texlive-fonts-extra + \ssfamily + microtype + [T1]{fontenc} = pdflatex crash?

Question

PdfLaTex now terminates with a fatal error (no pdf generated) while processing my book, a novel without math. It was working before with all my PSNFSS fonts, and those are the postscript fonts universally installed with every TeX distribution. Now only the newcent package (New Century Schoolbook [roman] plus Avant Garde [sans] and bookman packages work (Bookman [roman] Avant Garde [sans] ) work without crashing my project.

During trail and error I found that even my default TeX font (Computer Modern) crashes every time now. The other standard font packages only crash when I call up \sffamily fonts [sans fonts]. By the way, I discovered with more trial and error testing that those crashes only happen when I use the microtype package (for superb typesetting) with [T1]fontenc font encoding. So, I can use all the universal PSNFSS TeX fonts (and my default Computer Modern font) as long I don't use fontenc with microtype. (I don't use any special options with microtype, I just load the package by calling \usepackage{microtype} and that's it)

These crashes started immediately after installing texlive-fonts-extra package from Ubuntu Repositories, to add extra fonts. Months before that I had installed getnonfreefonts to TeX, so that I had access to garamondx and other fonts, and that appeared to not cause any problems at all.

Other than that I have an unmodified TeXLive distribution. I've installed both LyX and Kile to work with TeXLive. I use Kile for my project, and occasionally piddle in LyX, mainly to see what the LaTeX code is after doing things more graphically, to learn the code. My operating system is Kubuntu 14.04 Linux, with everything LaTeX related pulled directly out of the Ubuntu Package Repositories, with the exception of the getnonfreefonts installation.

Here's the exact error output:

***** PDFLaTeX output: ***** cd "/home/mark/BOOk DESIGN/Three B" ***** pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode test_article.tex ***** This is pdfTeX, Version 3.1415926-2.5-1.40.14 (TeX Live 2013/Debian) restricted \write18 enabled. entering extended mode (./test_article.tex LaTeX2e <2011/06/27> Babel <3.9h> and hyphenation patterns for 7 languages loaded. (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/book.cls Document Class: book 2007/10/19 v1.4h Standard LaTeX document class (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/bk10.clo)) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/microtype/microtype.sty (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/graphics/keyval.sty) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/microtype/microtype-pdftex.def) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/microtype/microtype.cfg)) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/fontenc.sty (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/t1enc.def)) (./test_article.aux) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/microtype/mt-cmr.cfg) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/t1cmss.fd) [1{/var/lib/texmf/font s/map/pdftex/updmap/pdftex.map} ! pdfTeX error (font expansion): auto expansion is only possible with scalable fonts. \endgroup \set@typeset@protect l.15 \end{document} ! ==> Fatal error occurred, no output PDF file produced! Transcript written on test_article.log.

From the portion of my preamble dealing with fonts, I select from the ones below:

%%%%%% novel project %%%%%%%%%

\documentclass{book}

\usepackage{microtype}

\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

%  %   %  %   % PSFNSS2e font packages %     %     %      %    %    %    %    %
%  %   %  %   %       select one package     %     %     %      %    %    %    % 
% \usepackage{mathptmx}   % Times font, default sans
% \usepackage{charter}    % Bitstream's Charter font, default sans
% \usepackage{mathpazo}   % Palatino font, default sans
% \usepackage{bookman}    % Bookman font, Avant Garde sans 
% \usepackage{utopia}     % Utopia font, default sans
% \usepackage{chancery}   % Zapf Chancery font, default sans
% \usepackage{newcent}    % New Century Schoolbook font, Avant Garde sans
%   %   %   %  %  SELECT NONE ABOVE TO USE Computer Modern default %  %   %   % 

%%%%%%% END PREAMBLE  %%%%%%%

Why am I getting crashes now, and what can I do to prevent it?

