# Latex geometry package giving an inconsistent binding offset [closed]

I'm trying to prepare a thesis which requires 4cm margins on the side where it will be bound (i.e, left hand side on odd numbered pages) with 2cm margins on the opposite side. I have been trying to use the geometry package with these options but get strange results. This code should replicate my problem:

\documentclass[a4paper]{book}
\usepackage[inner=2cm,outer=2cm,bindingoffset=2cm]{geometry}

\usepackage{lipsum}

\begin{document}
\lipsum[1-2]

\newpage

\lipsum[1-2]

\end{document}


This gives this output:

As you can see, the offsets are different between the two pages. I have tried forcing the text width to be 15cm which did nothing, and also using the asymmetric option with inner=4cm, outer=2cm.

Is there a way to correct this so that the opposite margins of even and odd pages are the same?

edit:

Using verbose and showframe with lipsum[1-10] as suggested by cfr gives:

I think the margins either side of the middle separation should be symmetrical and 2cm on each side.

# EDIT (cfr)

The following MWE:

\documentclass[a4paper]{book}
\usepackage[inner=2cm,outer=2cm,bindingoffset=2cm,verbose,nomarginpar]{geometry}
\usepackage{lipsum}

\begin{document}
\lipsum[1-20]
\end{document}


produces the following output on the console:

*geometry* driver: auto-detecting
*geometry* detected driver: pdftex
*geometry* verbose mode - [ preamble ] result:
* driver: pdftex
* paper: a4paper
* layout: <same size as paper>
* layoutoffset:(h,v)=(0.0pt,0.0pt)
* bindingoffset: 56.9055pt
* modes: twoside
* h-part:(L,W,R)=(56.9055pt, 426.79137pt, 56.9055pt)
* v-part:(T,H,B)=(101.40665pt, 591.5302pt, 152.11pt)
* \paperwidth=597.50787pt
* \paperheight=845.04684pt
* \textwidth=426.79137pt
* \textheight=591.5302pt
* \oddsidemargin=41.54102pt
* \evensidemargin=-15.36449pt
* \topmargin=-0.93083pt
* \topskip=10.0pt
* \footskip=25.29494pt
* \marginparwidth=0.0pt
* \marginparsep=0.0pt
* \columnsep=10.0pt
* \skip\footins=9.0pt plus 4.0pt minus 2.0pt
* \hoffset=0.0pt
* \voffset=0.0pt
* \mag=1000
* \@twocolumnfalse
* \@twosidetrue
* \@mparswitchtrue
* \@reversemarginfalse
* (1in=72.27pt=25.4mm, 1cm=28.453pt)


Note that the left margin, text width and right margin are calculated correctly:

* h-part:(L,W,R)=(56.9055pt, 426.79137pt, 56.9055pt)


426+3*57 makes up the total of 597 pts for the paper width. But there is no acknowledgement of the offset which this assumes:

* \hoffset=0.0pt


I'm not sure whether this should be positive (because the binding offset is positive) or negative (because the binding offset is less than 1in) but surely it ought not be zero? Moreover, the differences observed by the OP of roughly 5mm correspond more-or-less to the difference between 1in and 2cm, which is 4mm. Somehow, the calculations are not taking account of all of the desiderata selected.

But geometry always confuses me...?

## closed as off-topic by egreg, Svend Tveskæg, user11232, Mensch, MicoSep 23 '15 at 13:50

• This question does not fall within the scope of TeX, LaTeX or related typesetting systems as defined in the help center.
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.

• Welcome! Please post an example which produces the output you've shown. As it is, your code does not even produce a double-page spread because the first page is on the right and the second on the left. You need at least 3 pages. If I change the first \lipsum to print 1-10 rather than 1-2, I get 3 pages, but I do not get the problem you show in your screen shot. So I still can't reproduce the problem. – cfr Aug 24 '15 at 1:15
• If you say \usepackage{layout}, then you can get more information by inserting \layout into your document. Also add verbose,showframe to the options you pass geometry`. – cfr Aug 24 '15 at 1:17
• Hi cfr, thanks for your fast response. The code posted builds and shows what I screenshotted, however I added the dimensions on afterwards. I have edited the question to include more paragraphs as you suggest and the result of the showframe. The left hand margin on the even page is 2.5cm which I think should be 2cm. – Andrew Townroe Aug 24 '15 at 1:57
• You are printing it on A4 size paper, right? – JPi Aug 24 '15 at 2:22
• I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because the issue was due to a bad command line option passed to dvips, so nothing to do with geometry and just a user error. – egreg Sep 23 '15 at 12:24