Page Layout ⇒ Text block not as spec'd & now hits footer? [Memoir]

[Julian_S_Moore]

EDIT: didn't notice the error - they are attached now in a ZIP]

[The MWE references one font "Bookman Old Style" - you might need to replace it. I have attached the referenced EPS graphic files]

"Simple" question(s)?

As shown I set the textblock height to be 540pt, but when it's processed it comes out at 550pt and I lose the gap that I thought I had between the bottom of the textblock and the footer. Any idea why - and why I seem to have lost the footskip?

(I guess it is \checkandfixthelayout, but I've done all the calculations in a spreadsheet and don't see why it should be changing anything. If I just use \fixthelayout the result is the same, but I don't get the readout of the layout parameters. If I do neither, the layout is completely wrong... even though the parameters I've set look perfectly sensible to me.)

Code: Select all

Code, edit and compile here:

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\documentclass[final,twoside,openright,showtrims,10pt]{memoir} % 
\usepackage{calc, wrapfig}
\usepackage{xltxtra,fontspec,xunicode}
\usepackage{lipsum}
\usepackage[calc]{picture}
\stockroyalvo
\settrimmedsize{663.3pt}{440pt}{*}
\setlength{\trimtop}{\stockheight}
\addtolength{\trimtop}{-\paperheight} % - \paperheight
\setlength{\trimedge}{\stockwidth} % \trimedge = \stockwidth
\addtolength{\trimedge}{-\paperwidth} % - \paperwidth
\settrims{0.5\trimtop}{\trimedge}
\settypeblocksize{540pt}{344pt}{*} % {344pt}{*} %{322.6pt}{*}
\setulmargins{56pt}{*}{*} % keep type block and page size fixed, spec top margin to text block only
\setlrmargins{*}{*}{1} % edge margin is 3rd (last) parameter * the spine margin
\setheadfoot{36pt}{36pt} % header height and footskip (distance from the bottom of the text block to the footer)
\setheaderspaces{*}{12pt}{*} % specify only the headsep (distance from the bottom of the header to text block)
\checkandfixthelayout
\setlength{\pdfpagewidth}{\paperwidth}
\setlength{\pdfpageheight}{\paperheight}
% Font stuff
\defaultfontfeatures{Scale=MatchLowercase}
\setmainfont{Bookman Old Style}
\setlxvchars[\normalfont] % main font, involved in optimal character to line fitting
\font\bookmanNine="Bookman Old Style" at 9pt
\font\bookmanNineItalic="Bookman Old Style Italic" at 9pt
% Graphics
\newcommand{\starBreakChapterStart}{%
    \begin{center}
    \makebox(\textwidth, 72pt){\includegraphics{WingDing24.eps}} 
    \end{center}
}
% Page & Chapter setup
\makepagestyle{fragPage}
 
 
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Run LaTeX here

Thanks!

[Julian_S_Moore]

A clue perhaps...

It occurred to me that Memoir prefers the textheight to be an integral number of lines. I had calculated the text block height to be 540pt based on 45 lines of 12pt (10pt + 2pt leading = 10pt font size and 12pt \baselineskip) but what if the font wasn't 10pt...

I don't know how to interpret the log where there are some references to Bookman scaling so I've attached it, in case it's relevant.

However, on the basis of this hypothesis I measured the text block size and counted the lines: 550pt, but 46 lines... 45 lines is 538pt (measured in Photoshop). So I reduced the requested size to 538pt (no change) and then 537pt and suddenly the textheight is now 538pt.

It would seem (I haven't cross checked with the manual yet) that Memoir only rounds up...

However, the smaller text block still hits the footer (3 out of 4 pages in another test run).

Help?

Where's the footskip gone?

[meho_r]

Sorry for not giving a constructive solution of suggestion, but did you try to set your layout with geometry instead of doing it "memoir's way"? I find it much easier to set. Just a thought...

[Julian_S_Moore]

Thanks for the input meho_r.

The problem is now Solved. I misunderstood the way Memoir does its textheight calculation and mistook \footskip for a footer separation (my value was far too small...)

When things don't work the lesson seems to be: check any assumptions about the way things work and what commands/macros/values refer to!

Copied from my post in reply to Lars Madsen's response in comp.text.tex

From the Memoir manual (\flushbottom in effect): "if b is the \baselineskip and t is the \topskip, N is an integer (the number of lines in the typeblock), and T is the \textheight then to avoid underfull vboxes the following relationship must hold T =(N−1)b+t "

Since it has not been cbanged from the default \topskip is (assumed to be) 10pt, and since \baselineskip is 12pt, the formula gives T=(45-1)x12 +10 = 538pt, which is therefore exactly right wrt to the \textheight.

\topskip specifies the distance from the top of the typeblock to the bottom of the 1st line (so as not to waste the (\baselineskip - \topskip) empty space), similarly \footskip specifies the distance from the bottom of the text block to the bottom of the footer.