@HarishKumar: One shouldn't run simply updmap (instead of updmap-sys) in a texlive. At least one should know and understand the consequences. http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/255709/why-shouldnt-i-use-getnonfreefonts-to-install-additional-fonts-why-shouldnt-i. Imho before giving an advice some more information about "the crash" and the location of the map-files and configuration files is needed. — Ulrike Fischer, Aug 19 '15 at 06:29
I didn't use either of updmap or updmap-sys, I simply went to my Kubuntu Package Manager ("Muon Package Manager") and installed texlive-fonts-extra. After that my Linux Libertine font started working, but at the expense of all my other fonts except Newcent and Bookman. But if I don't use \ssfamily then they all work. (I'm not savy enough to know the difference between updmap and updmap-sys, or what they do) — user12711, Aug 19 '15 at 10:46
If you used getnonfreefonts to install a font, then you ran updmap rather than updmap-sys. When you installed the new font packages, they probably ran updmap-sys. That means that you are effectively using stale configuration files. However, that wouldn't explain the behaviour you're reporting so further information is required. What does kpsewhich updmap.cfg give? — cfr, Aug 19 '15 at 12:41
To use garamondx I had run getnonfreefonts months ago without any adverse problems. Yesterday I installed texlive-fonts-extra, which is a HUGE installation, I believe around 400mb, and immediately noticed my usual fonts didn't work. pdflatex also crashes when loading no additional font package. (I believe that must be CM or LM fonts) Interestingly, the default fonts won't work period, even if I remove /sffamily. It's the only font that causes a crash in that respect. So, I've got 3 font packages working (Bookman, Newcent, Libertine) /sffamily causes the others to crash. see new update — user12711, Aug 19 '15 at 21:52
I don't think it can be responsible for the crash, but running getnonfreefonts is *known* to cause problems. Those problems *never manifest immediately*. The problems occur only later, after further changes are made to the fonts installed for TeX. Please read the link @UlrikeFischer provided so that you have a better understanding of that problem. Removing ~/.texliveYYYY should help where YYYY is the version of TeX you are using. It will also remove your installation of garamondx but, since it doesn't work anyway, that is not much loss. & kpsewhich updmap.cfg gives what? — cfr, Aug 19 '15 at 22:29
What error do you get? Just knowing it crashes isn't really much help. What does it say on the console output? What errors are found in the log file? Also, please test a minimal document \documentclass{article}\begin{document}hello\end{document}. Does it 'crash' if you add microtype? With what error? — cfr, Aug 19 '15 at 22:32
@cfr a basic article like that doesn't crash, even after adding microtype and sffamily. I'm adding items to the preamble one by one to slowly match up with my book, will report back with new findings when it crashes. — user12711, Aug 20 '15 at 01:51
I added a final trail and error update. It's been narrowed down to texlive-fonts-extra + microtype + [T1]{fontenc} for the default font, and with other fonts add \sffamily to the mix to get a crash. — user12711, Aug 20 '15 at 02:30
It would be better if you would describe more exactly the error message your are getting. "crash" is rather vage. Run your example without microtype, then show the font list at the end of the log-file (file names with .pfb or pk). Show also the location of the pdftex.map used (it is also in the log-file). — Ulrike Fischer, Aug 20 '15 at 07:04
That's helpful. The problem in the default case is that you do not seem to have cm-super installed. So, for Computer Modern, you are using .mf fonts which are MetaFont source. These can't be scaled and so can't be expanded. In my opinion, this ought not cause microtype to crash, but that does seem to be the problem. To avoid this, either install cm-super (your distro will have it) or use lmodern or cfr-lm to use Latin Modern in place of Computer Modern. Can you try adding \usepackage{lmodern} before you load microtype and see if that works? If not, post the log for that run. — cfr, Aug 20 '15 at 23:16
Yes, lmodern works. I also tried txfonts and kpfonts, they work too in addition to newcent, bookman and libertine. The ones that don't are utopia, mathptmx (Times Roman), charter (Bitstream Charter), mathpazo (Palatino) and chancery (Zapf Chancery). the pdf error message says the font can't be expanded as well for utopia, and I suppose those others. They all worked before the texlive-fonts-extra installation. Do you think it could have overwrote Texlive's microtype settings for those fonts with earlier font versions that didn't have them? — user12711, Aug 21 '15 at 00:55
BTW, it has something to do with the sffamily of those font packages, because if I remove sffamily, they work too (only CM never worked regardless of sffamily presence or not) — user12711, Aug 21 '15 at 00:57
I think the point is that none of those packages probably provide a sans font. So you are getting Computer Modern Sans which is metafont and can't be expanded. All the fonts you mention are serif - well, Zapf Chancery is not, but it doesn't provide sans. Because you are using your distro's packages, it is hard to know exactly what is installed and what is done as part of the installation. I take it that your system is completely up to date? That is, you aren't installing packages without updating everything else? — cfr, Aug 21 '15 at 01:03
See page 27 of the current manual for microtype. ! pdfTeX error (font expansion): auto expansion is only possible with scalable fonts. Automatic font expansion has been improved in pdfTeX 1.40, in that it now not only works with Type 1 fonts but also with TrueType, OpenType and even non- embedded fonts. The above error message indicates either that you are trying to apply expansion to a bitmap (pk) font, which is still not possible, or that the font isn’t found at all, e.g., because of missing map entries. — cfr, Aug 21 '15 at 01:10
Will do. Yes, I always keep it updated. I suppose I'll have to figure out how to change the preamble to load alternative sffamily fonts not found in the offending packages. I'll have to read up on how to do that. I suppose it's as easy as using two /usepackage{fontPackageName} calls, one of them for /sffamily, the other for everything else. All those pfsnss2e fonts worked before the texlive-fonts-extra install, libertine is the only new one I started using. (I'm not sure where the kpfonts and txfonts installed from, I had just read about them today, loaded their packages, and they work) — user12711, Aug 21 '15 at 02:06

