We are pleased to announce the latest release of PTXprint!

Significant new features:

  • A new tab was added for creating wrap-around covers:
  • The cover settings enable a wide variety of simple covers to be created with or without shading and background pictures. An ISBN bar code is automatically generated if the ‘isbn’ variable is populated.

  • Added feature to import settings from a PDF (which was previously generated by PTXprint)

  • Added other external cross-reference sources (incl. TSK, UBS, BibleWorks lists)
  • Added feature to insert Strong’s numbers in the text based on term renderings
  • Added ability to use Transcelerator questions (Notes+Refs > Study Notes+Questions)
  • Added feature to generate Request Permission letter (for David C Cook pictures)
  • Added ability to lock specific settings using config and/or project override files
  • Added RTL support for booklet pagination on finishing tab

UI-improvements:

  • No need to define styles for stretch/shrink (use \p^95 notation instead of \p_95)
  • Improved Style Editor reliability, added filter option and improved search
  • Improved interaction on the Layout tab (hover over setting highlights element affected)
  • Check for program updates and indicate if an updated version is available
  • Added extra color to PDF diff output: “red has fled, blue is new”
  • Added auto-save option for the settings file editor
  • Added capability to reset to default values on spin buttons (click on any bold label to reset its value)

General enhancements:

  • Allow inner, outer, & right options for margin notes and marginal verses
  • Added format labels (RGB, CMYK, BW, Spot, etc.) to output filenames
  • Ensure pictures are pulled in from secondary project for non scripture books
  • Added control to adjust gap between caption and figure (TeXpert Hacks)
  • Added conditional marker \zifvarset (useful for auto ISBN display on covers)
  • Added various blank/empty page controls (\zEmptyPage, \zNeed[Odd|Even|Quad]Page)
  • Added TeXpert Hacks tab for highly advanced options (with limited support)
  • Added option to control Rule Thickness (Advanced tab)
  • Removed warning if ‘SIL’ found in copyright statement (as Executive Limitation has been removed)
  • Added all OpenType lookup tags for font features
  • Improved creation of hyphenation file with user options and better logic
  • Improved Indic syllable-based hyphenation rules
  • Add facility for project-specific digit mappings
  • Added Hebrew digit mapping

Technical improvements:

  • Enabled installer to run PTXprint on ARM64 architecture
  • Config password is now hashed (to avoid being readable)
  • Added client/server IPC for Paratext integration
  • Display help for command line parameters on Windows (using -h flag)

What’s new in version 2.2?

Finishing tab:

A new tab related to finalizing a trial publication was added with some powerful features:

  • Improved PDF Output options (including ‘Screen’ for fastest PDF creation)
  • Added feature to include Config settings within PDF (to help recreate a config later)
  • Added option to select a spot color for 2-color printing
  • Added feature to retain N previous versions (*_1, *_2, *_3 etc.) of PDFs
  • Added booklet pagination (with ability to create 4, 8, 16 page signatures)
  • Added feature to Compare PDFs to show any differences

Navigation and Passage Selection:

  • Added Search for settings (to find settings based on keywords)

    Selecting a topic will take you directly to the setting and highlight it for you:
  • Added various keyboard shortcuts visible in tooltips
  • Allow reference chapter ranges like PSA 23 or JHN 2-4
  • Enhanced book list can contain a list of references (like: PSA 23 LUK 15:11-32 GLO)

Borders, pictures and Ornaments:

  • Border improvements (Additional border styles, Styles for ornamental zrules,
    text border spacing logic)
  • Implemented \GraphicOrnament – enabling images to be used as ornaments
  • Follow (symbolic) links in the figures folders
  • Improved handling of pictures in peripheral books
  • Improved spacing for captions

Cross-References and Strong’s index:

  • Added configurable localized Strong’s Index generator (this was actually introduced in 2.0.17 but has not been featured on this What’s New page before)
  • Added option to show/hide Strong’s numbers in list of cross-references
  • Added option to allow side column x-refs to align to the side of the text
  • Handle study column gutter and note rule

Other new features and improvements:

  • Added options for copying configuration to other projects (preserve/merge/overwrite) which allows cluster projects to have the configs UPDATED rather than just replaced
  • Added ability to call Plugins (on Advanced tab) for facing-page polyglots and ornaments
  • Added underline position and thickness adjustments (Misc settings on Advanced tab)
  • Added after chapter/verse space factor controls on Advanced tab
  • Can now handle arbitrary non-standard SFM filenames in a project directory
  • Footers are no longer placed in bottom margin area (but a compatibility option allows footers into the bottom margin area as before if needed)
  • Syllable based line-breaking for various complex scripts: mlym taml telu knda orya sinh
  • Custom scripts for processing text allow .py files to be run directly

The main new feature in version 2.1 is study Bible layouts. Access the HOW TO document at this link.

