Small Caps in Description Label?

Question

The description environment allows an optional heading, like \item [<heading>] text, to be used. By default this makes the text <heading> bold.

I'm having the issue that this style of heading text is overriding my \textsc{}.

Why won't the description environment honor my \textsc{}?

Here's a picture:

And a MWE:

\documentclass[12pt]{book}

\begin{document}

This is normal text. \textsc{This is in small caps.}

\begin{description}
\item [\textsc{Why not small caps?}] Why isn't the text at left in small caps?
\end{description}

\end{document}

\item [\mdseries\textsc{Why not small caps?}] will turn off bold, thereby making small caps accessible — Steven B. Segletes, Feb 26 '15 at 21:09
@StevenB.Segletes: I think the design feature of description/itemize etc. lists is that the item - leadin is bold, to be an eye-catcher. — , Feb 26 '15 at 21:15
@ChristianHupfer True. That's why I provide \fauxsc in my answer. — Steven B. Segletes, Feb 26 '15 at 21:19
@StevenB.Segletes: Seen it already... A \fakesc solution ;-) — , Feb 26 '15 at 21:20

score 4 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:35

You can fake bold small caps with my \fauxsc{}, first described at Fake small caps with XeTeX/fontspec?. There are three parameters for tuning the fauxsc font

\def\Hscale{.85}\def\Vscale{.72}\def\Cscale{1.10}

which define the horizontal scale on lc letters, the vertical scale on lc letters, and the horizontal scale on uc letters.

\documentclass[12pt]{book}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\newcommand\fauxsc[1]{\fauxschelper#1 \relax\relax}
\def\fauxschelper#1 #2\relax{%
  \fauxschelphelp#1\relax\relax%
  \if\relax#2\relax\else\ \fauxschelper#2\relax\fi%
}
\def\Hscale{.85}\def\Vscale{.72}\def\Cscale{1.10}
\def\fauxschelphelp#1#2\relax{%
  \ifnum`#1>``\ifnum`#1<`\{\scalebox{\Hscale}[\Vscale]{\uppercase{#1}}\else%
    \scalebox{\Cscale}[1]{#1}\fi\else\scalebox{\Cscale}[1]{#1}\fi%
  \ifx\relax#2\relax\else\fauxschelphelp#2\relax\fi}
\begin{document}

This is normal text. \textsc{This is in small caps.}

\begin{description}
\item [\fauxsc{Why not small caps?}] Why isn't the text at left in small caps?
\end{description}

\fauxsc{Why not small caps?} FAUX

\textsc{Why not small caps?} REAL
\end{document}

enter image description here

@alexis While either approach can be attempted, it is my experience that double-striked characters are much more prone to noticeable flaws than faking small caps via asymmetric stretching. — Steven B. Segletes, Nov 19 '15 at 15:14

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 26 '15 at 21:19

If you want to change the labels in a description to use small caps, the easiest way is to use enumitem:

\documentclass[12pt]{book}
\usepackage{enumitem}

\setlist[description]{font=\normalfont\scshape}

\begin{document}

This is normal text. \textsc{This is in small caps.}

\begin{description}
\item [It's small caps] as you clearly see
\end{description}

\end{document}

enter image description here

The reason why you don't get small caps is that the standard fonts have no bold small caps, so a substitute is used. Using \item[\textsc{x}] just adds \scshape to the default font, which is boldface. You might do

\item[\normalfont\textsc{x}]

but the best is to change the default font.

Small Caps in Description Label?

2 Answers2

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