# Is changing \lineskiplimit to some negative value a good idea, and what the value might be?

I'm writing a (large) document using Linux Libertine for text and Asana for math. I have a 11pt font with `\baselineskip=14pt`. However, not so seldom it happens that the default settings of `\lineskip=1pt` and `\lineskiplimit=0pt` cause lines (with some math and sub/superscripts, of course) to be further apart than usual (and I don't like it, especially since I want to have grid typesetting (which I achieve in my set of macros by carefully redefining `\section`s etc.)). My question is: assuming that I carefully proofread the whole thing (which I do), is it possible that I break something else somewhere else by setting `\lineskiplimit` to some negative value? (I mean some non-trivial interactions between various parts of LaTeX.) And if you consider this a good idea, what value would yo recommend?

I know this question is a bit vague, so if you have an idea to make it more TeX.SE-conforming;), feel free to edit it/suggest something in the comments.

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Good question! While I can't comment on LaTeX (hence a comment and not an answer), I have played around with those in plain-tex. In my experience the situations where, uh, “interesting” things start to happen, are places where there are `\vcenter`s in use under the hood, for example with `\cases`, `\eqalign`, etc. And then with places which use `\openup` (i.e., increase `\lineskip`, `\baselineskip`, but most importantly, `\lineskiplimit`!). Also, it becomes fuzzy (to me, at least) how does TeX choose between `\(base)lineskip` and `\normal(base)lineskip`s when `\lineskiplimit` is negative. –  morbusg Mar 23 '12 at 7:59
I meant between `\lineskip` and `\baselineskip` but I couldn't edit the comment any longer (they've changed that, haven't they?) –  morbusg Mar 23 '12 at 8:06

``````\lineskiplimit=-\maxdimen
This makes TeX think that no lines are too close. Therefore the line spacing defined by `\baselineskip` will be preserved under all circumstances.