PTXprint version 2.0 contained many new features since version 1.0.

The FAQ was also updated to reflect some of the changes.

Layout:

  • Modules can be used to typeset non-contiguous blocks of scripture
  • Improved Hide Empty Verses and added option to show ellipsis
  • Added new feature to include cross-references from external lists in vertical column
  • Added option to allow for unbalanced columns
  • Added option to show the header in a second language/script
  • Added option to include guides (rules and baselines) and/or custom grid behind text
  • Added interlinear text feature
  • Ruby glossing (for CJK languages) is now possible
  • Added option for Thumb Tabs (of book names) on outer edge of page
  • Fancy Borders now has a lot more control over placement and scaling of decorations
  • Added “End-of-Ayah” option for verse decorator on the Tabs+Border tab
  • Added ability to create Reader layout with verse numbers in inner margin/gutter area
  • Paragraphed endnotes are now possible

Diglot:

  • Diglot macros are now more robust to handle structural differences between texts
  • Optimizing column widths for primary and secondary columns is now a single click
  • Added option for texts to switch sides (left/right inner/outer – especially useful for RTL)
  • Improved handling of formatting for independent headers/footers for diglots

Pictures:

  • Added PicList editor with illustration preview to make working with pictures easier
  • Added checklist of questions regarding appropriateness of illustrations
  • Added in-line & cutout positioning options for illustrations (can also scale and mirror)
  • Added picture size options of “page” (within margins) and “full” (cover entire page)
  • Pictures in peripheral books can now be manipulated via the PicList settings
  • Copyright Credits for illustrations are auto-generated (using \zimagecopyrights)
  • Illustrations in diglots can now have multiple captions
  • Added ability for selection and editing parameters of multiple pictures
  • Credit Overlay feature for illustrations added to the Pictures tab (esp. for David C Cook)
  • Added option to Omit Captions for illustrations
  • Added option to crop borders on all images (eliminating spurious unwanted edge lines from pictures)
  • Added Location on Page previews to PicList editor
  • Add filter for Checking Status of illustrations
  • Allow PDFs to be used as illustrations

User Interface:

  • Stylesheet editor to make it easy to control all the USFM styles
  • Localization of UI is possible through Crowdin
  • Localized UI for available for French, Indonesian, Spanish
  • Margin settings have been simplified using graphics to show what exactly is being set
  • Tooltips updated with more accurate context-specific help information
  • Established PTXprint page on the Scripture Software Community site
  • Added advanced option ‘Disable ALL internet use’ – especially for sensitive locations
  • Non-English UI web links (mostly for USFM help) are routed through translate.Google.com

Font-related:

  • Font selection and setup has been re-worked to enable greater flexibility
  • Font feature editor added (enabling specific features to enabled/disabled)
  • Digit mapping now definable at the individual font-level
  • Fonts can now have horizontal expand/shrink defined to enable finer control

Peripherals:

  • Added Peripherals page for easy handling of front and back matter
  • Improved table of contents generation, including various options to categorize and sort tables
  • Front matter and colophon contents can auto-generate copyright, license & illustration credits

Other Features:

  • Magic buttons to optimize line spacing or top/bottom margins for minimizing wasted space
  • Magic button to calculate & optimize column widths for diglot publications
  • Added feature to auto-correct USFM text when common syntax errors are found
  • Added lack of compliance warning if ‘SIL’ found in project’s copyright statement
  • Output folder location shifted from “[project]\PrintDraft” to “[project]\local\ptxprint”
  • All generated temporary files are hidden away in sub-folders of the main output folder
  • Added feature to copy saved configs to other Paratext projects (esp. great for cluster projects)
  • Allow location-specific changes using keyword ‘at’ in PrintDraftChanges.txt
  • Added option to print from a DBL bundle with a straightforward download and install process
  • Added PDF Output Format options for PDF standards conformance
  • PDF/X1-A outputs pictures in CMYK and doesn’t compress the pdf (to be X1-A compliant)
  • PTXprint now runs with its own version of XeTeX so it can run without Paratext installed

Compatibility warnings:

  1. Compatibility settings on Advanced page get reset by version 2.0 (so expect layout differences) but the settings can be manually re-enabled if needed.
  2. (For those using RTL scripts prior to 1.7.9): The TeX macros have been changed for RTL for Right and Left Justification such that they are swapped. This means that you no longer have to swap the Right and Left Justifications on markers like \q. If justification is Left, it will be Right-justified. PTXprint *should* update your styles automatically.
  3. The child markers of \f and \x now follow the settings of their parent marker styles. As a result there may be changes in the way footnotes and cross-references appear. It is recommended that you RESET these styles to use the default settings prior to trying to remedy settings manually.