groff_mom(7)

💅 NAME

groff_mom — modern macros for document composition with GNU roff ✨ (like, the glow-up your documents deserve, no cap)

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🌸 SYNOPSIS

groff -mom [option ...] [file ...]

groff -m mom [option ...] [file ...]

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🎀 DESCRIPTION

okay so bestie, mom is a macro set for groff, and she's designed primarily to prepare documents for PDF and PostScript output. Iconic behaviour, honestly.

mom hands you macros in two whole categories:

• typesetting — these give you access to groff's typesetting capabilities in ways that are simpler to master than groff's requests and escape sequences. Like, way simpler. You're welcome.
• document processing — these are highly customizable markup tags that let you design and output professional-looking documents with a minimum of typesetting intervention. main character energy fr fr.

Files processed with pdfmom(1) produce PDF documents 💖. And those documents include a PDF outline that shows up in the navigation pane panel of document viewers, and they may contain clickable internal and external links. slay.

Normally, groff's native PDF driver, gropdf(1), is what generates the output. But when pdfmom is given the -T ps option, it still produces PDF — processing just gets delegated to pdfroff, which uses groff's PostScript driver, grops(1). Heads up though: not all PDF features are available when -T ps is given; its primary use is to allow processing of files with embedded PostScript images. 🫶

Files processed with groff -mom (or -m mom) format for the device specified with the -T option. (In this installation, ps is the default output device.) 👑

mom comes with her own comprehensive documentation in HTML. There's also a PDF manual, “Producing PDFs with groff and mom”, that discusses preparation of PDF documents with mom in detail. She's thorough, we love that for her.

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🦋 FILES

• /usr/share/groff/1.24.2/tmac/mom.tmac — is a wrapper enabling the package to be loaded with the option -m mom.
• /usr/share/groff/1.24.2/tmac/om.tmac — implements the package. (yes, the real one. the wrapper's bestie.)
• /usr/share/doc/groff-1.24.2/html/mom/toc.html — is the entry point to the HTML documentation.
• /usr/share/doc/groff-1.24.2/pdf/mom-pdf.pdf — is “Producing PDFs with groff and mom”, by Deri James and Peter Schaffter. 💜
• /usr/share/doc/groff-1.24.2/examples/mom/*.mom — are examples of mom usage.

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🔥 REFERENCE

⭐ Escape sequences

• \*[<colorname>] — begin using an initialized colour inline
• \*[BCK n] — move backward in a line
• \*[BOLDER] — invoke pseudo bold inline (related to macro .SETBOLDER)
• \*[BOLDERX] — off pseudo bold inline (related to macro .SETBOLDER)
• \*[BU n] — move characters pairs closer together inline (related to macro .KERN)
• \*[COND] — invoke pseudo condensing inline (related to macro .CONDENSE)
• \*[CONDX] — off pseudo condensing inline (related to macro .CONDENSE)
• \*[CONDSUP]...\*[CONDSUPX] — pseudo-condensed superscript
• \*[DOWN n] — temporarily move downward in a line
• \*[EN-MARK] — mark initial line of a range of line numbers (for use with line numbered endnotes)
• \*[EXT] — invoke pseudo extending inline (related to macro .EXTEND)
• \*[EXTX] — off pseudo condensing inline (related to macro .EXTEND) — yes, it literally says "condensing" for the extend one, that's the page as written, don't come for me 💀
• \*[EXTSUP]...\*[EXTSUPX] — pseudo extended superscript
• \*[FU n] — move characters pairs further apart inline (related to macro .KERN)
• \*[FWD n] — move forward in a line
• \*[LEADER] — insert leaders at the end of a line
• \*[RULE] — draw a full measure rule
• \*[SIZE n] — change the point size inline (related to macro .PT_SIZE)
• \*[SLANT] — invoke pseudo italic inline (related to macro .SETSLANT)
• \*[SLANTX] — off pseudo italic inline (related to macro .SETSLANT)
• \*[ST<n>]...\*[ST<n>X] — string tabs (mark tab positions inline)
• \*[SUP]...\*[SUPX] — superscript
• \*[TB+] — inline escape for .TN (Tab Next)
• \*[UL]...\*[ULX] — invoke underlining inline (fixed width fonts only)
• \*[UP n] — temporarily move upward in a line

🧚 Macros

• .AUTOLEAD — set the linespacing relative to the point size
• .B_MARGIN — set a bottom margin
• .BR — break a justified line
• .CENTER — set line-by-line quad centre
• .CONDENSE — set the amount to pseudo condense
• .EL — break a line without advancing on the page
• .EXTEND — set the amount to pseudo extend
• .FALLBACK_FONT — establish a fallback font (for missing fonts)
• .FAM — alias to .FAMILY
• .FAMILY <family> — set the family type
• .FT — set the font style (roman, italic, etc.)
• .HI [ <measure> ] — hanging indent
• .HY — automatic hyphenation on/off
• .HY_SET — set automatic hyphenation parameters
• .IB [ <left measure> <right measure> ] — indent both
• .IBX [ CLEAR ] — exit indent both
• .IL [ <measure> ] — indent left
• .ILX [ CLEAR ] — exit indent left
• .IQ [ CLEAR ] — quit any/all indents
• .IR [ <measure> ] — indent right
• .IRX [ CLEAR ] — exit indent right
• .JUSTIFY — justify text to both margins
• .KERN — automatic character pair kerning on/off
• .L_MARGIN — set a left margin (page offset)
• .LEFT — set line-by-line quad left
• .LL — set a line length
• .LS — set a linespacing (leading)
• .PAGE — set explicit page dimensions and margins
• .PAGEWIDTH — set a custom page width
• .PAGELENGTH — set a custom page length
• .PAPER <paper_type> — set common paper sizes (letter, A4, etc)
• .PT_SIZE — set the point size
• .QUAD — "justify" text left, centre, or right
• .R_MARGIN — set a right margin
• .RIGHT — set line-by-line quad right
• .SETBOLDER — set the amount of emboldening
• .SETSLANT — set the degree of slant
• .SPREAD — force justify a line
• .SS — set the sentence space size
• .T_MARGIN — set a top margin
• .TI [ <measure> ] — temporary left indent
• .WS — set the minimum word space size

