[texhax] Regarding margin for binding in thesis

[Arvind]

Hello Torsten,

On Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 6:24 AM, Torsten Wagner
<torsten.wagner at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Arvind,
>
> sorry for my late reply, I was absent for the last two days.

Same here - was busy finishing the thesis, and then busy submitting it.

>> I do not follow your argument. For a moment, ignore what happens in
>> the middle, in the "2 page view". The way you showed the schematic in
>> your first mail, the left margin of page 2 and right margin of page 3
>> are of unequal length. Shouldn't they be of the same width by your own
>> argument, and the schematic you plotted? (For that matter, the middle
>> length is also not satisfactory - and yes, i did check by taking
>> printouts of two pages, and placing them in a "2 page view".)
>
> I do not know what happend to the schematic during the mail process.
> However, it was intended to depict the same length for the left margin of
> page 2 and the right margin of page 3.

You did indicate the same length for both left and right margins, in
the schematic in your earlier mail. And i understood it that way. But
you assumed, *incorrectly*, that the geometry package was giving the
same left and right margins for me, and i was complaining about that.
The geometry package was NOT doing that. When provided with the
twoside option, it was giving a longer right margin, and shorter left
margin, for all pages. I was complaining about that.

After going through the entire geometry manual carefully, it is clear
to me why that happened. When provided with the twoside option, the
geometry package provides a 2:3 ratio of left to right margins.
Technically,

marginratio={2:3, 2:3}

where the first number denotes the horizontal margin ratio, and the
second, the vertical margin ratio.

Hence i was getting the right margin longer. I do not know the logic
behind this ratio. Hope this helps someone who turns to this thread
with the same doubt. I should have carefully read the manual earlier,
but i was hard pressed for time.

As for my thesis, i chucked the geometry package, and set about
adjusting the margins using \oddsidemargin, \evensidemargin and
\textwidth.

> Please find below a more detailed explanation:
>
> Lets give numbers to the margins to avoid confusion:
>
>    1           2   3           4
> |------| Text |---*---| Text |------|
> * indicate the later book-middle.
> An example would be
> if margin 1 and margin 4 are 1.5 inch
> then margin 2 and margin 3 are 0.75 inch which gives together 1.5 inch.
>
> As mentioned later by Alan, the rule I like to describe might be different
> from major to major or from country to country. So fare it was the only rule
> I know. Thanks to Alan to widen my view.
> The rule I follow is rather nearly as old as book printing itself [1], I was
> always pleased with the result.
>
> My respond to your request was just to make sure that you are not
> misunderstood that margins 2 and 3 smaller even after adding binding
> corrections. This was what happen to me when I came the first time along
> this. Thus, to say, even with binding correction margin 2 and 3 might still
> be smaller then margin 1 and 4.
>
> Hope now my intention is more clear.

As i explained above, i understood what you were saying, and i do
agree with you. Only you misunderstood what i was complaining about,
and i was trying to clarify that. I was complaining about margins 1
and 4 being unequal on all pages. Maybe i did not express it very
clearly the first time. Hope it is clear now.

Thanks for the reference and all the help.

regards,
arvind