<html><head><meta name="color-scheme" content="light dark"></head><body><pre style="word-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">%  DROPTEST.TEX -- 13-09-1993
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\Section{{\huge {\tt bigdrop}}\\
         a macro for dropping caps (\fred)}

\Subsection{Watch the caps!}

\bigdrop{25pt}{1}{cmbx12}{T}his is the first example of the
\verb+\bigdrop+ macro. This time the macro is used like this: 
\verb+\bigdrop{25pt}{1}{cmbx12}{T}his is...+ The first parameter 
says that the dropped capital starts {\tt 25pt} from the left margin. 
The second parameter says that only one line is indenting, and the 
third is there to choose the wished font {\tt cmbx12}. The fourth is 
just the character to be dropped. Note: this example can also be done 
without this macro, with a small effort to get the 12pt character 
10pt high.

\bigdrop{0pt}{2}{cmsl10}{I'}m happy to show another example of this
\verb+\bigdrop+ macro. This time it is used like this:
\verb+\bigdrop{0pt}{2}{cmsl10}{I'}m happy...+ The first parameter says 
that the dropped capital starts at the left margin. The second parameter 
says that two lines are indenting, the third is the wanted font for the 
cap, and the fourth is just the text to be dropped. Note: this can be 
more than one character.

\Subsection{And again!}

\bigdrop{0pt}{3}{cmr10}{\TeX}is a beautiful program, with a lot
of possibilities. Take this nice example of the \verb+\bigdrop+ macro,
this time called with \verb+\bigdrop{0pt}{3}{cmr10}{\TeX}is a...+\\
The first parameter says that the dropped capital starts at the left 
margin. The second parameter says that three lines are indented, the 
third is the chosen font, and the fourth is the text to be dropped. 
Note: there are four lines indented instead of the requested three.
To explain why we take a look at the next example.

\bigdrop{0pt}{3}{cmr10}{TEX}is a beautiful program, even when the 
macro is called with \verb+\bigdrop{0pt}{3}{cmr10}{TEX}is a...+\\
We see something remarkable here: in both cases the number of indenting 
lines is three, but in the previous example four lines are indented!
The reason for this is that in the first case the string \verb+\TeX+ 
has non--zero depth, as opposed to the second case --- and the first 
two examples --- where the string fits exactly in the reserved space.
The author could have chosen to fit the logo in the three--lines--space, 
but in that case the font would have been smaller, and to the author's
opinion the best outcome is obtained by equal numbers of indenting lines 
with equal font heights in any document.
So, when a non--zero depth is met, the macro automatically determines 
whether an extra indenting line (or maybe more) is needed. 

\bigdrop{-20pt}{5}{cmsl10}{A}s a last example we make a very big 
dropped cap. What? You did not know you could make such big 
fonts? Of course you can, just use Rokicki's {\bf DVIPS} with running 
{\bf MakeTeXPK}, then the fonts are generated automatically!
In this example the macro is called with 
\verb+\bigdrop{-20pt}{5}{cmsl10}{A}s a last...+ 
Note that the fonts automatically get bigger: 
the height depends on the number of lines to be indented, the current
text font, the current baselineskip, and the chosen font. The 
\verb+\bigdrop+ macro computes the needed height of the font, so you 
don't have to worry about that.

\vspace{2cm}
\leftline{Fred J. Lauwers ({\sl \fred\/})}
\leftline{\tt fred@dutspf.tudelft.nl}

\end{document}
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