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👑 DOCUMENTATION OF DETAILS

💫 Details of inline escape sequences in alphabetical order

• \*[<colorname>] — begin using an initialized colour inline
• \*[BCK n] — move backward in a line
• \*[BOLDER] \*[BOLDERX]

Emboldening on/off ✨

\*[BOLDER] begins emboldening type. \*[BOLDERX] turns the feature off. Both are inline escape sequences; therefore, they should not appear as separate lines — they need to be embedded in text lines, like this:

Not \*[BOLDER]everything\*[BOLDERX] is as it seems.

Alternatively, if you wanted the whole line emboldened, you should do:

\*[BOLDER]Not everything is as it seems.\*[BOLDERX]

Once \*[BOLDER] is invoked, it remains in effect until turned off. periodt.

Note: If you're using the document processing macros with .PRINTSTYLE TYPEWRITE, mom ignores \*[BOLDER] requests. 💀

• \*[BU n] — move characters pairs closer together inline (related to macro .KERN)
• \*[COND] \*[CONDX]

Pseudo-condensing on/off 🎀

\*[COND] begins pseudo-condensing type. \*[CONDX] turns the feature off. Both are inline escape sequences; therefore, they should not appear as separate lines — embed them in text lines, like this:

\*[COND]Not everything is as it seems.\*[CONDX]

\*[COND] remains in effect until you turn it off with \*[CONDX].

IMPORTANT: You must turn \*[COND] off before making any changes to the point size of your type, either via the .PT_SIZE macro or with the \s inline escape sequence. If you wish the new point size to be pseudo-condensed, simply reinvoke \*[COND] afterward. Equally, \*[COND] must be turned off before changing the condense percentage with .CONDENSE. Like, please. 🔴

Note: If you're using the document processing macros with .PRINTSTYLE TYPEWRITE, mom ignores \*[COND] requests.

• \*[CONDSUP]...\*[CONDSUPX] — pseudo-condensed superscript
• \*[DOWN n] — temporarily move downward in a line
• \*[EN-MARK] — mark initial line of a range of line numbers (for use with line numbered endnotes)
• \*[EXT] \*[EXTX]

Pseudo-extending on/off 🌈

\*[EXT] begins pseudo-extending type. \*[EXTX] turns the feature off. Both are inline escape sequences; therefore, they should not appear as separate lines — embed them in text lines, like this:

\*[EXT]Not everything is as it seems.\*[EXTX]

\*[EXT] remains in effect until you turn it off with \*[EXTX].

IMPORTANT: You must turn \*[EXT] off before making any changes to the point size of your type, either via the .PT_SIZE macro or with the \s inline escape sequence. If you wish the new point size to be pseudo-extended, simply reinvoke \*[EXT] afterward. Equally, \*[EXT] must be turned off before changing the extend percentage with .EXTEND. non-negotiable bestie 🔴

Note: If you are using the document processing macros with .PRINTSTYLE TYPEWRITE, mom ignores \*[EXT] requests.

• \*[EXTSUP]...\*[EXTSUPX] — pseudo extended superscript
• \*[FU n] — move characters pairs further apart inline (related to macro .KERN)
• \*[FWD n] — move forward in a line
• \*[LEADER] — insert leaders at the end of a line
• \*[RULE] — draw a full measure rule
• \*[SIZE n] — change the point size inline (related to macro .PT_SIZE)
• \*[SLANT] \*[SLANTX]

Pseudo italic on/off 🦋

\*[SLANT] begins pseudo-italicizing type. \*[SLANTX] turns the feature off. Both are inline escape sequences; therefore, they should not appear as separate lines — embed them in text lines, like this:

Not \*[SLANT]everything\*[SLANTX] is as it seems.

Alternatively, if you wanted the whole line pseudo-italicized, you'd do:

\*[SLANT]Not everything is as it seems.\*[SLANTX]

Once \*[SLANT] is invoked, it remains in effect until turned off.

Note: If you're using the document processing macros with .PRINTSTYLE TYPEWRITE, mom underlines pseudo-italics by default. To change this behaviour, use the special macro .SLANT_MEANS_SLANT. 💅

• \*[ST<number>]...\*[ST<number>X] — Mark positions of string tabs 🌸

okay so the quad direction has to be LEFT or JUSTIFY (peep .QUAD and .JUSTIFY) or the no-fill mode set to LEFT, otherwise these inlines just will not do their little job. Literally see IMPORTANT, below. 💅

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✨ string tabs, bestie ✨ — they need to be marked off with inline escape sequences before you set them up with the .ST macro. Any input line whatsoever can carry string tab markers. <number> from up above = the numeric identifier of the tab, iykyk.

