Time for action – specifying margins

We shall load the geometry package and state the exact width and height of all margins.

1. Extend the preamble of the previous example with this command:

   \usepackage[a4paper, inner=1.5cm, outer=3cm, top=2cm,
   bottom=3cm, bindingoffset=1cm]{geometry}

2. Typeset and examine the margins:

   

What just happened?

We loaded another package with the name geometry. This package takes care of our layout regarding the paper size, margins, and more dimensions. We chose A4 paper size, an outer margin of 3 cm, and an inner margin of just 1.5 cm, remembering that the two inner margins will be perceived as one space when the two-sided book is opened. We stated the top and the bottom margin. At last, we specified a value of 1 cm for the binding correction. We need the inner margins to be wider because we expect to lose this space later because of the binding like gluing or stapling.

Using the geometry package

In the early days of LaTeX, it was common to manipulate the layout dimensions...