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I want to write something like Bickham script for "V". So I have tried to install it but after following steps of this post and compiling the following code:

\documentclass[11pt]{article}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{bickham}
\begin{document}
{\usefont{T1}{pbq0}{m}{n}\fontsize{15pt}{12pt}\selectfont Here is a sample of Bickham Script Pro, which resembles beautiful hand-writing from the eighteenth century.}
\end{document}

which I faced with the following error:

name = rbickhamo-r, rootname = rbickhamo-r, pointsize = mktexmf: empty or non-existent rootfile!

Cannot find font rbickhamo-r in map file(s).

kpathsea: Running mktexmf rbickhamo-r.mf The command name is C:\texlive\2018\bin\win32\mktexmf Cannot find rbickhamo-r.mf . I try ps2pk --> gsftopk --> ttf2pk --> hbf2gf. ps2pk cannot be used. I try gsftopk. gsftopk.exe rbickhamo-r 1037 gsftopk cannot be used. Next I try ttf2pk. ttf2pk.exe -q rbickhamo-r 1037 ttf2pk failed. Finally I try hbf2gf. hbf2gf.exe -q -p rbickhamo-r 1037 All trials failed.

kpathsea: Running mktexpk --mfmode / --bdpi 600 --mag 1+437/600 --dpi 1037 rbickhamo-r The command name is C:\texlive\2018\bin\win32\mktexpk kpathsea: Appending font creation commands to missfont.log.

My OS is windows 10 x64 and I have TexLive 2018. What I have done so far is these steps:

  1. mktexlsr
  2. Extracting this package into this directory: C:\texlive\2018\texmf-dist\fonts\type1\adobe\bickham
  3. updmap-sys --enable Map=bickham.map
  4. mktexlsr

and compiling the sample document.

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    Apart from the obvious are you really really really sure the files are in the correct folders, the compilation is supposed to be done using xe[la]tex OTHERWISE use the style you have ONCE you have DONE ? otfinst to generate the appropriate pfb, metric files (page 1 of bickham-doc.pdf) are the pfb files in the correct location ? –  Jan 14 '19 at 20:34
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    In the install directory of CTAN, you'll find bickham.tds.zip, which is organised according the TDS structure, and that you only have to unzip at the root of you TeXMF root. – Bernard Jan 14 '19 at 20:40
  • @Bernard, Yes you are right. But I get another error : `name = rbickhamo-r, rootname = rbickhamo-r, pointsize = mktexmf: empty or non-existent rootfile!

    Cannot find font rbickhamo-r in map file(s).

    kpathsea: Running mktexmf rbickhamo-r.mf The command name is` [...]

     –  Jan 15 '19 at 11:21
  • [..] C:\texlive\2018\bin\win32\mktexmf Cannot find rbickhamo-r.mf . I try ps2pk --> gsftopk --> ttf2pk --> hbf2gf. ps2pk cannot be used. I try gsftopk. gsftopk.exe rbickhamo-r 1138 gsftopk cannot be used. Next I try ttf2pk. ttf2pk.exe -q rbickhamo-r 1138 ttf2pk failed. Finally I try hbf2gf. hbf2gf.exe -q -p rbickhamo-r 1138 All trials failed. kpathsea: Running mktexpk --mfmode / --bdpi 600 --mag 1+538/600 --dpi 1138 rbickhamo-r The command name is C:\texlive\2018\bin\win32\mktexpk kpathsea: Appending font creation commands to missfont.log. –  Jan 15 '19 at 11:36
  • After many trying, I resolved this error by adding \pdfmapfile{+bickham.map} in preamble. Why this package is necessary? –  Jan 15 '19 at 14:29

3 Answers3

5

Using Bickham is notoriously difficult to set up since the first step is to have bought the font (currently $95 from https://www.fontspring.com/fonts/adobe/bickham-script-pro-3) so as to install the supportive packages in MiKTeX or if brewing alone, via the CTAN tds package.

For windows users especially there is a very simple painless one click install using FREELY available 'TTF' fonts to the systems font directory then simply compiling your text via XeLaTeX. Here is an example.

Simply download any TTF format file e.g. Bickham One Two or Three (see link below)
Right click "install" and your good to go in LuaLaTeX or XeLaTeX

enter image description here

here is very quick & dirty XeLaTeX code for the above

\documentclass[a4paper]{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}
\usepackage {lipsum}
\begin{document}
\setmainfont{Bickham Script Two}\huge ~\\Herein below is a example of ~~ \textbf {Bickham Script Two,}
\par  ~ wherof it resembles beautiful hand-writing from the $\mathit{18^{th}}$ century.\\
\\ \Large $ Bickham~Script~Two.TTF~was~simply~right-click$\\$ installed~but~\mathit{E=mc^2}{~Will~look~better~as~ E=mc^2} $\par
~\par\huge \lipsum[2-4]
\end{document}

The Bickham fonts can be downloaded here https://fontzone.net/search?q=bickham

Note there are also OTF versions If you really want to use them in PdfLaTeX and do it the hard way. Rather than me explain how to install the $95 worth of OTF fonts (or the ones I just gave you for free) First convert per the manual to PFB via the Tex Live commands

cfftot1 BickhamScriptPro-Regular.otf -o BickhamScriptPro-Regular.pfb
cfftot1 BickhamScriptPro-Bold.otf -o BickhamScriptPro-Bold.pfb
cfftot1 BickhamScriptPro-Semibold.otf -o BickhamScriptPro-Semibold.pfb

Then I will link you to this previous good answer for what to do with them https://tex.stackexchange.com/a/232995/170109

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Since you also asked about any similar font:

I’m sure you know this already, but you can install any OpenType or TrueType font on your system—or in whatever local TeX directory your distribution supports—and use it with fontspec. There are a lot of good ones out there that are either free or come with your OS.

Davislor
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0

I just wanted to note for people having trouble from the latext MikTeX release (if you have the pfb files or made them from the OTFs you bought).

All you need to do is install the bickham package, and copy the pfb files (make sure they have the right permissions) directly into

<MiKTeX install directory>/fonts/type1/adobe/bickham

(this folder should already exist if you installed the package) and then in the MiKTeX Console GUI, refresh the filename database and refresh the font map files under 'tasks'.

Harry Gindi
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