stocksize — A flexible LaTeX package for dynamic paper size management in PDF documents

Overview

The stocksize package provides commands to query, modify, and restore the physical stock (paper) size within a LaTeX document. It supports nested page size changes, automatic margin preservation, and integrates seamlessly with the geometry package. This package is ideal for workflows requiring adaptive page formats, multi-format printing, or dynamic layouts.

Use Cases

• Mixed-format documents: Combine A4, A5, and custom sizes in one PDF.
• Design layouts: Create brochures, flyers, or booklets with varying page sizes.
• Reports with appendices: Different page sizes for different sections.
• International documents: Mix different paper standards (A4, Letter, etc.)

Features

• ✨ Dynamic page sizing: Change paper dimensions mid-document.
• 🪆 Nested sizes: Stack multiple page sizes with automatic LIFO restoration.
• 🧮 Margin preservation: Optionally keep and restore existing margins when resizing.
• ⚙️ Compatible: Minimal dependencies and easy integration.
• 🔍 Debugging support: Provides macros for easy querying of paper width and height.
• 🧰 Simple API: Minimal commands to master.
• 🧩 Geometry integration: Works with standard LaTeX classes and geometry setups.
• 🧠 Multi-engine support: Works with pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, and LuaLaTeX.
• 🧾 Documented: Companion documentation (stocksize-doc.tex) included.

Quick Start

Installation

Place stocksize.sty in your project directory or LaTeX package path.

📖 Commands

=> \newstocksize{options}

Starts a new page with the given paper (stock) size. The subsequent pages will keep this new paper size.

Options:

Example:

\newstocksize{layoutsize={20cm,25cm}, margin=2cm}
\newstocksize{a5paper, margin=1cm}  % Using preset sizes
\newstocksize{layoutsize={10cm,15cm}, keepmargins}  % Keep current margins

=> \restorestocksize

Restores the previous page size. Works in Last In First Out (LIFO) fashion, allowing nested size changes to be unwound correctly.

Example:

\newstocksize{layoutsize={15cm,10cm}, margin=1.5cm}
  Content here...

  \newstocksize{layoutsize={20cm,20cm}, margin=4cm}
    Content here...
  \restorestocksize

  Back to 15cm×10cm
\restorestocksize

Back to default size

How It Works

The stocksize package modifies the actual PDF page size using engine-specific commands:

• pdfLaTeX: changes \pdfpageheight and \pdfpagewidth.
• XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX: changes \pageheight and \pagewidth.

When you use \newstocksize, the package:

1. Saves the current layout configuration.
2. Applies your new geometry settings via the geometry package.
3. Updates the physical PDF page dimensions accordingly.

When you use \restorestocksize, it reverses these steps in order.

Package Information

• Version: 1.0.4 (2025/11/05)
• Author: João M. Lourenço
• License: LaTeX Project Public License (LPPL) v1.3c or later
• Dependencies: geometry package (automatically loaded if needed)
• Compatibility: pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, LuaLaTeX

Documentation

For detailed examples and advanced usage, see stocksize-doc.tex in the repository.

Contributing

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please open an issue on the GitHub repository.

License

This package is distributed under the LaTeX Project Public License (LPPL) v1.3c or later.

Made with ❤️ by João M. Lourenço