(eplain.info)Multiple columns

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4.16 Multiple columns
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Eplain provides for double, triple, and quadruple column output: say
'\doublecolumns', '\triplecolumns', or '\quadcolumns', and from that
point on, the manuscript will be set in columns. To go back to one
column, say '\singlecolumn'.

   You may need to invoke '\singlecolumn' to balance the columns on the
last page of output.

   To do a "column eject", i.e., move to the top of the next column, do
'\columnfill'. This does not actually force an eject, however: it merely
inserts an unbreakable space of (essentially) size '\@normalvsize' minus
'\pagetotal' (where '\@normalvsize' is the usual height of the page; to
implement multicolumns, Eplain multiplies '\vsize' itself by the number
of columns). In most circumstances, a column break will be forced after
this space (during the column splitting operation when the whole page is
output). Bugs are easily possible, unfortunately.

   The columns are separated by the value of the dimen parameter
'\gutter'. Default value is two picas. If you want to add vertical
material between the columns, use '\gutterbox'. For example, to put a
vertical line between columns, define '\gutterbox' as

     \def\gutterbox{\vbox to \dimen0{\vfil\hbox{\vrule height\dimen0}\vfil}}%

The dimension counter '\dimen0' contains the height of the column.

   All the '\...columns' macros insert the value of the glue parameter
'\abovecolumnskip' before the multicolumn text, and the value of the
glue parameter '\belowcolumnskip' after it. The default value for both
of these parameters is '\bigskipamount', i.e., one linespace in plain
TeX.

   The macros take into account only the insertion classes defined by
plain TeX; namely, footnotes and '\topinsert's. If you have additional
insertion classes, you will need to change the implementation.

   Also, Eplain makes insertions the full page width. There is no
provision for column-width insertions.