user12711 · Accepted Answer · 2015-08-22T18:27:11.897

Based on the comments received, I've been able to answer my question.

See page 27 of the current manual for microtype. ! pdfTeX error (font expansion): auto expansion is only possible with scalable fonts. Automatic font expansion has been improved in pdfTeX 1.40, in that it now not only works with Type 1 fonts but also with TrueType, OpenType and even non- embedded fonts. The above error message indicates either that you are trying to apply expansion to a bitmap (pk) font, which is still not possible, or that the font isn’t found at all, e.g., because of missing map entries. – cfr

And so the Computer Modern default is the culprit, since it couldn't have been expanded by the LaTeX Microtype package. Bookman and Newcent had worked only because they called up both a Roman alternative and a Sans alternative (my novel uses both). The other packages had failed because they only implemented their own Roman font, while using my TeX distributions default, Computer Modern in my case.

The solution is to set the default fonts in all my LaTeX Preamble templates (that I use with this machine) to Latin Modern, which has identical metrics, is designed to appear identical, but has [T1]fontenc encoding capabilities, which my Microtype package will handle. PdfLaTeX should not be crashing, even so, but since it does, this is the fix. For posterity and others that might have the same problem, here's the fix to the Preamble segment from the question:

%%%%%% novel project %%%%%%%%%

\documentclass{book}

\usepackage{microtype}

\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

%%%  % FIX: change to [T1]fontenc microtype expandable fonts  %  %%% 

 \renewcommand{\ttdefault}{lmtt} % FIX: default Computer Modern TT 
                                 % changed to Latin Modern TT (typewriter)

 \renewcommand{\rmdefault}{lmr} % FIX: default Computer Modern Roman 
                                % changed to Latin Modern Roman

 \renewcommand{\sfdefault}{lmss} %FIX: default Computer Modern Sans Serif 
                                % changed to Latin Modern Sans Serif
%   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %

%  %   %  %   % PSFNSS2e font packages %     %     %      %    %    %    %    %
%  %   %  %   %       select one package     %     %     %      %    %    %    % 
% \usepackage{mathptmx}   % Times font, default sans
% \usepackage{charter}    % Bitstream's Charter font, default sans
% \usepackage{mathpazo}   % Palatino font, default sans
% \usepackage{bookman}    % Bookman font, Avant Garde sans 
% \usepackage{utopia}     % Utopia font, default sans
% \usepackage{chancery}   % Zapf Chancery font, default sans
% \usepackage{newcent}    % New Century Schoolbook font, Avant Garde sans
%   %   %  SELECT NONE ABOVE TO USE Latin Modern new defaults %  %   %   % 

%%%%%%% END PREAMBLE  %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Why not just \usepackage{lmodern}? – cfr Aug 22 '15 at 18:40 — cfr, Aug 22 '15 at 18:40

texlive-fonts-extra + \ssfamily + microtype + [T1]{fontenc} = pdflatex crash?

1 Answers1