# How to set colored ruled margins for some pages?

How this can be done for ALL pages is explained in this thread: How to set colored ruled margins for different pages?

But I would like to know if it is possible to color the margins only for some pages? How would you do that?

So pages 1 to x no colors, then y pages of color and then no colors again.

Using the settings of the answer to the question linked, you can use a conditional to activate or deactivate the margins at will:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikzpagenodes}
\usetikzlibrary{calc}
\usepackage{ifthen}
\usepackage[contents={},opacity=1,scale=1.485]{background}

\newif\ifBgMat

\ifBgMat
\ifthenelse{\isodd{\thepage}}%
{\backgroundsetup{angle=0,position={0.9\textwidth,-
.7\textheight},%
contents={\tikz[remember picture,overlay]{ %
\coordinate (x) at (current page marginpar area.south east|-current page.south east);
\draw[draw=none,fill=magenta!20]([xshift=-\textwidth]x)rectangle(current page.north west);}}}}%
{\backgroundsetup{angle=0,position={0.9\textwidth,-
.7\textheight},%
contents={\tikz[remember picture,overlay]{ %
\coordinate (x) at (current page marginpar area.south east|-current page.south east);
\draw[draw=none,fill=orange!20](x)rectangle(current page.north east);}}}}%
\BgMaterial
\else
\fi}

\usepackage{lipsum} % dummy text
\BgMattrue% activate colored margins
\begin{document}
\lipsum[1-8]

\clearpage
\BgMatfalse% deactivate colored margins
\lipsum[1-8]

\clearpage
\BgMattrue% activate colored margins
\lipsum[1-8]
\end{document}


• Thank you the example works perfectly for the article document class but not for the revtex4-1 document class which I have to use. – Enders Jul 31 '13 at 7:02

You can define a pagestyle and use it when needed.

\documentclass[twoside]{article}

\usepackage{tikz}               % you know what this does!
\usetikzlibrary{calc}

\usepackage{fancyhdr}         % put things headers and footers and we plan misuse it ;)
\usepackage{lipsum}           % for sample text

\fancypagestyle{mypage}{%
\fancyhf{}
\begin{tikzpicture}[overlay,remember picture]
\fill [color=blue] (current page.north west) rectangle
($(current page.south west) + (1cm,0cm)$);
\end{tikzpicture}
}
\begin{tikzpicture}[overlay,remember picture]
\fill [color=orange](current page.north east) rectangle
($(current page.south east) + (-1cm,0cm)$);
\end{tikzpicture}
}
\fancyfoot[C]{\thepage}
\renewcommand{\footrulewidth}{0pt}
}

\begin{document}
\pagestyle{mypage}   % activate colored margins
\lipsum[1-8]

\clearpage
\pagestyle{plain}    % deactivate colored margins
\lipsum[1-8]

\clearpage
\pagestyle{mypage}   % activate colored margins
\lipsum[1-8]

\end{document}