# Smaller textwidth in memoir

I have to use memoir with A4-paper and 11pt font size. This way the lines are very long, so I would like to make it smaller to have less characters per line. However when just setting parameters that seem to do that, such as settypeblocksize, checkandfixthelayout gives an error [1], which appears to indicate that it is necessary to layout the whole page by hand then.

In KOMA-Script, the DIV option just adapts all values accordingly. Is there a similar option for memoir?

[1] A MWE reproducing this (I do not know whether this approach does what I need):

\documentclass[a4paper,11pt,oneside]{memoir}
\usepackage{blindtext}

\settypeblocksize{0.9\stockheight}{0.9\stockwidth}{*}
\checkandfixthelayout

\begin{document}
\blindtext
\end{document}


produces this error:

./a.tex:6: Class memoir Error: \spinemargin (113.26999pt) and/or \textwidth (537.75343pt) and/or \foremargin (115.23788pt) are too large for \paperwidth (597.50787pt) by 168.75343pt.

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Could you provide a minimal compilable example starting from \documentclass and ending with \end{document} so we could reproduce that problem? – Manuel May 30 '14 at 7:08
FYI: This question has also been asked on a german forum, but didn't get any reactions yet. – Johannes_B May 30 '14 at 7:12
Currently memoir does not readjust the margins. Thus you have you adjust the left/right and upper/lower margins accordingly. And BTW pleasee provide minimal examples when asking questions. – daleif May 30 '14 at 7:15

Regarding the MWE, as mentioned memoir does not readjust the margins then the textblock is changed. Thus since you now have a textwidth of 0.9\paperwidth the textwidth plus the original left and right margins are wider than the \paperwidth

With \settypeblocksize I usually go for something similar to

\settypeblocksize{0.9\stockheight}{0.9\stockwidth}{*}
\setlrmargins{*}{*}{1.2}
\setulmargins{*}{*}{1.4}
\checkandfixthelayout[nearest]


(I often use the golden ratio)

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