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<head>
<title>UK TeX FAQ -- question label linespace</title>
</head><body>
<h3>Double-spaced documents in LaTeX</h3>
<p/>A quick and easy way of getting inter-line space for copy-editing is
to change <code>\</code><code>baselinestretch</code> &mdash; <code>\</code><code>linespread{1.2}</code> (or,
equivalently <code>\</code><code>renewcommand{<code>\</code><code>baselinestretch</code>}{1.2}</code>) may
be adequate.  Note that <code>\</code><code>baselinestretch</code> changes don&rsquo;t take
effect until you select a new font, so make the change in the preamble
before any font is selected.  Don&rsquo;t try changing <code>\</code><code>baselineskip</code>:
its value is reset at any size-changing command so that results will
be inconsistent.
<p/>For preference (and certainly for a production document, such as a
dissertation or an article submission), use a line-spacing package.
The only one currently supported is <i>setspace</i> (do <em>not</em>
be tempted by <i>doublespace</i> &mdash; its performance under current
LaTeX is at best problematical).  <i>Setspace</i> switches off
double-spacing at places where even the most die-hard official would
doubt its utility (footnotes, figure captions, and so on); it&rsquo;s very
difficult to do this consistently if you&rsquo;re manipulating
<code>\</code><code>baselinestretch</code> yourself.
<p/>Of course, the real solution (other than for private copy editing) is
<em>not</em> to use double-spacing at all.  Universities, in particular,
have no excuse for specifying double-spacing in submitted
dissertations: LaTeX is a typesetting system, not a
typewriter-substitute, and can (properly used) make single-spaced text
even more easily readable than double-spaced typewritten text.  If you
have any influence on your university&rsquo;s system (for example, through
your dissertation supervisor), it may be worth attempting to get the
rules changed (at least to permit a &ldquo;well-designed book&rdquo; format).
<p/>Double-spaced submissions are also commonly required when submitting
papers to conferences or journals.  Fortunately (judging by the
questions from users in this author&rsquo;s department), this demand is
becoming less common.
<p/>Documentation of <i>setspace</i> appears as TeX comments in the
package file itself.
<dl>
<dt><tt><i>setspace.sty</i></tt><dd><a href="http://www.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/setspace/setspace.sty">macros/latex/contrib/setspace/setspace.sty</a>
</dl>
<p/><p>This question on the Web: <a href="http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=linespace">http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=linespace</a>
</body>