Join or support TUG
TUG has no other source of income: membership dues and donations are what fund CTAN (the software archive nearly every TeX installation pulls from), the TeX Live distribution, the TUGboat journal, and the annual conference. Joining is the straightforward way to keep those going.
What membership includes
- A calendar-year subscription to TUGboat, with online access to the current issue's technical articles and print delivery of each issue.
- Access to TUG-distributed software and fonts, including physical media where it's still offered — though TeX Live itself has always been free to download regardless of membership.
- Member rates for the annual conference and TUG's other events.
- A joint-membership discount if you're also joining a sister group — DANTE (Germany), GUIT (Italy), GUT (France), or NTG (the Netherlands).
Ways to join
New members can start with a lighter trial membership before committing to the full one. Existing members renew each January, and dues cover the calendar year regardless of when in the year you join. Institutions and larger organisations join at a separate patron rate. All of it can be paid online; if you'd rather pay by cheque or money order, TUG still takes paper mail.
Not ready to join, or already a member of a sister group elsewhere? A direct donation is equally welcome and, for US taxpayers, generally tax-deductible.
What it's for
TUG's own aims, unchanged since its bylaws were written, come down to three things: keep TeX, LaTeX, and Metafont in wide, reliable use; keep them portable and intact as software and operating systems change around them; and keep funding the people pushing high-quality electronic typesetting forward. Dues are what makes the first two possible and the third worth attempting.
Ready to sign up, or want the paperwork first? Start at tug.org/join.html, or get in touch with any questions.