Chapter 2: Calculating the Page Layout with typearea 50

Table 2.6.: Output driver for option pagesize=output driver

auto
Uses output driver pdftex if the pdfTEX-specific lengths \pdfpagewidth and
\pdfpageheight or the luaTEX-specific lengths \pagewidth and \pageheight are
defined. In addition, the output driver dvips will also be used. This setting is in
principle also suitable for XETEX.
automedia
Almost the same as auto but if the VTEX-specific lengths \mediawidth and
\mediaheight are defined, they will be set as well.
false, no, off
Does not set any output driver and does not send page size information to the output
driver.
dvipdfmx
v3.05a Writes the paper size into DVI files using \special{pagesize=width ,height }.
The name of the output driver is dvipdfmx because the application dvipdfmx handles
such specials not just in the preamble but in the document body too.
dvips
Using this option in the preamble sets the paper size using \special
{pagesize=width ,height }. Since the dvips driver cannot handle changes of paper
size in the inner document pages, a hack is required to achieve such changes. Use
changes of paper size after \begin{document} at your own risk, if you are using
dvips!
pdftex, luatex
v3.20 Sets paper size using the pdfTEX-specific lengths \pdfpagewidth and
\pdfpageheight or the luaTEX-specific lengths \pagewidth and \pageheight. You
can do this at any time in your document.

data file is created — whether by LATEX or by pdfLATEX — then a \special is

written at the start of this data file.

If you use an older version of typearea, you should always specify the pagesize option, because
older versions of typearea did not set them by default. As a rule, the method without an output
driver or with auto or automedia is convenient.