Using mathematical symbols in QuarkXpress 4.1

[suew55]

Does anyone else have a problem using mathematical symbols in Quark 4.1 (PC)? I can neither type them in directly, or import/cut & paste from Word. I work on a financial magazine, so I need to be able t get round this one fairly quickly. I'd br grateful for any suggestions.

 

[pobajo]

Can you give a sample of what you need? Is it something you would use superscripts and subscripts for, found in the measurements bar?

Thanks

 

[suew55]

No - it's the pure mathematical symbols I'm after - square root signs, omega, etc, etc. Curiously, if my print shop converts my PC file into a Mac file, they are able to copy and paste these symbols from Word. When I try and do this, they revert to standard letters. I've got around the problem by making the formulae I need into graphic files in Photoshop, but this is far from ideal. I'm planning to upgrade to Quark 6 soon, so maybe this will eliminate the problem, but in the meantime, if anyone has a solution, I'd be eternally grateful.

 

[Typesetter]

Your word file may be utilizing symbol fonts instead of the proper character set code for your basic symbols. Highlight the character in the word file, if it is indeed symbol, simply open the symbol font equivalent on your mac and it will be fine -- I do it all the time.

 

[Typesetter]

OOPS! I read your problem wrong the first time and thought you were trying to save the symbols from word -- sorry! The PC handles fonts poorly, so the usual option+character that works on the Mac doesn't apply here. Your best bet would be to either use the symbols font or a pi font such as universal greek math or news pi. However, you would still need to know which character is which. Either way, you need to locate something called "Character Map" which should be on your pc somewhere, many times in the accessories. When you find it, create a shortcut so you can access it more quickly in the future. This has an entire "map" of whichever font you select for it to show you (the font, of course, must be enabled). You can either copy and paste, or eventually simply memorize the three digit ascii numbers you need to get them right away. Hold down the alt key and type in the three digits ON YOUR KEYPAD and let go of the alt key and your symbol will appear -- this is old time ascii stuff, but it works.