTeX. Magnification of the output can often be done by the program that prints the dvi file.
-----------

I miss using \magnification but I think it was disabled in LaTeX to make margin formatting and other lengths work harmoniously.

regards from Corporal