[tex-live] TL2005 for Windows: paper size revisited

[gnwiii at gmail.com]

On 3/22/06, Harriet B Borton <bortonh at rpi.edu> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I posted earlier about a problem with the config files in the
> texmf-var tree being read-only. (Need to change paper size to
> letter.) Some history:
> ------------------------
> - Robert Fuster suggested a fix that works great:
> > Open a DOS window, go to the base directory of your Texlive (perhaps
> > C:\Texlive2005) and enter
> >
> > attrib -R texmf-var\*.* /S
> >
> > this change the attributes of all files in the texmf-var branch to writable.
>
> - Staszek Wawrykiewicz wrote that
> ftp://ftp.gust.org.pl/pub/Projekty/tlpmgui/tlpmgui-1.10.exe
> fixed the problem. However, I tried it and it did not change the
> read-only situation for me.
> -----------------------
>
> Now I've noticed something related. Perhaps this behavior is to be
> expected, but I was surprised. Changing config.ps is sufficient to
> ensure that .ps files are created with letter size paper, but
> changing pdftexconfig.tex is not sufficient to ensure letter paper
> in pdf files made by pdflatex. I found you must also recreate the
> formats. If this is correct behavior, it should be added to the
> appropriate section in the TeXLive documentation for Windows.
> -Harriet
>
> PS All this seems like cruel and unusual punishment for using letter
> paper. (Admittedly this is a BAD THING, but most of us have no
> choice ;-)

Just choose linux! TeTeX's "texconfig[-sys] paper letter" knows which
files to edit.   Some North American should port texconfig to perl so
the favorite North American OS can be used with the favorite North
American paper sizes.

Don't forget texmf-var/dvipdfm/config/config.

Another other paper size surprises for people using plain pdftex with
\magnification
was mentioned on the tetex list.  Even though you specify truein for
the page size in pdftexconfig.tex, the values are affected by
\magnification so need to be adjusted accordingly.  The fix is to get
people to stop using \magnification. A new pdftex.ini (+rebuild
affected formats) works for some people, but one colleague has a book
that is still getting magnified paper size using a format generated
with the new pdftex.ini.  Other tools (dvisvgm) are also confused by
\magnification.

--
George N. White III <aa056 at chebucto.ns.ca>
Head of St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia