Is there a way to give LaTeX a hint on the maximum number of pages I would like the document to have, so LaTeX at least tries to not exceed this maximum if possible?
+3
A:
No. LaTeX optimizes text at page level but not document level. So there is no way to automatically squeeze the text into a maximum number of pages. However, there are lots of ways to squeeze things in order to reduce the number of pages. See this blog post on "Squeezing space with LaTeX".
Rob Hyndman
2010-04-27 11:19:44
The link is good, but putting the content here would be better ;-)
Joachim Sauer
2010-04-27 11:23:26
A:
It's good to look at the suggested answer but you should ask yourself why you would like to force LaTeX to restrict the number of pages. With LaTeX you should be focusing on the content and leave most of the formatting for the TeX system. If you're writing too much then learn how to reformulate your words more concisely. Trying to have abnormal settings in LaTeX internal variables may in the end lead to a document that's not aesthetically pleasing.
yCalleecharan
2010-04-27 15:40:46