Text and super/sub script

[tomczak]

Is there a way to write text that appear as super- or subscript (other than mixing text boxes of different sizes).

I needed to write the Avogadro Constant on an image (which is 6.02x10^23), so I ended up using ASCII characters for superscript 2 and 3 (which is felicitous coincidence) - is it possible to write exponents rather than 2 and 3?

[ksinkel]

All the characters on the char map are available. However the specific characters available is font dependent. I checked Arial and Calibri. They both support superscript numerals. The superscript numbers (except 2 and 3) are located near the end of the list, so you must scroll down. (2 and 3 are located near the top of the list, in the ASCII section after the Roman alphabet.) Calibri also supports subscript numbers while Arial seems to devote the codes to graphics for drawing charts. Both fonts support superscript alpha characters in both Greek and Roman alphabets.

The Char Map can be displayed by clicking the Char Map button in text dialogs and then copying and pasting the characters from the Char Map dialog.

Kiril

[Dieter Mayr]

Kiril,

I've just tried it out and it works fine when copy/pasting from charmap.
But when I create superscript numbers in WordPad with the corresponding toolbar button and copy/paste to PWP it results in all numbers being "normal" on line.
Copy/pasting to Word or Paint preserves the superscript.
Font usied was Calibri, same font set in PWP's Text Transformation.
Are there differences in the way a text is copied via clipboard from charmap or any other application?
Not that it is a big deal since PWP is not a text editor, just for interest.

[ksinkel]

Probably Wordpad and other word processors create the superscript with mark up rather than by using the special characters in the font. In other words they use the regular numeral characters but change the font size and shift the baseline. This has the advantage that any character can be rendered as a superscript but the disadvantage that the font designer's character is not used. Typically the font designer will make the superscript smaller but relatively more robust so that it is easier to read than just a smaller version of the regular numeral. Similarly some fonts may have small caps which are preferable to smaller versions of regular caps.

In any case, when a marked-up string is copied as text into a text box, the mark up is lost leaving just the basic character.

Kiril

[Dieter Mayr]

Thanks Kiril, makes sense.
Just have tried some unusual characters and they also are able to set superscript in Wordpad (like äöüµ@ß which are most likely not as own superscript characters in Calibri).

Way back in 2008 I have posted a way of creating special characters text using Windows Paint.
And even though PWP's Text Transformation has evolved a lot since then and many things that were not possible then are no problem now, there still may be occasions this may be useful.
http://dl-c.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=209
If one needs it, it may be easier to find here.

[couman]

For complex equations, the simplest approach is to use the equation editor in Word. The object that is created can then be pasted into PWP where it can easily be converted to a mask for use with the paint tool.

[Dieter Mayr]

Bob, how do you get the equation from Word to PWP ?
Simply copying as text don't work for me.
I would use Microsoft Paint as described above, but do you have a direct way ?

[couman]

Bob, how do you get the equation from Word to PWP ?
Simply copying as text don't work for me.
I would use Microsoft Paint as described above, but do you have a direct way ?

Dieter,
In Word, "Insert Object" choosing the Microsoft Equation Editor as the source for creating the equation. You can then copy the object and paste it directly into PWP. You will need to convert the result to 8-bit B&W. If you want to apply the equation using soft light, you will need to invert (make negative). Otherwise, you can simply paint over the original mask. [With soft light blend, position the equation using the alignment function. For painting, create a new canvas the same size as your target image, and blend the object in position using the alignment function.]

Note that you can treat other "embedded objects" created in Word in the same fashion. For example, you could do a short document or spreadsheet insertion in this way.

[Dieter Mayr]

Bob, thanks for the explanation.
I have never worked with Objects in word before, just use it for basic stuff as writing invoices and letters.
I am able to create the formula as object, and to copy it and PWP shows Paste active in the menu, so there is something in clipboard, but i get nothing pasted intpo PWP, no error message too.
Im using Word 2010, german version.
When I have time, I will try to dig deeper into this.

[davidh]

Dieter,
if you have Win 7 or later you can use the Snipping tool to simply frame with the cursor the formula created in Word and paste (Ctrl+V) it directly into PWP. It automaticaly creates a new image. Then convert to 8 bit, make it negative, etc., as Bob recommends.

Another way, but not that elegant, is to first create the printscreen of the document with the formula (Ctrl+PrtScr, or Alt+PrtScr), paste it again dirtectly to PWP and then use the Crop tool.

Still another way is to paste the printscreen with the formula first to the Windows Paint tool, crop it there, copy it (Ctrl+C) and again paste directly to PWP.

Before the Windows Snipping tool I had always used the Paint tool with pristscreens to "extract" whatever from documents or screen, croped or/and composed it in the Paint tool, saved it as an image to insert it again somewhere else.

David