mystyletau — Custom Tau glyphs for topology

Authors: Antonello Meccariello & Francesco Meccariello Version: 2.1 (2026-10-22) License: LPPL 1.3c

Description

The mystyletau package provides two unique graphical variants of the Tau symbol: \vtau and \atau.

Technical Workflow & Engine Support

The custom symbols were first designed in Inkscape as vector graphics. These vectors were converted via IcoMoon into a dedicated TrueType font (mytautwo.ttf) and exported as high-resolution PDF vector glyphs (vtau.pdf and atau.pdf).

Major update in v2.1: The package is now fully universal across all LaTeX compilation engines through dynamic engine detection via iftex:

• LuaLaTeX / XeLaTeX: Loads TrueType vector glyphs directly via fontspec (mytautwo.ttf).
• pdfLaTeX: Loads high-quality vector PDF fallbacks (vtau.pdf and atau.pdf).

Across all engines, the package guarantees:

• Dynamic color changing (fully compatible with xcolor).
• Perfect automatic scaling in all math sizes (subscripts, superscripts).
• Support for \ensuremath for seamless use in both text and math mode.
• Smart subscript kerning for mathematical topology notation (e.g., specific spacing for \vtau_X).

Requirements

• Engine: Fully compatible with pdfLaTeX, LuaLaTeX, and XeLaTeX.
• Packages: iftex, amsmath, amssymb (and fontspec for LuaLaTeX/XeLaTeX or graphicx for pdfLaTeX).

Files Included

• mystyletau.sty: The LaTeX package file.
• mytautwo.ttf: The TrueType font file containing the glyphs (for LuaLaTeX/XeLaTeX).
• vtau.pdf, atau.pdf: High-resolution PDF vector glyphs (for pdfLaTeX).
• mystyletau.pdf: Package documentation.
• mystyletau.tex: Documentation source.
• mytau.png, mytau2.png: Preview images.
• README.md: Package information.

Usage

Simply include the package in your preamble:

\usepackage{mystyletau}