---
name: "eplain"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "texlive-doc"
version: "2026.1-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/eplain"
---

# eplain(1)

expanded plain TeX

## NAME

eplain - expanded plain TeX

## SYNOPSIS

**eplain** \[ first-line \]

## DESCRIPTION

**eplain** is an extension of plain TeX originally described in the book *TeX for nroff for the Impatient*. It adds these features (among others) to plain TeX:

- •

  left-justified displays

- •

  double-column output

- •

  tables of contents

- •

  *\\hrule* and *\\vrule* with a different default than 0.4pt

- •

  time of day

- •

  verbatim file listing

- •

  generalized footnotes

- •

  blank and black boxes

- •

  citations using BibTeX

## FILES

- *eplain/doc/eplain.texi*

  TeXable documentation of **etex** macros in **texinfo** format.

- *eplain.info\**

  Online GNU Emacs [**info**(1)](/info/1.md) files produced from *eplain.texi*.

## SEE ALSO

https://tug.org/eplain/\
 https://ctan.org/pkg/graphics-pln\
 https://ctan.org/pkg/optex

[**texinfo**(5)](/texinfo/5.md), [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md),\
 Karl Berry, *eplain*, TUGboat 11(4), 571--572, 1990, https://tug.org/TUGboat/tb11-4/tb30resources.pdf\
 Paul W. Abrahams with Karl Berry and Kathryn A. Hargreaves, *TeX for nroff for the Impatient*, https://ctan.org/pkg/impatient