Formula Formatting is Small and Chunky?

Question

I'm sure I'm about to embarrass myself... but, here goes...

I can't read any (but the most basic) typeset formulas in Mathematica. The fonts are simply way too small on my 2560x1440 monitor.

If I make the font sizes bigger, Mathematica seems to simply scale-up the existing formula - making it large enough to be read, but it's ugly-as-sin.

Too small (Mathematica):

Too ugly (Mathematica):

What I'm looking for:

$\displaystyle \frac{\sum_{i = 1}^{n} x_i }{\sum_{i = 1}^{n} y_i} = \frac{\sum_{i = 1}^{n} ( (\frac{x_i}{y_i}) p ) }{n} $

Answer 1

The simplest way to get a slightly more acceptable typeset result is to use TraditionalForm as follows, after you enter the expression as in the question:

\!\(
\*UnderoverscriptBox[\(\[Sum]\), \(i = 1\), \(n\)]
\*SubscriptBox[\(x\), \(i\)]\)/\!\(
\*UnderoverscriptBox[\(\[Sum]\), \(i = 1\), \(n\)]
\*SubscriptBox[\(y\), \(i\)]\) == \!\(
\*UnderoverscriptBox[\(\[Sum]\), \(i = 1\), \(n\)]\((\((
\*FractionBox[
SubscriptBox[\(x\), \(i\)], 
SubscriptBox[\(y\), \(i\)]])\) p)\)\)/n

Magnify[%] // TraditionalForm

The reason this doesn't look exactly like what you want is that it wasn't wrapped in HoldForm. For more discussion of how to conveniently enter math expressions especially in the context of graphics labeling, see this answer.

Here is a better way to enter things, but I better show just the image:

Edit 2

In the other answer I linked above, I mentioned another way to input formulas that actually belongs into the context of this more general question as well. Therefore, I've made a screen capture to illustrate the steps for getting what I think is the closest to a typesetting interface with Mathematica.

The screen movie has to be short because it's a GIF animation:

• I'm starting with the expression typeset in an input cell.
• In the next cell I add TraditionalForm content with a dummy string
• The content of the string (aaa inside the quotation marks) is converted to TraditionalForm via the menu
• The original expression is pasted into the invisible FormBox that was now created around the aaa
• The resulting string can be edited further (e.g., I replace the == by =, but you can do arbitrary edits here)
• With an optional Magnify appended, I evaluate the cell and get the desired result

Answer 2

I use a stylesheet with a cell style to display formulas. Then it's just a matter of copying and pasting if you want a formula for display, and you have it in a input cell. Otherwise, enter it in the cell.

Some nice options to put on it are DefaultFormatType->TraditionalForm (so your new cells automatically inherit TraditionalForm styles), a bigger FontSize, perhaps FontFamily->"Times", among others

Answer 3

What about changing from the default Format > Screen Environment > Working to Format > Screen Environment > Presentation? And then perhaps decreasing the magnification.