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From: Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl>
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Subject: Re: \em: real italics?
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 16:42:11 +0100
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Frans Goddijn wrote:
> 
> In ConTeXt, if I do {\em text} then the word "text" is set in slanted
> font. In this case, my normal roman upright Times font is faked into
> leaning over a bit. I'd rather have this default to real italics, since I
> have an italics Times font. The idea to have fakes in my text body makes
> me uneasy. What is a real typographer would se me hacking here?

>>From the source code font-ini.tex: 

%D \def\emphasistypeface {\it}
%D \def\emphasisboldface {\bi}

You can change these.

> Of course, the trade off here would be that anything set in true small
> caps in the {\em ... } environment would me missing, since I don't have a
> "small caps italic" font. But I think the chances of that happening would
> be small if I watch out a little. Or maybe I could have a macro preventing
> this, a variation of "\kap" that will set in small caps even though the
> environment is italics?

Hm. Remind me to look into this one day ... Maybe an entry in the font
environment definition. 

> How and where could I flip a switch telling ConTeXt to use real italics
> for emphasized text?
> 
> Why is it slanted in default? Is that a technical necessity for possible
> missing fonts or do the programmers think it 's actually prettier? I could
> be wrong surmising that real italics is better, say, in an interview where
> questions are in italics, answers in roman font.

Well, I consider the computer modern italic to be rather ugly
(unreadable). 

Hans

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