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I am restricted to a two-column and have a figure that I want to include in \textheight height with the caption on the other column. The figure spans exactly one column, but I don't know how to let the text fill the remaining white space of the "caption-column" above the caption. That's what I achieved so far:

two column page with figure filling an entire column

I highlighted the three different boxes:

  • blue: the figure filling an entire column
  • yellow: the caption of the figure
  • green: white-space to be filled with the normal text body

As you can see, the green box is empty, because it apparently belongs to the figure and the text continues on the next page. So far, I've been using the SCfigure environment, but I'm happy to use any other solution:

\begin{SCfigure*}
 \includegraphics[height=\textheight]{figurefile}
 \caption{my caption text tec.}
 \label{fig:myfigure}
\end{SCfigure*}

Is there anything I can do to have the text body floating above the side caption?

UPDATE:

I created a minimal working example:

\documentclass[a4paper,10pt,twocolumn]{scrartcl}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{lipsum}
\usepackage{sidecap}

\begin{document}
\lipsum[1-10]

\begin{SCfigure*}
\includegraphics[height=\textheight]{pic.png} 
\caption{blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah}
\end{SCfigure*}

\lipsum[1-10]
\end{document}

The corresponding figure pic.png is available from imgur.

5
  • 1
    What \documentclass are you using? Would you be so kind as to supply the community with a minimal working example (MWE)?
    – Werner
    Jul 20, 2015 at 23:12
  • 1
    I think this is not really possible. If the yellow and blue box belong together, I don't know any mechanism which could achieve this layout. Maybe one could achieve something similar with the yellow box at the top of the page and the green box under it: By putting a \captionof into a \parbox into \afterpage directly after (or in) the figure environment. But again, I am not sure if that can be made to work or would be reliable. Jul 20, 2015 at 23:25
  • I'm using a document class which was provided by a journal. But it doesn't matter, the same problem applies for a simple two-column scratcl..
    – binfalse
    Jul 21, 2015 at 0:07
  • I don't think this is possible with the current state of things. Could placing the caption as a margin note be an option? Jul 21, 2015 at 1:58
  • As this is supposed to be printed by a proper journal margin notes are not an option.. :(
    – binfalse
    Jul 21, 2015 at 9:04

1 Answer 1

1

To elaborate on my previous comment: I don't know how to get the caption at the bottom of the page, but if you can live with the caption going on top of the next column, you might try something like this:

\documentclass[a4paper,10pt,twocolumn]{scrartcl}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{lipsum}
\usepackage{sidecap}
\usepackage{afterpage}

\begin{document}
\lipsum[1-10]

\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[height=\textheight]{pic.png}%
\afterpage{%
\captionof{figure}{blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah}%
\medskip%
}%
\end{figure}

\lipsum[1-10]

\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[height=\textheight]{pic.png}%
\afterpage{%
\captionof{figure}{blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah}%
\medskip%
}%
\end{figure}
\lipsum[1-10]
\end{document}

The first picture in there is rendered as follows:

picture + caption on top of next column.

This solution, however, is quite dodgy. It will only work if your figure happens to appear on the left column. In this case, it will render the caption to the top of the right column. If your figure happens to appear on the right column (as in the second time when I include your example image), then the caption will appear on the next page's left column.

Another issue is that it seemingly does not work with SCfigure or SCfigure*, but it does work with figure.

I though this is as close as you can get to what you want to have, but then it came to me:

UPDATE

On second thought: You can actually have what you want, if we add some more dodginess. How about:

\documentclass[a4paper,10pt,twocolumn]{scrartcl}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{lipsum}
\usepackage{sidecap}
\usepackage{afterpage}

\begin{document}
\lipsum[1-10]

\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[height=\textheight]{pic.png}%
\afterpage{%
\begin{figure}[b]%
\caption{blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah}%
\end{figure}%
}%
\end{figure}

\lipsum[1-10]

\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[height=\textheight]{pic.png}%
\afterpage{%
\begin{figure}[b]%
\caption{blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah}%
\end{figure}%
}%
\end{figure}
\lipsum[1-10]
\end{document}

This will lead to

The actual wanted design.

We achieve getting the caption to the bottom of the next column by putting it into another figure with bottom placement. This will then float to the bottom of the column. Of course, this still only works if you get the first figure to appear in the left column (and probably will fail if there are other things floating around).

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