Here's a sample input line with string tab markers, so you can see the vibe:

\*[ST1]De minimus\*[ST1X]non curat\*[ST2]lex\*[ST2X].

String tab 1 begins at the start of the line and ends after the word time. String tab 2 starts at good and ends after men. Inline escape sequences (e.g., font or point size changes, or horizontal movements, including padding) are taken into account when mom determines the position and length of string tabs. She's paying attention, fr fr. 🫶

Up to nineteen string tabs may be marked (not necessarily all on the same line, of course), and they must be numbered between 1 and 19.

Once string tabs have been marked in input lines, they have to be set with .ST, after which they may be called, by number, with .TAB.

Note: lines with string tabs marked off in them are normal input lines, i.e. they get printed, just like any input line. If you want to set up string tabs without the line printing, use the .SILENT macro. 🙈

IMPORTANT: owing to the way groff processes input lines and turns them into output lines, it is not possible for mom to guess the correct starting position of string tabs marked off in lines that are centered or set flush right.

Equally, she cannot guess the starting position if a line is fully justified and broken with .SPREAD. She's talented, not psychic. 😭

In other words, in order to use string tabs, LEFT must be active, or, if .QUAD LEFT or JUSTIFY are active, the line on which the string tabs are marked must be broken manually with .BR (but not .SPREAD).

To circumvent this behaviour, I recommend using the PAD to set up string tabs in centered or flush right lines. Say, for example, you want to use a string tab to underscore the text of a centered line with a rule. Rather than this:

.CENTER
\*[ST1]A line of text\*[ST1X]\c
.EL
.ST 1
.TAB 1
.PT_SIZE 24
.ALD 3p
\*[RULE]
.RLD 3p
.TQ

you should do:

.QUAD CENTER
.PAD "#\*[ST1]A line of text\*[ST1X]#"
.EL
.ST 1
.TAB 1
.PT_SIZE 24
.ALD 3p
\" You can't use \*[UP] or \*[DOWN] with \*[RULE].
.RLD 3p
.TQ

---

🌈 the inline escapes in question 🌈

• \*[SUP]...\*[SUPX] — superscript
• \*[TB+] — Inline escape for .TN (Tab Next)
• \*[UL]...\*[ULX] — invoke underlining inline (fixed width fonts only)
• \*[UP n] — temporarily move upward in a line

---

🎀 Details of macros in alphabetical order 🎀

.AUTOLEAD

set the linespacing relative to the point size ✨

.B_MARGIN <bottom margin>

Bottom Margin

Requires a unit of measure.

.B_MARGIN sets a nominal position at the bottom of the page beyond which you don't want your type to go. When the bottom margin is reached, mom starts a new page. .B_MARGIN requires a unit of measure. Decimal fractions are allowed. To set a nominal bottom margin of 3/4 inch, enter:

.B_MARGIN .75i

Obviously, if you haven't spaced the type on your pages so that the last lines fall perfectly at the bottom margin, the margin will vary from page to page. Usually, but not always, the last line of type that fits on a page before the bottom margin causes mom to start a new page.

Occasionally, owing to a peculiarity in groff, an extra line will fall below the nominal bottom margin. If you're using the document processing macros, this is unlikely to happen; the document processing macros are very hard-nosed about aligning bottom margins. She does not play about her bottom margins. 💅

Note: the meaning of .B_MARGIN is slightly different when you're using the document processing macros.

.FALLBACK_FONT <fallback font> [ ABORT | WARN ]

Fallback Font

In the event that you pass an invalid argument to .FAMILY (i.e. a non-existent family), mom, by default, uses the fallback font, Courier Medium Roman (CR), in order to continue processing your file. She's got a backup plan, always. 🦋

If you'd prefer another fallback font, pass .FALLBACK_FONT the full family+font name of the font you'd like. For example, if you'd rather the fallback font were Times Roman Medium Roman,

.FALLBACK_FONT TR

would do the trick.

Mom issues a warning whenever a font style set with .FT does not exist, either because you haven't registered the style or because the font style does not exist in the current family set with .FAMILY. By default, mom then aborts, which allows you to correct the problem. Very much giving tough love.

If you'd prefer that mom not abort on non-existent fonts, but rather continue processing using a fallback font, you can pass .FALLBACK_FONT the argument WARN, either by itself, or in conjunction with your chosen fallback font.

Some examples of invoking .FALLBACK_FONT:

