setspace and line spacing in Scissor LaTeX
Not yet. setspace loads without errors, but line spacing cannot be changed: \onehalfspacing, \doublespacing, \singlespacing and \linespread are ignored, the doublespace and onehalfspace environments keep their text at normal spacing, and \begin{spacing}{1.5} prints "1.5" before the text, so leave that environment out.
What the package does
setspace changes the distance between lines, as theses and manuscripts often require:
\singlespacing,\onehalfspacingand\doublespacingset the spacing for the rest of the document;\setstretch{1.25}sets any factor;- the environments
singlespace,onehalfspace,doublespaceandspacing(\begin{spacing}{1.5}) change it for a part of the text.
LaTeX's own \linespread{1.3} does something similar without a package.
What works here
| Command | In Scissor LaTeX | Notes |
|---|---|---|
\usepackage{setspace}, options onehalfspacing, doublespacing | Left out | Accepted; the lines keep the normal spacing. |
\singlespacing, \onehalfspacing, \doublespacing | Left out | Ignored without a message, in the preamble and in the body. |
\linespread{...} | Left out | Ignored without a message. |
\setstretch{...} | Left out | Ignored in the preamble. In the body it is skipped with a Problems note and the number is printed. |
singlespace, onehalfspace, doublespace environments | Left out | The text is kept at normal spacing. |
\begin{spacing}{1.5} | Not supported | The text is kept, but "1.5" is printed before it, without a message. |
The line spacing comes from the class and its font size option (10pt, 11pt, 12pt); see Paragraphs, line breaks and spacing.
Examples
The commands are accepted and change nothing, so a thesis preamble typesets as it is:
\onehalfspacing is accepted and ignored
\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\usepackage{setspace}
\onehalfspacing
\begin{document}
Hans Mustermann's thesis asks for one-and-a-half line spacing.
Here the lines keep their normal distance; a TeX installation
spaces them out. The 44 pages of the draft stay readable either
way.
\end{document}
The spacing environment prints its argument. Leave it out here, or use \onehalfspacing in the preamble, which a TeX installation applies:
\begin{spacing}{1.5} prints 1.5
\begin{spacing}{1.5}
Erika Mustermann's abstract, which should be spaced out.
\end{spacing}Compatibility
- From a TeX installation to here: the text is kept, but at normal line spacing, and documents with the
spacingenvironment show its number. The page count is lower than with double spacing. - From here to a TeX installation: documents compile there unchanged, and the spacing commands take effect there.
The full manual is on CTAN: ctan.org/pkg/setspace. See also Paragraphs, line breaks and spacing and Packages that need no action.
Questions and answers
How do I set double line spacing in LaTeX?
Load \usepackage{setspace} and write \doublespacing in the preamble. Scissor LaTeX accepts it but keeps normal spacing; the PDF from a TeX installation is double spaced.
Why does "1.5" appear in my document?
The spacing environment is not supported, so its argument is printed as text. Remove \begin{spacing}{1.5} and \end{spacing}, and write \onehalfspacing in the preamble instead.
Every example on this page is typeset by Scissor LaTeX when the site is built. Last updated 2026-11-07.