Multiple parallel text columns with LaTeX! Help me MeFi-wan Kenobi.

March 6, 2012 8:58 AM

In LaTeX, how do I insert one box per page, each the same size and in the same spot on every page, with a single paragraph (or image) in each box? Failing that, can I have two columns of parallel text, rather than one stream of text split into two columns?

I'm looking to produce something much less complicated than this (from 'House of Leaves'), but following the same basic principle: a single main column of text with the little inserts (the small blue-bordered squares) containing a running parallel stream of smaller text.

Think Derrida's 'Glas,' if that helps and doesn't annoy you (as it does me). :)

I'm also looking into doing the exact same thing with pictures -- a box in the middle of every page with a different image in each box, with the single-column main text flowing around it.

I imagine I can do both these things easily enough for a single page, but can they be placed automatically? e.g. Can I tell LaTeX 'Here are 100 images, place one in the middle of each of the book's 100 pages'?

I'm using the memoir class to handle formatting, by the way.

If this is a total misuse of my time and I need to just suck it up and learn InDesign or something, then is there a quick way to make Mardown text import nicely into InDesign?

Thanks so much, folks.

posted by waxbanks to computers & internet (2 answers total)

I highly recommend asking this question on the TeX Stack Exchange, where the authors of LaTeX3 and many packages, as well as other phenomenal TeXhackers hang out.
posted by grouse at 9:42 AM on March 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Thanks @grouse -- I completely forgot about Stack Exchange and apparently I've forgotten my google-fu as well. Plenty of related questions there, so I'm close to what I want. Thanks again.
posted by waxbanks at 10:01 AM on March 6, 2012