• ``` .FALLBACK_FONT WARN

mom will issue a warning whenever you try to access a non-existent font but will continue processing your file with the default fallback font, Courier Medium Roman.

- ```
.FALLBACK_FONT TR WARN

mom will issue a warning whenever you try to access a non-existent font but will continue processing your file with a fallback font of Times Roman Medium Roman; additionally, TR will be the fallback font whenever you try to access a family that does not exist.

• ``` .FALLBACK_FONT TR ABORT

mom will abort whenever you try to access a non-existent font, and will use the fallback font `TR` whenever you try to access a family that does not exist. If, for some reason, you want to revert to `ABORT`, just enter `".FALLBACK_FONT ABORT"` and mom will once again abort on font errors.

### `.FAM <family>`

Type Family, alias of `.FAMILY`

### `.FAMILY <family>`

Type Family, alias of `.FAM`

`.FAMILY` takes one argument: the name of the family you want. Groff comes with a small set of basic families, each identified by a 1-, 2- or 3-letter mnemonic. The standard families are:

A = Avant Garde BM = Bookman H = Helvetica HN = Helvetica Narrow N = New Century Schoolbook P = Palatino T = Times Roman ZCM = Zapf Chancery

The argument you pass to `.FAMILY` is the identifier at left, above. For example, if you want Helvetica, enter:

.FAMILY H

> <yellow>Note:</yellow> the font macro (`.FT`) lets you specify both the type family and the desired font with a single macro. While this saves a few keystrokes, I recommend using `.FAMILY` for family, and `.FT` for font, except where doing so is genuinely inconvenient. `ZCM`, for example, only exists in one style: Italic (`I`).

Therefore,

.FT ZCMI

makes more sense than setting the family to `ZCM`, then setting the font to `I`.

<lavender>Additional note:</lavender> if you are running a groff version prior to `1.19.2`, you must follow **all** `.FAMILY` requests with a `.FT` request, otherwise mom will set all type up to the next `.FT` request in the fallback font. 😭

When running groff `1.19.2` or later, and you call the `.FAMILY` macro, mom remembers the font style (such as roman or italic) currently in use (if the font style exists in the new family) and continues to use the same font style in the new family. For example:

.FAMILY BM " Bookman family .FT I " Medium Italic <some text> " Bookman Medium Italic .FAMILY H " Helvetica family <more text> " Helvetica Medium Italic

However, if the font style does not exist in the new family, mom sets all subsequent type in the fallback font (by default, Courier Medium Roman) until she encounters a `.FT` call that's valid for the family.

For example, assuming you don't have the font Medium Condensed Roman (mom extension `CD`) in the Helvetica family:

.FAMILY UN " Univers family .FT CD " Medium Condensed <some text> " Univers Medium Condensed .FAMILY H " Helvetica family <more text> " Courier Medium Roman!

In the above example, you must follow `.FAMILY H` with a `.FT` request that's valid for Helvetica. No skipping steps, bestie. 🫶

Please see the **Appendices**, *Adding fonts to groff*, for information on adding fonts and families to groff, as well as to see a list of the extensions mom provides to groff's basic `R`, `I`, `B`, `BI` styles.

<cyan>Suggestion:</cyan> when adding families to groff, I recommend following the established standard for the naming families and fonts. For example, if you add the Garamond family, name the font files:

GARAMONDR GARAMONDI GARAMONDB GARAMONDBI

`GARAMOND` then becomes a valid family name you can pass to `.FAMILY`. (You could, of course, shorten `GARAMOND` to just `G`, or `GD`.) `R`, `I`, `B`, and `BI` after `GARAMOND` are the roman, italic, bold and bold-italic fonts respectively.

### `.FONT R | B | BI | <any other valid font style>`

Alias to `.FT`

### `.FT R | B | BI | <any other valid font style>`

**Set font**

By default, groff permits `.FT` to take one of four possible arguments specifying the desired font:

R = (Medium) Roman I = (Medium) Italic B = Bold (Roman) BI = Bold Italic

So, for example, if your family is Helvetica, entering

.FT B

will give you the <green>Helvetica bold</green> font. If your family were Palatino, you'd get the <green>Palatino bold</green> font. ✨

Mom considerably extends the range of arguments you can pass to `.FT`, making it way more convenient to add and access fonts of differing weights and shapes within the same family. 💅

Have a look <pink>here</pink> for a list of the weight/style arguments mom allows. Be aware, though: you must have the fonts, correctly installed and named, in order to use the arguments. (See <italic>Adding fonts to groff</italic> for instructions and information.) Please also read the <red>ADDITIONAL NOTE</red> found in the description of the `.FAMILY` macro. 🫶

How mom reacts to an invalid argument to `.FT` depends on which version of groff you're using. If your groff version is `1.19.2` or later, mom will issue a warning and, depending on how you've set up the fallback font, either continue processing using the fallback font, or abort (allowing you to correct the problem). In earlier versions, mom will silently continue processing, using either the fallback font or the font that was in effect prior to the invalid `.FT` call. 😭

`.FT` will also accept, as an argument, a full family and font name. For example,

.FT HB

will set subsequent type in <green>Helvetica Bold</green>. However, I strongly recommend keeping family and font separate except where doing so is genuinely inconvenient. 💖

For inline control of fonts, see <italic>Inline Escapes, font control</italic>.

---

**`.HI [ <measure> ]`** — hanging indent, and the optional argument <italic>requires</italic> a unit of measure. 🎀

A hanging indent looks like this:

