LaTeX and page sizes

[shimmering]

I used LaTeX to create the pdf files for the print editions of my books. They are short and illustrated with lots of verse in, and I thought A5 would be a fine format for those. I still think it's fine.

But shortly I will have to format some books (for paperback fiction) in non-A5 format. Worse, it will be some custom paper format that might seem normal for a paperback book but that LaTeX will not recognise as a standard paper size.

Does anyone know how to get around this to define custom paper sizes for book formatting in LaTeX? Or should I give up already and try a different approach to typesetting? Thanks.

[Jellby]

Use the "geometry" package (and read its documentation)

[WillAdams]

Or memoir, or komascript's book package, &c.

Here's an answer I worked up on tex.stackexchange a while back:


\documentclass[showtrims]{memoir}

\setstocksize{846bp}{648bp}
\settrimmedsize{10.75in}{8in}{*}
\settrims{36bp}{36bp}
\settypeblocksize{600bp}{480bp}{*}
\setcolsepandrule{18bp}{0pt}
\setulmargins{111bp}{*}{*}
\setlrmargins{36bp}{*}{*}
\setheaderspaces{*}{54bp}{*}
\setheadfoot{18bp}{21bp}
\setmarginnotes{1bp}{1bp}{1bp}
\checkandfixthelayout

\quarkmarks

\usepackage{atbegshi}
\AtBeginShipout{\special{pdf: put @thispage <</TrimBox [36.0 36.0 612 810]>>}}
\special{pdf: put @thispage <</TrimBox [36.0 36.0 612 810]>>}

\begin{document}
Test\clearpage Test
\end{document}

It actually applies the pdf bounding boxes prepress applications expect --- verify by turning on the option under Acrobat | Preferences | General | Page Display:

Show art, trim, & bleed boxes

Memoir is an excellent package and you should read the documentation if nothing else.

[shimmering]

Many thanks for these replies. I have used geometry to some extent (but missed that it could do what I wanted), been daunted by the capabilities and size of the manual of memoir, and never heard of komascript book....

And thanks for that code which I will try out.

I'd better do some reading!

[Tex2002ans]

Also, the LaTeX Wiki is always a good place to start:

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Page_Layout