🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <6c9aql$1j5$1@mirv.unsw.edu.au>, barnett@agsm.unsw.edu.au (Glen Barnett) writes...
>I need to make a document with a 40mm left margin and a 30 mm right
>margin. My document is currently a report in 11 pt. I thought mucking
>about with a copy of the stuff that talks about margins in rep11.sty
>would fix it (I copied part of it to a new file, changed some numbers
>- specifically \oddsidemargin and \evensidemargin - and input that just 
>after the \documentstyle line).

A) as a beginner to LaTeX, you have no reason to use "compatibility mode"
for old documents.  You should start with \documentclass.

B) You don't say what size paper you are printing on, so there is 
no way for someone else to specify the right margin.

C) \oddsidemargin and \evensidemargin are the LEFT side margins on 
odd-numbered and even-numbered pages respectively.  This is what the
manual says, but very many people have preconceptions and unconsciously
interpret them as left and right margin.

D) The confusing bit... They are actually the Left margins MINUS 1 INCH.
The left side margin is \oddsidemargin + 1in on odd numbered pages and 
\evensidemargin + 1in on even.  To get margins smaller than 1 inch, the 
parameters should be negative.  (You don't want to know, but the page
"origin" (0,0) is 1 inch from the top and 1 in from the left edge of
the paper.

right_margin = width_of_paper - \textwidth - \oddsidemargin - 1in
(or \evensidemargin)

Donald Arseneau                         asnd@triumf.ca