How to use L^ATEX at CUED

From the command line -

After running latex at least twice, you should be able to preview your *.dvi document using xdvi and print it using plotview, but if postscript is implicated at all (if you load in graphics, use postscript fonts, scale, use color, or rotate) then you should convert your *.dvi document to postscript. A typical sequence of commands to process doc.tex would be

 
 latex doc
 latex doc
 dvips doc.dvi -o doc.ps
 ghostview doc.ps
 lp -dljmr1 -opostscript doc.ps

Using xlatex -

xlatex has buttons to process, preview and print your document (or selected pages of it), and convert it to postscript. Just type xlatex filename.

Writing a L^ATEX document is rather like writing a program. This makes using L^ATEX more difficult in some respects than using a word processor, but there are advantages too. For instance creating a table of contents is trivial. Beginners often use unnecessary `\\' sequences and write `{\large \textbf{2.1 Method}}\\' when `\subsection{Method}' would be much better. Users who think they know more about typesetting than L^ATEX (those who, for example, like underlining) will waste a lot of time too.

Avoid repeating constructions. Instead, write your own macros and commands, and familiarise yourself with the packages described in the packages section of the online L^ATEX page.