X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil t nil]
	[nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil])
Date:         Wed, 18 Jul 90 11:30:50 CET
From: Rainer Schoepf <BK4@DHDURZ1.bitnet>
Organization: Inst. f. Theor. Physik d. Univ. Heidelberg
Subject:      Re: two-column output
To: LaTeX-L Mailing list <LATEX-L@DHDURZ1.uucp>
In-Reply-To:  Message of Tue, 17 Jul 90 15:09:00 UT+2 from <POPPELIER@HUTRUU53>
Status: R
X-Status: 
X-Keywords:                  
X-UID: 197

If I understand Nico's problem correctly he wants either
a) the length of the double-column figure to be a multiple of
   \baselineskip, or
b) some additional stretchable glue at the top of the right-hand column.

Modifying LaTeX's output routine to do the first thing is certainly
non-trivial; but he could try to increase the length of the figure
by hand (suitable only if this happens rarely).  I looked into the code
last evening and saw that there is some provision for the second case.
[Frank: correct me if I'm wrong; I haven't attained your deep insights
into LaTeX's output routine yet]

LaTeX knows of two macros \@texttop and \@textbottom that are expanded
just above resp. below the output box that contains the current column.
\flushbottom, for example, is basically defined as
 \def\@textbottom{\vskip 0pt plus 1fil}
To get extra effects at the top you have to redefine \@texttop.  You
may also use the @firstcolumn switch to determine whether you are
dealing with the left or right column.

Does this information help?

Rainer