The TeX FAQ

Frequently Asked Question List for TeX

Misc

Conversion from (La)TeX to HTML

TeX and LaTeX are well suited to producing electronically publishable documents. However, it is important to realize the difference between page layout and functional markup. TeX is capable of extremely detailed page layout; HTML is not, because HTML is a functional markup language not a page layout language. HTML’s exact rendering is not specified by the document that is published but is, to some degree, left to the discretion of the browser. If you require your readers to see an exact replication of what your document looks like to you, then you cannot use HTML and you must use some other publishing format such as PDF. That is true for any HTML authoring tool.

TeX’s excellent mathematical capabilities remain a challenge in the business of conversion to HTML. Originally there were only two generally reliable techniques for generating mathematics on the web: creating bitmaps of bits of typesetting that can’t be translated, and using symbols and table constructs. Neither technique is entirely satisfactory. Bitmaps lead to a profusion of tiny files, are slow to load, and are inaccessible to those with visual disabilities. The symbol fonts offer poor coverage of mathematics, and their use requires configuration of the browser.

Today, with native MathML rendering in some browsers and high quality math rendering available via JavaScript and CSS in all modern graphical browsers there are several possibilities.

The LaTeX to HTML convertors listed below all handle mathematics to some extent, and further math-specific details are discussed in Math on the Web.

For today, possible packages are:

FAQ ID: Q-LaTeX2HTML
Last updated: 2018-5-25