Re: [Groff] Setting page and paper size

[Cedric Sodhi]

Hello Werner,

thank you very much for your reply! I think I don't really understand
the difference between "papersize" and "physical paper dimensions". I
don't see how the two could possibly be different, is this something
that has do with devices that are not DVI? If I think of a DVI/PDF I
imagine a page of a certain size (like what I would see when opening it
with a pdf viewer) and I can print that, and it prints like what I see.

Or is it not even related to printing? I'm a little confused.

PS: I take it there is no easy way to "manually" set the papersize to
X inch x Y inch? I've tried figuring out how papersize.tmac works but
it's a little complicated for me to recognize where the "crucial
command" takes place in the tmac.

Cedric

On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 04:38:41PM +0100, Werner LEMBERG wrote:
> > 
> > a.) Set the overall paper/page size of, for example DVI, in the
> >     source itself
> > b.) Set different sizes for different pages.
> 
> For DVI, both is possible (I'm actually suprised that this works :-)
> 
>   .\" Our new paper size (A4 landscape).
>   .ds paper a4l
>   .
>   .\" Explicitly reload macro package so that the
>   .\" paper formats are available.
>   .mso papersize.tmac
>   .
>   .\" Set the physical paper dimensions.  The \special
>   .\" command in the DVI file needs centimeters as 
>   .\" `cm', not `c', thus the appended `m'.
>   .device papersize=\*[paper-a4-length]m,\*[paper-a4-width]m
> 
>   This is A4 landscape.
> 
>   .bp
>   .\" Now change the physical paper dimensions.
>   .device papersize=\*[paper-a5-width]m,\*[paper-a5-length]m
> 
>   This is A5 seascape.
> 
> If you process this with, say, dvipdfmx, you get a PDF with properly
> changing paper sizes.
> 
> 
>     Werner