The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge. You who so well know the nature of my soul will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat, at length I would be avenged...

The first line of text hangs outside the left margin. 👑

In order to use hanging indents, you must first have a left indent active (set with either `.IL` or `.IB`). Mom will not hang text outside the left margin set with `.L_MARGIN` or outside the left margin of a tab. No cap.

The first time you invoke `.HI`, you must give it a measure. If you want the first line of a paragraph to hang by, say, 1 pica, do

.IL 1P .HI 1P

Subsequent invocations of `.HI` do not require you to supply a measure; mom keeps track of the last measure you gave it. 🧚

Generally speaking, you should invoke `.HI` immediately prior to the line you want hung (i.e. without any intervening control lines). And because hanging indents affect only one line, there's no need to turn them off. Periodt.

> <red>IMPORTANT:</red> Unlike `IL`, `IR` and `IB`, measures given to `.HI` are **NOT** additive. Each time you pass a measure to `.HI`, the measure is treated literally.

**Recipe: A numbered list using hanging indents** 🍓

Note: mom has macros for setting lists. This recipe exists to demonstrate the use of hanging indents only.

.PAGE 8.5i 11i 1i 1i 1i 1i .FAMILY T .FT R .PT_SIZE 12 .LS 14 .JUSTIFY .KERN .SS 0 .IL \w'\0\0.' .HI \w'\0\0.' 1.\0The most important point to be considered is whether the answer to the meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything really is 42. We have no one's word on the subject except Mr. Adams's. .HI 2.\0If the answer to the meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything is indeed 42, what impact does this have on the politics of representation? 42 is, after all not a prime number. Are we to infer that prime numbers don't deserve equal rights and equal access in the universe? .HI 3.\0If 42 is deemed non-exclusionary, how do we present it as the answer and, at the same time, forestall debate on its exclusionary implications?

First, we invoke a left indent with a measure equal to the width of 2 figures spaces plus a period (using the `\w` inline escape). At this point, the left indent is active; text afterward would normally be indented. However, we invoke a hanging indent of exactly the same width, which hangs the first line (and first line only!) to the left of the indent by the same distance (in this case, that means “out to the left margin”). Because we begin the first line with a number, a period, and a figure space, the actual text (The most important point...) starts at exactly the same spot as the indented lines that follow. 🔥

Notice that subsequent invocations of `.HI` don't require a measure to be given. 🦋

Paste the example above into a file and preview it with

pdfmom filename.mom | ps2pdf - filename.pdf

to see hanging indents in action.

---

**`.IB [ <left measure> <right measure> ]`** — indent both, and the optional argument <italic>requires</italic> a unit of measure. 💜

`.IB` allows you to set or invoke a left and a right indent at the same time. 🌈

At its first invocation, you must supply a measure for both indents; at subsequent invocations when you wish to supply a measure, both must be given again. As with `.IL` and `.IR`, the measures are added to the values previously passed to the macro. Hence, if you wish to change just one of the values, you must give an argument of zero to the other.

A word of advice: If you need to manipulate left and right indents separately, use a combination of `.IL` and `.IR` instead of `.IB`. You'll save yourself a lot of grief. 🙈

A minus sign may be prepended to the arguments to subtract from their current values. The `\w` inline escape may be used to specify text-dependent measures, in which case no unit of measure is required. For example,

.IB \w'margarine' \w'jello'

left indents text by the width of the word <italic>margarine</italic> and right indents by the width of <italic>jello</italic>.

Like `.IL` and `.IR`, `.IB` with no argument indents by its last active values. See the brief explanation of how mom handles indents for more details. 🌸

Note: Calling a tab (with `.TAB <n>`) automatically cancels any active indents.

Additional note: Invoking `.IB` automatically turns off `.IL` and `.IR`.

---

**`.IL [ <measure> ]`** — indent left, and the optional argument <italic>requires</italic> a unit of measure. 🎀

`.IL` indents text from the left margin of the page, or if you're in a tab, from the left edge of the tab. Once IL is on, the left indent is applied uniformly to every subsequent line of text, even if you change the line length. 👑

The first time you invoke `.IL`, you must give it a measure. Subsequent invocations with a measure add to the previous measure. A minus sign may be prepended to the argument to subtract from the current measure. The `\w` inline escape may be used to specify a text-dependent measure, in which case no unit of measure is required. For example,

.IL \w'margarine'

indents text by the width of the word <italic>margarine</italic>. 🍓

With no argument, `.IL` indents by its last active value. See the brief explanation of how mom handles indents for more details.

Note: Calling a tab (with `.TAB <n>`) automatically cancels any active indents.

Additional note: Invoking `.IL` automatically turns off `IB`.

---

**`.IQ [ <measure> ]`** — IQ: quit any/all indents. 💀

> <red>IMPORTANT NOTE:</red> The original macro for quitting all indents was `.IX`. This usage has been deprecated in favour of `IQ`. `.IX` will continue to behave as before, but mom will issue a warning to `stderr` indicating that you should update your documents.

As a consequence of this change, `.ILX`, `.IRX` and `.IBX` may now also be invoked as `.ILQ`, `.IRQ` and `.IBQ`. Both forms are acceptable. ✨

Without an argument, the macros to quit indents merely restore your original margins and line length. The measures stored in the indent macros themselves are saved so you can call them again without having to supply a measure. 🫶

