UK TeX FAQ -- question label nonpdfsp

### Non-PDF special ignored!

This is a PDFTeX error: PDFTeX is running in PDF output mode, and it has encountered a `\``special` command. PDFTeX is able to generate its own output, and in this mode of operation has no need of `\``special` commands (which allow the user to pass information to the driver being used to generate output).

Why does this happen? LaTeX users, nowadays, hardly ever use `\``special` commands on their own — they employ packages to do the job for them. Some packages will generate `\``special` commands however they are invoked: pstricks is an example (it’s very raison d’être is to emit PostScript code in a sequence of `\``special` commands). Pstricks may be dealt with by other means (the pdftricks package offers a usable technique).

More amenable to correction, but more confusing, are packages (such as color, graphics and hyperref) that specify a “driver”. These packages have plug-in modules that determine what `\``special` (or other commands) are needed to generate any given effect: the `pdftex` driver for such packages knows not to generate `\``special` commands. In most circumstances, you can let the system itself choose which driver you need; in this case everything will act properly when you switch to using PDFLaTeX. If you’ve been using dvips (and specifying the `dvips` driver) or dvipdfm (for which you have to specify the driver), and decide to try PDFLaTeX, you must remove the `dvips` or `dvipdfm` driver specification from the package options, and let the system recognise which driver is needed.

`pdftricks.sty`
  macros/latex/contrib/pdftricks (or browse the directory)
`pstricks.sty`
  graphics/pstricks (or browse the directory)

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