Better script fonts for maths
The font selected by \mathcal
is the only script font “built
in”. However, there are other useful calligraphic fonts included with
modern TeX distributions.
- Euler The eucal package (part of most sensible TeX
distributions; the fonts are part of the AMS font set) gives a slightly curlier font than the default. The package changes the font that is selected by ''\mathcal''.
Type 1 versions of the fonts are available in the AMS fonts distribution.
- mathabx The mathabx
bundle provides calligraphic
letters (in both upper and lower case); the fonts were developed in MetaFont, but a version in Adobe Type 1 format is available. The bundle's documentation offers a series of comparisons of its calligraphic set with Computer Modern's (both regular mathematical and calligraphic letters); the difference are not large.
- mnsymbol The mnsymbol
bundle provides (among many
other symbols) a set of calligraphic letters, though (again) they're rather similar to the default Computer Modern set.
- RSFS The mathrsfs package uses a really fancy script
font (the name stands for "Ralph Smith's Formal Script") which is already part of most modern TeX distributions (Type 1 versions of the font are also provided, courtesy of Taco Hoekwater). The package creates a new command ''\mathscr''.
- RSFSO The bundle rsfso provides a less dramatically
oblique version of the RSFS fonts; the result proves quite pleasing --- similar to the effect of the the (commercial) script font in the Adobe Mathematical Pi collection.
- Zapf Chancery is the standard PostScript calligraphic font. There
is no package but you can easily make it available by means of the command
\DeclareMathAlphabet{\mathscr}{OT1}{pzc}{m}{it}
in your preamble. You may find the font rather too big; if so, you can use a scaled version of it like this:
\DeclareFontFamily{OT1}{pzc}{} \DeclareFontShape{OT1}{pzc}{m}{it}{<-> s * [0.900] pzcmi7t}{} \DeclareMathAlphabet{\mathscr}{OT1}{pzc}{m}{it}
Adobe Zapf Chancery (which the above examples use) is distributed in any but the most basic PostScript printers. A substantially identical font (to the extent that the same metrics may be used) is available from URW, called URW Chancery L: it is distributed as part of the "URW base35" bundle; the [[ctanpkg>urwchancal|urwchancal]] package (which includes virtual fonts to tweak appearance) provides for its use as a calligraphic font.
The TeX Gyre font family also includes a Chancery replacement, ''Chorus''; use it with [[ctanpkg>tex-gyre|tgchorus]] (and ignore the complaints about needing to change font shape).
Examples of the available styles are linked from the packages' catalogue entries.
Source: Better script fonts for maths