Configuring the KOMA-Script report class (scrreprt).
The KOMA-Script report class, scrreprt, replaces the standard LaTeX report class with modern European typographic defaults, flexible font switching, and built-in margin calculation. It gives you chapter-level document structure, a dedicated abstract environment, and single-sided defaults tailored for theses and technical reports.
The short answer: replace \documentclass{report} with \documentclass[fontsize=11pt,paper=a4,parskip=half]{scrreprt}. This enables KOMA-Script's layout engine, allowing you to control margins via DIV and BCOR in typearea, customize running headers with scrlayer-scrpage, and change heading fonts with \setkomafont{disposition}{...} without loading extra packages.
Minimal working setup for scrreprt
The scrreprt class drops straight into existing projects while unlocking extensive key-value options in the document class call.
Standard LaTeX report was created decades ago with fixed US Letter dimensions and rigid hardcoded styling. Switching to scrreprt lets you configure margins, paragraph separation, and heading appearance directly from the class options, avoiding conflicts between competing geometry or title packages.
A baseline configuration for an academic report or master's thesis specifies paper size, base font size, binding correction, and paragraph spacing right in the preamble:
A standard scrreprt thesis template
Here is a complete, working starter document using the scrreprt class with modern typography, UTF-8 font encoding, and standard packages.
Starter preamble and document skeleton
This setup establishes standard A4 geometry, enables paragraph spacing with an indentation indent drop, and sets up bilingual header styles.
\documentclass[ paper=a4, fontsize=11pt, parskip=half, BCOR=10mm, DIV=12, bibliography=totoc, listof=totoc, titlepage=firstiscover ]{scrreprt} \usepackage[utf8]{inputenc} \usepackage[T1]{fontenc} \usepackage{lmodern} \usepackage[english]{babel} \usepackage{scrlayer-scrpage} \clearpairofpagestyles \ohead{\headmark} \ofoot*{\pagemark} \automark[section]{chapter} \title{Investigation into Renewable Storage Systems} \subtitle{Technical Evaluation and Cost Models} \author{Alex Vance} \date{\today} \publishers{Department of Applied Engineering} \begin{document} \maketitle \begin{abstract} This technical report assesses grid-scale energy storage options. \end{abstract} \tableofcontents \chapter{Introduction} \section{Background} Energy storage systems bridge output variations across seasonal cycles. \chapter{Methodology} \section{Data Collection} Measurements were collected hourly from grid monitoring stations. \end{document}
scrreprt vs report, scrartcl, and scrbook
Understanding where scrreprt sits in the KOMA-Script family helps prevent common structural mistakes.
Page geometry and margins with typearea
KOMA-Script classes automatically load typearea, an engine that calculates text margins using classical typographic proportions.
How to set and recalculate margins
When you load special fonts like Palatino or Times after the documentclass line, letter widths change. You must instruct typearea to recalculate the page geometry.
Recalculating after font loading
Always issue \recalculatepage or pass DIV=calc after importing custom font packages like newtxtext or charter. This ensures text line width matches the actual alphabet length.
\documentclass[paper=a4,fontsize=11pt,BCOR=8mm]{scrreprt} \usepackage{newtxtext,newtxmath} \KOMAoptions{DIV=last} % recalculates based on new font metrics \typearea[current]{last}Choosing between paragraph indentation and paragraph gaps
Academic papers traditionally use paragraph indents without blank lines. Technical reports often prefer blank lines between paragraphs. Configure this cleanly with the parskip option rather than setting \parindent or \parskip by hand.
% Options: false (default indent), half (half-line gap), full (full-line gap) \KOMAoptions{parskip=half}
Customizing headings and fonts
KOMA-Script sets all structural headings in a sans-serif bold font by default. You can change this behavior globally or per heading level using \setkomafont and \addtokomafont.
Switching headings to serif
If your university thesis guidelines require serif fonts for all titles and section headers, redefine the disposition font element.
% Make all headings match the main body serif font \setkomafont{disposition}{\normalfont\bfseries}Changing chapter title sizes and styling
You can modify specific heading tiers without affecting lower levels. Use chapterprefix to format chapters with a dedicated 'Chapter N' line above the title.
\KOMAoptions{chapterprefix=true} \setkomafont{chapter}{\Huge\rmfamily\bfseries} \setkomafont{chapterprefix}{\large\sffamily}Controlling heading numbers in the margin
KOMA-Script provides the headings option to place section numbers inside the margin or adjust white space around titles.
\KOMAoptions{headings=small} % Options: small, normal, big % To keep numbers left-aligned with text on run-in headings: \KOMAoptions{headings=optiontohead}
Running headers and footers with scrlayer-scrpage
Do not combine scrreprt with fancyhdr. Instead, use KOMA-Script's integrated companion package scrlayer-scrpage.
| Command | Target area | Standard content |
|---|---|---|
| \ihead{...} / \ihead*{...} | Inner header (left on odd pages) | Document title or subject |
| \chead{...} / \chead*{...} | Center header | Usually left empty |
| \ohead{...} / \ohead*{...} | Outer header (right on odd pages) | \headmark (current section or chapter) |
| \ifoot{...} / \ifoot*{...} |
Configuring table of contents and lists of figures
The tocbasic package powers scrreprt's list handling, allowing you to include bibliographies and figure tables without manual \addcontentsline calls.
Adding bibliography and lists to TOC automatically
Set class options bibliography=totoc, listof=totoc, and index=totoc. If you want numbered entries instead, use totocnumbered.
\KOMAoptions{ bibliography=totoc, listof=totoc }Adjusting table of contents depth
Control how many structural levels appear in the table of contents and how many receive numerical labels using tocdepth and secnumdepth.
\setcounter{secnumdepth}{\subsubsectionnumdepth} % Number down to subsubsection \setcounter{tocdepth}{\subsectiontocdepth} % Show down to subsection in TOC
Questions
Why do my headings appear in sans-serif in scrreprt?
KOMA-Script uses sans-serif for headings by default to provide visual contrast with serif body text. To use your regular serif font across all titles, add \setkomafont{disposition}{\normalfont\bfseries} to your preamble.
Can I use the geometry package with scrreprt?
Yes, geometry works alongside scrreprt. However, loading geometry overrides KOMA-Script's internal typearea calculations. If you only need custom margins, consider setting DIV and BCOR options first before turning to geometry.
How do I switch scrreprt to two-sided printing?
Try your own paper in Texeno.
Start free, upload a project as a .zip and press Recompile. Upgrade when you need longer compiles.
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