# Re: The persistent problem with svmono class and \boldsymbol font

Richard Heck <rgheck <at> lyx.org> writes:

> Do you know if the problem arises simply using LaTeX? Sometimes
> particular classes,
> especially for journals, do redefine LaTeX commands, such as \boldsymbol.
>
> Rihcard

I have wasted a whole day trying to figure out the origin
of the problem, and here are my conclusions:

I think now that this is not a problem with svmono, but a general
problem with LaTeX fonts. The svmono class assumes as default the
Serif / Times Roman fonts. The \boldsymbol command does not work
for this font. Although the bold+italic combination is properly visible
under Lyx in the math equations, it does not appear in pdf files,
supposedly because there are no suitable fonts.
All other fonts do not exhibit this deficiency, and \boldsymbol
works OK for them.

I have found a workaround that may be acceptable, although not ideal.
The idea is to insert the following command into the equation:

\textbf{\textit{XX}}

where XX is the symbol to be displayed in the bold+italic form.

This produces the desired effect in the pdf file, although the letters
are somewhat bigger than other letters.

I have a feeling that this problem should be widely known,
so that I am surprised that noone has been able to respond
constructively to my messages. Or, maybe there are better solutions?
If there are, I would be happy to know.
Someone suggested to use the isomath package, but this gives
a worse result, in my opinion, than the above solution, as for the
Serif / Times Roman fonts the bold form does not appear in pdf.

Leslaw