TpX output formats

TpX provides several output formats. Use "Picture properties" or toolbar drop-down buttons to change the format. The format is chosen separately for LaTeX and PdfLaTeX.

Not all of the formats are ideal, so the choice needs thoughtful consideration. EPS and PDF are TpX defaults for LaTeX/DVI and PdfLaTeX respectively. Also recommended is PGF or TikZ.

• LaTeX picture environment. This standard LaTeX environment is enhanced by epic.sty and bez123.sty LaTeX packages. Both packages are compatible with TeX/DVI and PdfLaTeX. The format is suitable for simple drawings only, because complicated drawings take a long time for TeX to process and can cause memory shortage. There are many limitations. For example, curved lines can not be dashed or dotted. Also, in general the result is of rather low quality.
• Encapsulated Postscript (EPS). The most popular format for advanced TeX graphics. EPS is saved as a separate file without text and is inserted into TpX file using \includegraphics command from graphicx LaTeX package. TpX surrounds \includegraphics command by picture environment to put text over the picture. Can not be used with PdfLaTeX.
• PDF. Included in TpX in the same fashion as EPS. Can only be used with PdfLaTeX, not LaTeX/DVI.
• PDF from EPS. PDF is created from EPS using GhostScript. Set the path to the program in "TpX Settings". (The format is called epstopdf for historical reasons).
• PGF. PGF code is kept in LaTeX pgfpicture environment similar to picture environment. Requires pgf package. Compatible with both LaTeX/DVI and PdfLaTeX.
• TikZ. TikZ is similar to PGF (and is based upon it), but is more readable. Requires tikz package.
• PSTricks. PSTricks code is kept in TeX pspicture environment similar to picture environment. Requires pstricks package. Not compatible with PdfLaTeX.
• Metapost. Graphic language similar to pstricks, but an external file is created and an external MetaPost program is needed. Set the path to the program in "TpX Settings". Compatible with both LaTeX/DVI and PdfLaTeX. TeX is used to typeset text labels in MetaPost. This could be turned off by setting MetaPostTeXText to 0. Use metapost.tex.inc file to configure LaTeX preamble used in MetaPost files (\documentclass command and \usepackage commands for needed packages).
• Bitmap (PNG, BMP). Requires graphicx LaTeX package. Obviously, bitmap is not vector graphics, so it is not scalable. TpX does not use LaTeX to write text in bitmaps, so they can not incorporate LaTeX formulas. PNG is compatible with both LaTeX/DVI and PdfLaTeX. Currently BMP is not compatible with PdfLaTeX. Currently bitmaps are not compatible with DVIPS and dvi2pdf; they are for DVI viewers only when used with LaTeX. Thus, bitmaps are most useful with PdfLaTeX.
• Enhanced Metafile (EMF). Can be used with LaTeX/DVI for preview (it is converted to bitmap for this purpose). Not compatible with PdfLaTeX. Recommended as export format only.
• None. Set format to 'none' if you do not need output.

All TeX packages used are available from CTAN. See also Export formats