Tutorial

Using MathType with QuarkXPress 6

MathType works well with QuarkXPress using Publish and Subscribe (Mac) and OLE (Win), and less satisfactorily with cut and paste. This document discusses specific suggestions for using MathType with QuarkXPress. The methods described below are definitely not unique. Like most tasks, there are several different methods that could be used successfully, so this document is not intended to be a comprehensive tutorial on using MathType with QuarkXPress.

• Types of equations
• Inserting Display Equations
• Inserting Inline Equations
• Editing Existing Equations

Types of Equations

In this document, we use two terms that are common in mathematics publishing. The two terms are inline equation and display equation (or displayed equation). There is a simple difference between the two. If the equation is part of the text of the paragraph and is intended to "flow" with the paragraph, it is called an inline equation. If the equation is set apart from the rest of the paragraph by isolating and centering the equation on its own line, it is called a display equation.

For example, we could be discussing quadratics and could write:

"This is the quadratic formula:

You can determine the number of real zeroes of a quadratic by analyzing the discriminant:
b² – 4ac."

In this example, the quadratic formula is a display equation and the discriminant is an inline equation. If it is necessary to refer to an equation in the text of a document, it is convenient to number the equation. This situation will require a display equation, as inline equations are not normally numbered.

Inserting MathType Display Equations Into a QuarkXPress Document

1. Create the text of your document as you normally would. Begin a new line of text at the point where the display equation will be inserted.
2. Create a picture box large enough to hold the equation. You can watch the Measurements palette if you want to make the box an exact size, but that is not necessary.
3. Create the equation in MathType, then save it as an EPS graphic.
   1. To save an equation as an EPS graphic, go to the MathType File menu, and select "Save" or "Save As."
   2. Choose the folder to which you will save your equation.

      Tip: It's a good idea to save the equations to the same folder as the document you're creating, and to have a unique folder for each document. If you print the document yourself, this won't matter. If you send the document to a Service Bureau for printing, you need to include all the graphic files with your document file. By saving the equations and other graphics to the same folder as the document, it is easier to find all the files you need to send to the Bureau.
       

   3. MathType offers two options to save your equations as EPS files – with or without a preview graphic. The option you choose affects only the display of the equation on your monitor; it does not affect the printing.
      • Saving as "Encapsulated PostScript/PICT" (Mac), "Encapsulated PostScript/WMF" (Win), or "Encapsulated PostScript/TIFF" (Win) displays a screen preview image of the equation that will be printed.
      • Saving as "Encapsulated PostScript/none" (Mac or Win) represents the equation as a gray box with the note "PostScript Picture" and the name of the file directly in the center of the gray box. This does not affect the printing of the graphic if you are printing to a PostScript printer. 
4. The picture box you created in step 2 is probably still selected. If not, select it with either the Content tool or the Item tool. Choose "Get Picture" from the File menu, and select the equation graphic to be inserted. Once the graphic is selected, click the Open button or double-click on the file's name. The equation should appear in the picture box. You can now adjust the size of the picture box to fit the equation.
5. Even though this is a display equation, you still want it to be anchored to the text above. To anchor the picture box, select it with the Item tool then cut it to the clipboard. With the Content tool, click on the line where the equation is to appear. Select center justification in the Measurements palette, then paste the equation. Begin a new line, select left justification, and continue the text of your document.

Inserting MathType Inline Equations Into a QuarkXPress Document

Inserting inline equations into a QuarkXPress document presents several challenges. With just a few extra steps though, you can achieve great results.

1. Create the text of your document as you normally would.
2. Create the picture box and insert the equation as in steps 2-5 above.
3. The equation will not be aligned with the text, as shown in the top screen shot to the right. We can move the equation down, but it's helpful to know about how much to move it. We can get an estimate by opening the equation in MathType. Select the equation, then copy it to the clipboard (Ctrl+C on Windows or Cmd+C on the Mac). Notice the status bar at the bottom of the MathType window. The information shows the dimensions of the equation, including the baseline adjustment in points. (See second screen shot to the right.)
4. Open the Modify Item dialog box (Item > Modify), and select the Box tab.
5. In the Align with Text section, enter a Baseline Offset of -5pt. (We use a negative value since we're moving the equation down, and we use 5pt as the value because that's the value MathType identified as the equation's baseline.)
6. After clicking Apply, we notice the equation was shifted down a little bit too much. Adjust the Offset to -4pt, and click OK. The baseline of the equation should now be properly aligned with the baseline of the surrounding text.
7. Repeat these steps each time you insert an inline equation.

Editing MathType Equations in QuarkXPress Picture Boxes

As mentioned earlier, you will achieve excellent results by using Publish and Subscribe (Mac) or OLE (Win). There are at least two reasons why it is best that you not use cut and paste to insert equations into a QuarkXPress document. The equation will be difficult to edit, since you have to cut the equation from your document and paste it into MathType, repeating the process to place it back into the document. Also, by using cut and paste you are embedding the entire image into your document, greatly increasing the size of the document.

Using OLE in the Windows environment is simple enough, but there are a few things worth mentioning regarding Publish and Subscribe on the Mac.

1. To edit an equation that has been inserted into a QuarkXPress picture box with the Get Picture command, you must edit the equation in MathType.
   1. Open the equation in MathType, either with the File/Open command, or by selecting it from the list of files at the bottom of the MathType File menu. MathType lists the last four files saved.
   2. Save the equation and close the MathType window when your changes are complete.
   3. You will not see the new equation immediately. This is discussed in step 2 below.
2. If you have turned Auto Picture Import on (Preferences > Print Layout > General), QuarkXPress will automatically import modified pictures (including equations).
   1. Alternatively, you can update them all at once – or pick and choose the ones you want to update – all from a single dialog. To update your equations this way, go to Utilities > Usage to open the Usage dialog. Clicking on the Pictures tab will show each equation (and other pictures) in the document and its status. Command-click to select more than one modified equation, then click Update.

   

   2. Keep in mind that if the size of your equation changes during the update, you will most likely need to adjust the size of the picture placeholder and/or the equation's baseline offset after the update.