Converter allows Microsoft Word documents to be saved in Latex format so that authors can work in their familiar word processor
For many years, the de facto formatting standard for the communication and publication of scientific documents, especially for papers containing mathematical equations, has been Latex. Many scientific and technical publishers still accept papers only in Latex format.
Although these days Microsoft Word is the word processing environment used by the vast majority of people, until now authors of scientific documents have had to learn the Latex mark-up system and use separate (and much less intuitive) Tex-based document preparation software to meet the requirements of their publishers.
Now there is a converter that allows Microsoft Word documents to be saved in Latex format so that authors can work in their familiar word processor.
Word2TeX from Chikrii Softlab, newly available from Adept Scientific, makes it possible to convert existing Word documents into TeX format simply by using the Save As dialogue from Word's File menu; and to create new Latex documents in your mainstream word processor rather than a separate editing environment.
Word2TeX makes it easy to prepare journal articles, research papers, technical reports, dissertations and even entire books: it is an add-in for Microsoft Word, so there is no need to learn to use a separate application.
Students and other newcomers to scientific publishing can thus prepare and submit papers for publication without having to learn Latex's complex syntax.
Authors and researchers already familiar with Latex will find Word2TeX a great time-saver too, as they will no longer have to retype their work into a Latex program.
Instead of inputting Latex commands, they can use Microsoft Word's standard features to import text from other sources, insert pictures and graphs, create tables and lists, format columns and add references and hyperlinks; the program even converts footnotes and endnotes to Latex bibliography format, automatically.
Creating equations is simple as Word2TeX supports Word's built-in Equation Editor, as well as the fuller and more capable version, MathType, which is also available from Adept Scientific.
The software can be customised to handle any type of Tex format based on the TeX typesetting system, including Latex2e, Latex2.09, AMS-Latex and Revtex (Physical Society Latex).
It can also be configured to publish Word documents on the web using Pdftex, which compiles Tex/Latex documents to Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF).
Also available is a companion product, TeX2Word.
As its name suggests, this is a converter that allows Microsoft Word to open documents in any Tex-based format including the many varieties of Latex.
Like Word2TeX, it is an add-in for Word, adding a Tex option to the File - Open dialogue; like Word2TeX it is easily customisable to handle virtually all existing implementations of Tex/Latex.
TeX2Word allows authors and researchers to import existing Tex documents into Word for editing, formatting and distribution.
More than a simple converter, TeX2Word has a Pseudotex compiler built in.
TeX2Word has open-architecture and provides everyone with the opportunity to customise it for personal or business needs.
Word2TeX and TeX2Word are supported by all versions of Windows from Win 95, including Win 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP; and they work with Microsoft Word 95 (Word2TeX only), 97, 2000, and XP.
Word2TeX and TeX2Word are available from Adept Scientific exclusively in the UK and Ireland, and also in the USA, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Finland.
