Document 415

EPS graphics typeset incorrectly in DVI files

Version: 3.x, 4.x, 5.x - Scientific WorkPlace & Scientific Word

Problem

Documents containing Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) graphics appear incorrectly typeset in DVI files. Letters that appear in the graphics may be displaced, or the appearance of the graphic may be incorrect. The problem doesn't occur with typeset PDF files.

Explanation

The PostScript filter supplied with the program occasionally misrenders the graphics.

Solution

You can bypass the problem using the graphicx package, which has options for several different .dvi drivers. When the driver option is unchanged, LaTeX typesets your document using the default driver for the current LaTeX installation. For SWP and SW installations, the default driver is tcidvi, which uses the supplied graphics filter. Thus, the graphics can be misrendered.

However, if you actively choose the dvips driver option, which is the default driver for typical Unix LaTeX installations, LaTeX uses the native PostScript capabilities for the current display device. Therefore, when you typeset, the graphic appears on the TrueTeX Previewer screen as a box containing the path name of the EPS file, but it appears in print correctly using the PostScript interpreter in the printer.

  1. Add the graphicx package to your document.

  2. Save the document as a Portable LaTeX file:

    1. From the File menu, choose Save As.

    2. In the Save as type box, choose Portable LaTeX (*.tex).

    3. Change the directory and file name as necessary.

    4. Choose Save.

  3. On the Typeset toolbar, click Options and Packages button or, from the Typeset menu, choose Options and Packages.

  4. Choose the Package Options tab.

  5. In the Packages in Use box, select graphicx, and then choose Modify.

  6. In the Options box, select dvips and choose OK.

  7. Choose OK to return to your document.

If your document is a Style Editor document or a LaTeX 2.09 document, it can't be saved as a Portable LaTeX file. However, you can successfully bypass the EPS difficulty if you import the contents of your document into a new document and modify it as described above.

Last revised 05/23/06

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