Some Hints on LyX

If you choose to modify the texts I've presented, you might consider using LyX. LyX (www.lyx.org ) is a terrific program for editing LaTeX. Sadly, though, at this stage of its development it does have a few problems which you may need to be aware of if you choose to work with any of the LaTeX or LyX files on my ftp site . As this is written, LyX versions 1.1.6, 1.2.0, and 1.2.1 seem to be the most common, and I have been using mostly 1.2.0 (but some 1.1.6).

All versions of LyX will correctly import LaTex created by versions 20020811 (or later) of GutenMark . However, LyX 1.2.x won't correctly import output from earlier versions of GutenMark .
LyX (all versions) is not 100% perfect at importing LaTeX. Specifically, all of the LaTeX files on my ftp site were exported from LyX, but won't be properly re-imported into Lyx. (That's the reason I provide both the LaTeX and the LyX files, even though logically only one or the other is needed.) The problems encountered are easily remedied, however:

The font, fontsize, margins, and pagesize are bogus.
Constructs such as "\protect\raggedright" and "\global\emergencystretch" are messed up. Simply replace these with "\raggedright" and "\sloppy".

LyX 1.2.1 treats margins for even/odd printing differently than 1.2.0 and 1.1.6 do. It may modify the margins which have been selected. This has various undesirable side-effects in cases where the text contained two-column sections (such as msali10.lyx). The upshot is that if you create PDF from LyX 1.2.1, you mightn't get PDF files that look like the ones I've provided (usings LyX 1.2.0).
Certain mathematical stuff, such as the degree symbol, superscripts (exponents), subscripts, greek letters, etc., sometimes won't render properly using LyX's default method of generating PDF--namely, the tool-chain latex/dvips/ps2pdf. I don't know why. Fortunately, this stuff doesn't appear in most books. Moreover, if properly configured, LyX also offers an alternative method of generating PDF--namely, the tool pdflatex. With pdflatex, the mathematical symbols seem to render properly and certain spurious warning messages displayed by Adobe Acrobat Reader 5 when the default tool-chain is used are eliminated. (A good test case for this is the text "moon10", Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon .) On the other hand, pdflatex cannot deal with EPS-format graphics (such as are supplied with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland .) *Sigh!* The bottom line, however, is that I'd almost always recommend using the 'pdflatex' option when generating PDF.

Some Hints on Printable Formats

The PDF files I've provided look really good on the computer screen -- say, using Acrobat Reader on a 1280x1024 display -- but aren't really suitable for direct printing unless you have a lot of 5.5"x8.5" paper sitting around. You can, of course, use LaTeX to create different page sizes, use different fonts, and so on.

On the other hand, you may like the PDF files I've provided, and simply want to print them in an efficient way. The most satisfactory approach in my view is to print the 5.5"x8.5" pages so that 4 of them fit on a single letter-size sheet of paper -- two on the front and two on the back. There are several approaches to this. One correspondent, Rick Holbert, has informed me of a way of doing this within LyX itself. Details on this aproach will be presented shortly. You might want to take a look at Rick's website , if you are interested in binding the books you print.

Another approach is to post-process the PDF, creating Postscript with the pages rearranged appropriately. Here's a way to do that, using the so-called PSUTILS programs available on most Linux systems:

# As an example, use the file jjclk10.pdf.
# Convert PDF to Postscript
pdftops -paperw 396 -paperh 612 jjclk10.pdf

# Rearrange the pages into booklet form.
psbook -q jjclk10.ps temp1.ps

# Convert to 2-up
psnup -2 -pletter -W396 -H612 -q temp1.ps temp2.ps

# Sadly, there is currently a bug in PSUTILS so that
# the output file still thinks it's 5.5"x8.5". So,
# manually edit temp2.ps with a text editor, changing
# the line that reads
# %%DocumentMedia: plain 396 612 0 () ()
# to
# %%DocumentMedia: plain 612 792 0 () ()

# Pull off the odd-numbered 2-up pages, in reverse order.
psselect -o -r temp2.ps frontsides.ps

# Pull off the even-numbered 2-up pages, in normal order.
psselect -e temp2.ps backsides.ps

# This step prints the fronts:
lpr frontsides.ps

... put the pages just printed back in the paper tray ...

# This step prints the backs:
lpr backsides.ps

These steps produce a stack of paper which, if sliced down the middle with a paper cutter, give you all of the pages in the correct order. If you want to fold the paper instead of cutting it, you'll need to produce smaller sized "signatures" in the psbook-step above. This, sadly, must be left as an exercise for the reader.