If you pass these macros the optional argument `CLEAR`, they not only restore your original left margin and line length, but also clear any values associated with a particular indent style. The next time you need an indent of the same style, you have to supply a measure again.

`.IQ CLEAR`, as you'd suspect, quits and clears the values for all indent styles at once. 🧚

---

**`.IR [ <measure> ]`** — indent right, and the optional argument <italic>requires</italic> a unit of measure. 💜

`.IR` indents text from the right margin of the page, or if you're in a tab, from the end of the tab. 🌈

The first time you invoke `.IR`, you must give it a measure. Subsequent invocations with a measure add to the previous indent measure. A minus sign may be prepended to the argument to subtract from the current indent measure. The `\w` inline escape may be used to specify a text-dependent measure, in which case no unit of measure is required. For example,

.IR \w'jello'

indents text by the width of the word <italic>jello</italic>. 🍓

With no argument, `.IR` indents by its last active value. See the brief explanation of how mom handles indents for more details.

Note: Calling a tab (with `.TAB <n>`) automatically cancels any active indents.

Additional note: Invoking `.IR` automatically turns off `IB`.

---

**`.L_MARGIN <left margin>`** — Left Margin. 👑

`L_MARGIN` establishes the distance from the left edge of the printer sheet at which you want your type to start. It may be used any time, and remains in effect until you enter a new value.

<pink>Left indents and tabs</pink> are calculated from the value you pass to `.L_MARGIN`, hence it's always a good idea to invoke it before starting any serious typesetting. A unit of measure is required. Decimal fractions are allowed. Therefore, to set the left margin at 3 picas (1/2 inch), you'd enter either

.L_MARGIN 3P

or

.L_MARGIN .5i

If you use the macros `.PAGE`, `.PAGEWIDTH` or `.PAPER` without invoking `.L_MARGIN` (either before or afterward), mom automatically sets `.L_MARGIN` to 1 inch.

> Note: `.L_MARGIN` behaves in a special way when you're using the document processing macros.

---

## ✨ `.MCO` — begin multi-column setting ✨

`.MCO` (Multi-Column On) is the macro you use to begin multi-column setting. It marks the current baseline as the top of your columns, for use later with `.MCR`. See the introduction to columns for an explanation of multi-columns and some sample input.

> Note: Do not confuse `.MCO` with the `.COLUMNS` macro in the document processing macros.

## 💅 `.MCR` — back to the top of your columns 💅

Once you've turned multi-columns on (with `.MCO`), `.MCR`, at any time, returns you to the top of your columns.

## 🦋 `.MCX` — exit multi-columns 🦋

.MCX [ <distance to advance below longest column> ]

Optional argument requires a unit of measure.

Exit multi-columns.

`.MCX` takes you out of any tab you were in (by silently invoking `.TQ`) and advances to the bottom of the longest column.

Without an argument, `.MCX` advances 1 linespace below the longest column.

Linespace, in this instance, is the leading in effect at the moment `.MCX` is invoked.

If you pass the *<distance>* argument to `.MCX`, it advances 1 linespace below the longest column (see above) PLUS the distance specified by the argument. The argument requires a unit of measure; therefore, to advance an extra 6 points below where `.MCX` would normally place you, you'd enter

.MCX 6p

> Note: If you wish to advance a precise distance below the baseline of the longest column, use `.MCX` with an argument of 0 (zero; no unit of measure required) in conjunction with the `.ALD` macro, like this:

.MCX 0 .ALD 24p

The above advances to precisely 24 points below the baseline of the longest column.

## 🎀 `.NEWPAGE` — fresh page, who dis 🎀

Whenever you want to start a new page, use `.NEWPAGE`, by itself with no argument. mom will finish up processing the current page and move you to the top of a new one (subject to the top margin set with `.T_MARGIN`).

## 🌸 `.PAGE` — dimensions and margins in one go 🌸

.PAGE <width> [ <length> [ <lm> [ <rm> [ <tm> [ <bm> ] ] ] ] ]

**All arguments require a unit of measure.**

> **IMPORTANT:** If you're using the document processing macros, `.PAGE` must come after `.START`. Otherwise, it should go at the top of a document, prior to any text. And remember, when you're using the document processing macros, top margin and bottom margin mean something slightly different than when you're using just the typesetting macros (see Top and bottom margins in document processing).

`.PAGE` lets you establish paper dimensions and page margins with a single macro. The only required argument is page width. The rest are optional, but they must appear in order and you can't skip over any. *<lm>*, *<rm>*, *<tm>* and *<bm>* refer to the left, right, top and bottom margins respectively.

Assuming your page dimensions are 11 inches by 17 inches, and that's all you want to set, enter

.PAGE 11i 17i

If you want to set the left margin as well, say, at 1 inch, PAGE would look like this:

.PAGE 11i 17i 1i

Now suppose you also want to set the top margin, say, at 1–1/2 inches. *<tm>* comes after *<rm>* in the optional arguments, but you can't skip over any arguments, therefore to set the top margin, you must also give a right margin. The `.PAGE` macro would look like this:

.PAGE 11i 17i 1i 1i 1.5i

required right---+ +---top margin margin

Clearly, `.PAGE` is best used when you want a convenient way to tell mom just the dimensions of your printer sheet (width and length), or when you want to tell her everything about the page (dimensions and all the margins), for example

.PAGE 8.5i 11i 45p 45p 45p 45p

This sets up an 8½ by 11 inch page with margins of 45 points (5/8-inch) all around.

