---
name: "lamed"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "texlive-formats-extra"
version: "2018.20190227-2"
release: "Debian 10 (Buster)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/latex"
---

# lamed(1)

structured text formatting and typesetting

Part of [latex(1)](/latex/1.md).

## NAME

latex, pdflatex, xelatex, lualatex, dvilualatex, cslatex, pdfcslatex, platex, uplatex, lamed - structured text formatting and typesetting

## SYNOPSIS

**latex** \[*first-line*\]

## DESCRIPTION

This manual page is a mere skeleton.

The LaTeX language is described in the book *LaTeX - A Document Preparation System*. LaTeX is a TeX macro package, not a modification to the TeX source program, so all the capabilities described in [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md) are present.

The LaTeX macros encourage writers to think about the content of their documents, rather than the form.  The ideal, very difficult to realize, is to have no formatting commands (like \`\`switch to italic'' or \`\`skip 2 picas'') in the document at all; instead, everything is done by specific markup instructions: \`\`emphasize'', \`\`start a section''.

The primary source of documentation for LaTeX is the LaTeX manual  referenced below.

**lualatex**, **pdflatex**, **pdfcslatex**, **platex**, **uplatex**, **xelatex** are LaTeX formats based on the respective engines.  All output PDF by default.\
 **lamed** is the Aleph-based LaTeX format (DVI output).\
 **dvilualatex** is LuaTeX-based and outputs DVI.\
 **cslatex** is csTeX-based (primitives integrated into pdfTeX) and outputs DVI.

On some systems **latex209** and **slitex** may still be available for compatibility with older versions of LaTeX.  These should not be used for new texts.

## SEE ALSO

[**amstex**(1)](/amstex/1.md), [**luatex**(1)](/luatex/1.md), [**pdftex**(1)](/pdftex/1.md), [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md), [**xetex**(1)](/xetex/1.md).

Leslie Lamport, *LaTeX - A Document Preparation System*, Addison-Wesley, 1985, ISBN 020115790X.

Frank Mittelbach, Michel Goossens, Johannes Braams, David Carlisle, and Chris Rowley,  *LaTeX Companion*, Addison-Wesley, 2004, ISBN 0201362996 (2nd edition).

The LaTeX home page is http://latex-project.org.\
 A list of some LaTeX tutorials is at http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=man-latex.\
 An unofficial reference manual for LaTeX is at https://ctan.org/pkg/latex2e-help-texinfo.