Additionally, if you invoke `.PAGE` with a top margin argument, any macros you invoke after `.PAGE` will almost certainly move the baseline of the first line of text down by one linespace. To compensate, do

.RLD 1v

immediately before entering any text, or, if it's feasible, make `.PAGE` the last macro you invoke prior to entering text.

Please read the Important note on page dimensions and papersize for information on ensuring groff respects your `.PAGE` dimensions and margins.

## 📏 `.PAGELENGTH` — how long is your sheet? 📏

`.PAGELENGTH` tells mom how long your printer sheet is. It works just like `.PAGEWIDTH`.

Therefore, to tell mom your printer sheet is 11 inches long, you enter

.PAGELENGTH 11i

Please read the important note on page dimensions and papersize for information on ensuring groff respects your PAGELENGTH.

## 🌈 `.PAGEWIDTH` — how wide is your sheet? 🌈

The argument to `.PAGEWIDTH` is the width of your printer sheet.

`.PAGEWIDTH` requires a unit of measure. Decimal fractions are allowed. Hence, to tell mom that the width of your printer sheet is 8½ inches, you enter

.PAGEWIDTH 8.5i

Please read the Important note on page dimensions and papersize for information on ensuring groff respects your PAGEWIDTH.

## 🧚 `.PAPER` — preset paper sizes 🧚

`.PAPER` provides a convenient way to set the page dimensions for some common printer sheet sizes. The argument *<paper type>* can be one of: LETTER, LEGAL, STATEMENT, TABLOID, LEDGER, FOLIO, QUARTO, EXECUTIVE, 10x14, A3, A4, A5, B4, B5.

## 💜 `.PRINTSTYLE` 💜

No extra description shows up in this chunk — just the macro name hanging out. Carry on, bestie. 💅

## ⭐ `.PT_SIZE` — point size of type in points ⭐

Point size of type, does not require a unit of measure.

`.PT_SIZE` (Point Size) takes one argument: the size of type in points. Unlike most other macros that establish the size or measure of something, `.PT_SIZE` does not require that you supply a unit of measure since it's a near universal convention that type size is measured in points. Therefore, to change the type size to, say, 11 points, enter

.PT_SIZE 11

Point sizes may be fractional (e.g., 10.25 or 12.5).

You can prepend a plus or a minus sign to the argument to `.PT_SIZE`, in which case the point size will be changed by + or - the original value. For example, if the point size is 12, and you want 14, you can do

.PT_SIZE +2

then later reset it to 12 with

.PT_SIZE -2

The size of type can also be changed inline.

> Note: It is unfortunate that the pic preprocessor has already taken the name, PS, and thus mom's macro for setting point sizes can't use it. However, if you aren't using pic, you might want to alias `.PT_SIZE` as `.PS`, since there'd be no conflict. For example

.ALIAS PS PT_SIZE

would allow you to set point sizes with `.PS`.

## 🫶 `.R_MARGIN` — right margin, aka line length energy 🫶

Right Margin.

Requires a unit of measure.

> **IMPORTANT:** `.R_MARGIN`, if used, must come after `.PAPER`, `.PAGEWIDTH`, `.L_MARGIN`, and/or `.PAGE` (if a right margin isn't given to PAGE). The reason is that `.R_MARGIN` calculates line length from the overall page dimensions and the left margin.

Obviously, it can't make the calculation if it doesn't know the page width and the left margin.

`.R_MARGIN` establishes the amount of space you want between the end of typeset lines and the right hand edge of the printer sheet. In other words, it sets the line length. `.R_MARGIN` requires a unit of measure. Decimal fractions are allowed.

The line length macro (LL) can be used in place of `.R_MARGIN`. In either case, the last one invoked sets the line length. The choice of which to use is up to you. In some instances, you may find it easier to think of a section of type as having a right margin. In others, giving a line length may make more sense.

For example, if you're setting a page of type you know should have 6-pica margins left and right, it makes sense to enter a left and right margin, like this:

.L_MARGIN 6P .R_MARGIN 6P

That way, you don't have to worry about calculating the line length. On the other hand, if you know the line length for a patch of type should be 17 picas and 3 points, entering the line length with LL is much easier than calculating the right margin, e.g.,

.LL 17P+3p

If you use the macros `.PAGE`, `.PAGEWIDTH` or PAPER without invoking `.R_MARGIN` afterward, mom automatically sets `.R_MARGIN` to 1 inch. If you set a line length after these macros (with `.LL`), the line length calculated by `.R_MARGIN` is, of course, overridden.

> Note: `.R_MARGIN` behaves in a special way when you're using the document processing macros.

## 🍓 `.ST` — set those string tabs 🍓

.ST <tab number> L | R | C | J [ QUAD ]

After string tabs have been marked off on an input line (see `\*[ST]...\*[STX]`), you need to set them by giving them a direction and, optionally, the QUAD argument.

In this respect, `.ST` is like `.TAB_SET` except that you don't have to give `.ST` an indent or a line length (that's already taken care of, inline, by `\*[ST]...\*[STX]`).

If you want string tab 1 to be left, enter

.ST 1 L

If you want it to be left and filled, enter

.ST 1 L QUAD

If you want it to be justified, enter

.ST 1 J

## 🎯 `.TAB` — jump to a tab number 🎯

After tabs have been defined (either with `.TAB_SET` or `.ST`), `.TAB` moves to whatever tab number you pass it as an argument.

For example,

.TAB 3

moves you to tab 3. 💖

Heads-up bestie, because this one is a whole vibe check: `.TAB` **breaks the line right before it** and advances 1 linespace. So like…

.TAB 1 A line of text in tab 1. .TAB 2 A line of text in tab 2.

and on output you get

A line of text in tab 1. A line of text in tab 2.

Yeah — that second line is just floating there, no cap. If you actually want the tabs to line up (iconic behaviour, honestly), use `.TN` ("Tab Next") or, way more conveniently, the inline escape sequence `\*[TB+]`:

.TAB 1 A line of text in tab 1.*[TB+] A line of text in tab 2.

which produces

A line of text in tab 1. A line of text in tab 2.

✨ slay.

If the text inside your tabs runs to several lines and you want the **first** lines of each tab to align, you gotta use the multi-column macros. That's the move.

<cyan>Additional note, bestie:</cyan> any indents in effect before you call a tab are **automatically turned off** by TAB. So if you were happily zipping down the page with a left indent of 2 picas turned on, and you call a tab whose indent from the left margin is 6 picas, your new distance from the left margin will be 6 picas — *not* 6 picas plus the 2-pica indent. It does not stack. Periodt.

Tabs are **not** by nature columnar 🫠 which is a fancy way of saying: if the text inside a tab runs to several lines, calling another tab does not automatically move you to the baseline of the first line in the previous tab. Watch:

TAB 1 Carrots Potatoes Broccoli .TAB 2 $1.99/5 lbs $0.25/lb $0.99/bunch

produces, on output

Carrots Potatoes Broccoli $1.99/5 lbs $0.25/lb $0.99/bunch

See how the prices just slid down past the veggies? 💀 That's the whole thing. Use the multi-column macros if you want actual columns, iykyk.

---

### 🧡 `.TB` *<tab number>*

Alias to `.TAB`. That's it, that's the whole macro. Short king.

### 🌸 `.TI` [ *<measure>* ]

Temporary left indent — the optional argument requires a unit of measure.

A temporary indent is one that applies **only to the first line of text** that comes after it. Its chief use is indenting the first line of paragraphs. (Mom's `.PP` macro, for example, uses a temporary indent. Cute, right?)

The first time you invoke `.TI`, you **must** give it a measure. If you want to indent the first line of a paragraph by, say, 2 ems, do

.TI 2m

Subsequent invocations of `.TI` do not require you to supply a measure; mom keeps track of the last measure you gave it. She remembers. 💖

And because temporary indents are *temporary*, there's no need to turn them off. They just vibe out on their own.

> **IMPORTANT:** Unlike `.IL`, `.IR` and `IB`, measures given to `.TI` are **NOT** additive. In the following example, the second `.TI 2P` is exactly 2 picas.

.TI 1P The beginning of a paragraph... .TI 2P The beginning of another paragraph...

Not 4 picas. Not 2 picas plus whatever. Exactly 2 picas. 🎀

### 🦋 `.TN` — Tab Next

Inline escape `\*[TB+]`

`TN` moves over to the next tab in numeric sequence (tab *n*+1) **without advancing on the page**. See the NOTE in the description of the `.TAB` macro for an example of how `TN` works.

In tabs that aren't given the `QUAD` argument when they're set up with `.TAB_SET` or `ST`, you must terminate the line preceding `.TN` with the `\c` inline escape sequence. Conversely, if you *did* give a `QUAD` argument to `.TAB_SET` or `ST`, the `\c` **must not** be used. 🙈

If you find remembering whether to put in the `\c` bothersome (valid, honestly), you may prefer to use the inline escape alternative to `.TN`, `\*[TB+]`, which works consistently regardless of the fill mode. Main character energy: it just works.

> **Note:** You must put text in the input line immediately after `.TN`. **Stacking of `.TN`'s is not allowed.** In other words, you cannot do

.TAB 1 Some text\c .TN Some more text\c .TN .TN Yet more text

The above example, assuming tabs numbered from 1 to 4, should be entered

.TAB 1 Some text\c .TN Some more text\c .TN &\c .TN Yet more text

`\&` is a zero-width, non-printing character that groff recognizes as valid input — hence it meets the requirement for input text following `.TN`. Sneaky little icon. 👑

### 🎀 `.TQ`

`TQ` takes you out of whatever tab you were in, advances 1 linespace, and restores the left margin, line length, quad direction and fill mode that were in effect prior to invoking any tabs. It's the "okay we're done here, back to normal" macro. Love that for us.

### 💜 `.T_MARGIN` *<top margin>*

Top margin. Requires a unit of measure.

`.T_MARGIN` establishes the distance from the top of the printer sheet at which you want your type to start. It requires a unit of measure, and decimal fractions are allowed. To set a top margin of 2½ centimetres, you'd enter

.T_MARGIN 2.5c

`.T_MARGIN` calculates the vertical position of the first line of type on a page by treating the top edge of the printer sheet as a baseline. Therefore,

.T_MARGIN 1.5i

puts the baseline of the first line of type 1½ inches beneath the top of the page. Math queen. 📐

> **Note:** `.T_MARGIN` means something *slightly different* when you're using the document processing macros. See **Top and bottom margins** in **document processing** for an explanation.

> **IMPORTANT:** `.T_MARGIN` does **two** things: it establishes the top margin for pages that come *after* it, **and** it moves to that position on the *current* page. Because of that, `.T_MARGIN` should only be used at the top of a file (prior to entering text) or after `NEWPAGE`, like this:

.NEWPAGE .T_MARGIN 6P <text>

---

# 👑 AUTHORS 👑

Peter Schaffter wrote mom. Deri James added PDF support. Bernd Warken contributed this man page. Legends, all three of them. 🫶

---

# 🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

- `/usr/share/doc/groff-1.24.2/html/mom/toc.html` — mom manual (installed version)
- **mom** manual ⟨http://www.schaffter.ca/mom/momdoc/toc.html⟩ — (latest version)
- **mom** homepage ⟨http://www.schaffter.ca/mom/⟩
- *Groff: The GNU Implementation of troff*, by Trent A. Fisher and Werner Lemberg, is the primary groff manual. You can browse it interactively with `info groff`. Go read it bestie, it's giving reference material.
- `pdfmom(1)`, `groff(1)`, `troff(1)`

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And that's the whole page, babe! 🎉 This little masterpiece is **groff 1.24.2**, dated **2026-10-01** — go forth and set some absolutely gorgeous tabs. ✨💅🦋